Heart raging in my chest, I start forward again. Sweat slicks my hands and gathers between my shoulder blades. A wad of tight muscle forms in my throat. They could be anywhere. In a closed off room. On another floor multiple flights of stairs up. Flying to search for them would be faster, but my phoenix flame might give me away. I can’t run that risk. Not against someone like Yaritza.
I’m running out of time.
Then a harsh scrape of a whisper echoes down a hall off to my left. Balling my hands into fists, I hold my breath and creep toward it on the balls of my feet. Faint light spreads out from an open doorway and across the dusty cement floor. It flickers, rapidly shuffling shadows from one corner to the other. A few feet more and the voices clarify.
“That wasn’t the amount we agreed on,” Yaritza says, her words hard with resolve.
“You’ve lost him twice; I think the price is quite reasonable considering the delay.”
Hope perks up inside me. Of all the things Yaritza will absolutely not put up with, refusing to honor the contract is at the top of the list. If Iris agreed upon a particular amount of money for delivering Max, pride won’t allow Yaritza to budge, no matter the circumstances.
I squat next to the bare sheetrock wall and peer around the doorframe. The two women face off in the middle of the room. Flames curl around Iris’ hands, shifting to spark in her eyes and at the ends of her hair. Yaritza juts one hip out, a deceptively lazy position. Even from this distance I can see the tips of her fingers brush the hilt of the black blades hidden in her jacket.
When my focus lands on Max, my own phoenix fire threatens to lash out.
Gray faced and limp, he slumps in the corner behind Yaritza, head tilted at an unnatural angle. Blood covers his neck and soaks his t-shirt, and dark bruises litter his arms. Weak or not, he must have fought back, something I don’t think he’s done before.
Toes curled in my shoes; I wrack my brain for a plan. Relying on Yaritza and Iris to let this disagreement devolve into a fight won’t work. They’re both too savvy to be that stupid. Barging in, phoenix flame blazing, is a terrible option too, but it might be the only one that will work. If I can catch them off guard...
A slight movement catches my attention and I look up to meet Max’s eyes. Some of the shadows slide away from his face as a smile pulls at his lips. He then winks, shifting his gaze to the women in front of him.
“She’s right,” he says in a croak, warmth filling the room like pleasant heat from a bonfire. “That’s really not a fair deal.”
My shoulders snap straight as Yaritza and Iris’ faces harden further. Yaritza must have thought Max was too weak to use his magic and didn’t command him to stay quiet. Which would make sense considering his damaged state and her rush to fulfill the contract.
Huge mistake.
Iris’ fire intensifies, spreading up her arms to the elbows. “You almost lost him entirely. Not to mention the fact that you failed to find the original target in the first place.”
Teeth bared, Yaritza takes a step forward, pulling out her knives as she does. A few more feet and her back will be to me. If I can get to Max without them stopping me, I can protect him while I flesh out a better plan, or at the very least force them to listen.
I hold my breath.
“You know it’s impossible to find Aline Avila,” Yaritza says. “And if I remember correctly, you approved of my plan to smoke her out at the time.”
“Well, your plan failed.” Iris’ fingers hook into fiery claws. “Because the boy doesn’t know anything.”
“His mother still might show.”
I inch forward.
Another wave of warmth pulses through the room as Max says, “Doubtful. She has no intention of turning herself in. She wouldn’t even meet me when I asked. It was a terrible idea.”
The flame along Iris’ arms extends from her back, the beginning of wings. “I thought you were supposed to be the best in the business. Now you fail and have the audacity to demand I honor our original agreement? You—”
With a scream of fury, Yaritza barges toward Iris. I bolt for Max. With the cuff still on Yaritza’s arm, I won’t be able to get him out of here, but I can protect him until I can find a way to break the connection. Before I reach his corner, sharp pain slices across my arm as one of Yaritza’s blades flies end over end through the air.
It imbeds itself into the sheetrock. I spin around and throw up a shield just in time to block the second knife. With a loud clang it bounces off and skids across the dusty cement. Yaritza appears inches away from me, Iris not far behind, but my magic keeps them at bay. With one quick sidestep, I encompass Max within the spell’s protective circle, using Zeph’s shell to strengthen it.
On the other side of the rippling barrier, Yaritza sneers. “I told you to run.” A growl rumbles under this last word.
With a grin I don’t feel, I click my tongue. “Yeah, I don’t listen so good.” I lower my voice to a bare whisper. “Max. Anything you want to say to our friend here?”
“Nothing nice,” he mumbles.
“Max.” I nudge his wrist with a foot.
“Oh yeah.” A smile spreads slowly across his face. “How’s about you disconnect this nasty binding spell?”
His magic flows out in a surprisingly quick rush, easily sliding past my shield spell to wrap
