her and that he and the rest of that Lancroft cult had it. The Vigilant.”
“That’s them. We need to check them out, and we sure as hell can’t afford to get close right now. They’ll be looking for it after Jessup announced his involvement with them in New Mexico.”
“You think Rico’s really turned on us?” Cole asked.
“You heard it yourself, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but maybe he’s just looking for another way to do things. Just because he’s decided to tackle this apocalypse thing a different way than us doesn’t mean he’s an enemy.”
“Apocalypse, huh?” she scoffed. “You’ve been listening to the news again.”
“You’ve been with Rico longer than I have. Are you telling me you don’t trust him just because he decided to tackle the Full Bloods from a more aggressive angle? That’s not exactly out of his normal play book.”
Paige drew a long breath and chewed on it for a few seconds. It emerged from between her lips in a thin mist as she said, “There’s another avenue we’ve got that I think even the Vigilant won’t have, that is unless Lancroft had more foreign contacts than anyone ever thought.”
“The Amriany,” Cole said, being careful not to mention the name loud enough for it to catch any attention.
“They made the Blood Blades and I’m pretty sure they made the Jekhibar. If they don’t have answers about how we can deal with Full Bloods that can create Half Breeds with nothing more than a howl, then maybe we can at least get some more weaponry.”
“And if we’re going to approach them, I should see what I can learn from the guys around here in regards to what’s going on in Europe. Perhaps those satellites picked up Full Bloods, Half Breeds, or some other bit of craziness that the Amriany don’t know about yet. Information like that could be one hell of a bargaining chip.”
She nodded and rubbed his shoulder. “I have taught you well, young one.”
Cole put his hands on her hips and pulled her in close. Before she had a chance to react, he planted a kiss on her that made them both forget about the winter’s chill.
“What was that for?” she asked after finally pulling away.
“Seems like we’re gonna be busy,” he replied. “Just thought I should enjoy the quiet while it lasts.”
“You know me. Quiet never lasts very long.”
Chapter Three
The car they’d been given was a two-door, brown Chevy that was so nondescript it might as well have had “Unmarked Vehicle” stenciled on the bumper near the government plates. Paige laughed to herself when she saw it, but didn’t waste much more breath on it than that. They didn’t intend on driving very far, so it didn’t really matter if anyone tracked them. Both of them wore comfortable cargo pants that had been worn into a second skin during all of the time they spent with the IRD. Other than that, Paige wore a dark blue jersey that was so old that its Bears logo was almost invisible. Her hair had been recently trimmed and pulled into a neat tail that brushed against the nape of her neck. Cole looked about the same as always. As far as clothing went, all that had changed was the design on his T-shirt. Today, he wore one depicting the first screen of Donkey Kong.
“When did they reopen this place?” he asked while leaning forward to get a better look into the glare of early morning sun.
Paige pulled to a stop in front of a small club marked by a tall diamond-shaped sign that read, THE EMERALD. “This place wasn’t closed during the Mud Flu,” she reminded him. “That was Bunn’s Lounge. Get that straight before you go in to talk to the management.”
“It’s not Christov, is it?”
“Sure is.”
“Oh,” Cole grumbled. “Thanks for the reminder.”
They exited the car carrying the bags of gear they’d collected and walked across a nearly deserted parking lot. Even McDonald’s didn’t have a breakfast rush anymore, which made Cole wonder if the world truly had come to an end. Before they got close enough to knock on the tinted glass of the front door, the shade of a smaller window was pulled aside so a bald man with skin the color of a fish’s belly and forward-folded ears could look outside and jab a finger toward the side of the building.
“You told him we were coming, right?” Cole asked.
“Yeah. Why do you think he looks so pissed off?”
He was still laughing at that when the side door was opened by a shapely redhead dressed in flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt cut to show about a millimeter of her smooth, flat stomach. Since she was a nymph, she made that ensemble look better than ice cream on top of a freshly heated brownie. “Hi guys, come on in.”
“Hello, Kate,” Cole said, fondly remembering her instantly, even though it had been more than seven months since he laid eyes on her. If only for that reason, it seemed like a harsh winter. The nymph smiled and stepped aside, allowing the Skinners to enter the club as another set of stomping footsteps rushed to meet them.
“You are not welcome here!” Christov said. He was flanked by two young bouncers who looked just as disheveled as he did. Between the three of them, they probably hadn’t gotten more than twenty minutes sleep since squaring away the club after the previous night’s business.
“We’re only passing through,” Paige said.
“Then why can’t you do it during business hours, eh?” Although bloodshot, his eyes were sharp enough to gleam after waggling back and forth between Cole and Paige. “See? I don’t forget. Last time you came, it was to get information about a killer. The next night, my club is infected with the Mud Flu, my customers are tearing it to pieces, and monsters are kicking down my door.”
When Cole tried to interrupt, he was cut off by a swiftly upraised hand that moved as if to erase him from existence.
“But you got another one,” Paige said while extending her arms. “All is right with the world.”
“No! All is not right. I am still paying off debts I got while buying out former owner of this dump. Now I must try to build it up to something half as good as Bunn’s.”
“All we need is to talk with Kate here,” Paige said. “Then we’ll be gone.”
“Gone, as in . . .” Christov waggled his fingers in the same way he would to make a coin magically disappear from beneath a handkerchief.
“Right,” Paige said. “Gone like that.”
“What about your car? I’m not running some kind of garage.”
“It’s yours,” she told him. “Might want to check it over before you use it. It’s government issue but I doubt anyone will be looking for it.”
“Stolen?” Christov asked, a hint of admiration showing in his eyes.
“No, but strip it for parts, swap the plates, do whatever you like. If anyone comes around asking for it, tell them we stopped by to partake in the buffet and left it here for safekeeping.”
“There is still a buffet, right?” Cole asked.
“Of course,” Christov huffed. “What kind of a place you think I am running? Fine. Leave the car and have your talk with Kate. If you like, I can get you a drink on the house. Only one.”
“Pass on the drink,” Paige said as she stepped inside.
The wind seemed especially cold as it blew across Cole’s face. He turned his back to the outside world, walked inside and allowed the heavy door to slam shut behind him. The Emerald wasn’t a large club and it sure wasn’t a deluxe one. It was, however, much different than the last time he and Paige had been there. Apart from an additional stage, there was a longer bar, a larger section curtained off as a VIP area, and bigger speakers bolted to the ceiling. At the moment there was only a pair of smaller bouncers turning the chairs right side up in preparation for the lunch customers.
Kate and Christov had taken Paige to the storage room behind the bar. Although it was the same room that was used as a temporary Dryad temple a while ago, there had been plenty of changes since then. First of all, the walls, floor, and bar were covered with Dryad glyphs that were either painted or burned into surfaces until they
