“He’s gone all out,” Cormack noted as he surveyed the large dining room. The table that had been there before was gone and replaced with chairs along the walls. The center of the room had been turned into a dance floor. “You were right about the fodder.” He was grim as he looked at the assembled guests, no doubt doing the math in his head. “There’s no way all these people are working with him.”
“No,” Zoe agreed, her eyes bouncing from room to room. “There have to be at least seventy people here.”
“At least,” Cormack agreed. “I’m betting there are even more people in the backyard. He has an elaborate patio setup out there.”
“That’s probably where he is,” Redmond noted. “He likes to smoke cigars out there.”
“That’s not where he is,” Zoe supplied. “He’s in the basement. I’m sure he’s already been alerted that we’re here and he’s waiting for us.”
Cormack slid her a sidelong look. “You don’t want to make him wait, do you?”
“No. I don’t see the point in it. I’m not keen on being away from my kid too long under these circumstances. I would prefer getting straight to the heart of matters.”
Cormack studied her face for a long time and then nodded. “I’m the one who takes the lead down the stairs. This is my co-worker. It’s my job.”
“That’s sweet and chivalrous … and kind of out of touch.” Zoe patted his arm. “It’s also fine as long as I’m right behind you. I need to be able to see what’s happening so I know when to engage our defenses.”
Cormack nodded in agreement. “Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“I’m more interested in seeing what he’s got, but we’ll make it work. I’m more than ready to put an end to this.”
She wasn’t the only one.
Twenty-Eight
Zoe knew the way to the basement so she prodded Cormack to make the correct turns. Nobody was watching the door that led to the bottom floor and Cormack paused before touching the handle. Perhaps sensing his unease, Zoe reached around him and pulsed a small burst of magic at the knob, which blew the door open with minimal effort. It flew open with enough force that it bounced against the inside wall but nothing else happened, so Zoe gave the Grimlock patriarch an encouraging smile.
“I guess that means I’m on.” Cormack returned the smile. “Let’s do this.”
Zoe nodded. “It’s going to be okay. I’m a total badass.”
He chuckled dryly. “Well, at least we have that.” He squared his shoulders and headed down the stairs, pulling up short when he hit the bottom floor and the gate became visible. He cocked his head, a look of wonder drifting over his features, and then he sighed. “You described it to me, yet it didn’t feel real until right now.”
“It’s hard for you,” Zoe acknowledged. “You’ve been led to believe these gates are special, perhaps placed in certain locations by God himself. They were at the very least mystical. Now you find that the biggest loser in Loserville has access to multiple gates. It’s going to cause you to rethink everything you’ve based your life on.
“What’s important is that you know you’re a good man and you always did the right thing,” she continued. “You can’t control what other people do, only yourself. That was a hard lesson for me. It took getting shot, maybe even dying, to realize that I am not responsible for everybody I cross paths with. The same is true for you.
“You’ve raised good children. They’re mouthy and opinionated and altogether wacky. They’re also loyal, love openly, and tell the truth even when it’s hard to hear. That makes them the best sort of people in my book. You need to focus on that. What’s about to happen here is not on you. These people created this situation. They’ve got what’s coming to them.”
“And are you what’s coming to them?”
“No, that would be karma. I’m just going to be the one wielding it.”
He was quiet for a beat and then rested his hand on her shoulder. “You are a great comfort to me, despite your mouth and attitude. You couldn’t have said anything better.”
“Even I have my moments.”
“You do.” Briefly, he pressed his forehead to hers and then pulled back. “I really do want to keep Sami. I’m just putting it out there in case something happens.”
Zoe snorted. “You can’t keep her. We might be able to arrange the occasional visit, though. Now that she’s met your beefcake son, she’s never going to stop torturing her father with him. However, that’s a conversation for tomorrow. For today ... .”
“For today we go through the gate,” he said, sucking in a breath. “I guess I can’t put that off any longer.”
“You’re afraid,” Zoe surmised. “It’s okay. We’ll do it together.” She linked her arm through his, cast a reassuring look to Aric, and then moved toward the shimmering surface. “Whatever happens on the other side, we’ve got this. I promise.”
Cormack exhaled twice and then patted her hand. “Okay. I’m ready.”
We walked through the gate in formation, arriving on the other side in a small clump. The waiting room looked largely as it had the first time we visited, other than the missing shelf. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, a remnant of our second visit. The air was close — too close, really — and one half of the room was littered with familiar faces.
Grimaldi was an expected foe, as were the assorted faceless reaper soldiers congregated behind him. The man standing next to him, though, was more of a surprise. In hindsight, I had recognized Renley Hatfield as an enemy early on. I couldn’t come right out and accuse him, but something always seemed off. That was never more apparent than now, when he stood shoulder to shoulder with Grimaldi and offered up the worst sort of
