“I’m a menace now? Is that it? Why would Cecil do this?”
Monty raised an eyebrow at me.
“Fine—I mean, I know why, but why? He’s had plenty of opportunity to blacklist me in the past,” I said, offended. “I noticed he hasn’t blacklisted you. Robert had no problem speaking to you.”
Robert stepped into the Rump, handing Monty a clipboard and pen. He glanced my way and barely nodded, doing his best to ignore me.
“This issue may have something to do with your friends—associates—whom you conversed with earlier,” Monty said, taking the clipboard from Robert and signing it. Robert wordlessly tipped his hat to the both of us and practically dashed out of the Randy Rump and back to his truck before speeding off. “He moves quite fast for someone his age.”
“He almost broke an ankle trying to get away. What’s going on?” I asked, confused. “I know the Dark Goat gives off some serious creepy vibes, but this is Robert. He should be used to it by now.”
“James, may we use the back room?” Monty asked, looking at Jimmy. “We have a delicate matter to discuss.”
“You can use my office,” Jimmy said, pointing to his office before ducking down behind the large counter to organize more supplies. “You know the sequence. Back-room is currently being set up. I have some Dark Council people using the space later tonight for some meeting of theirs.”
“Thank you,” Monty said, leading the way to the office. “We shall be brief, no more than ten to twenty minutes.”
“All yours,” Jimmy replied with a grunt as he moved one of the crates of beer. “Don’t break anything.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Monty said.
“Wasn’t talking to you, Tristan,” Jimmy said, glancing my way. “Remember what I said, Simon. Walk away.”
“Would if I could, but I can’t,” I said, following Monty to the back.
Monty approached the office.
This door, even though it wasn’t as strong as the back-room door, was still impressive. It stood eight feet tall and half as wide, making it easy for the werebear to enter his office without stooping.
I could tell Monty had reinforced some of the runes. Not that I could make out what they meant, but they just felt different, stronger than before.
“You changed the runes?”
“Enhanced them, yes,” Monty said as he activated the sequence that opened the door. “You can sense the difference?”
“They feel stronger—scarier and stronger.”
The door and frame were made of Australian Buloke ironwood, one of the hardest woods on the planet. I narrowed my eyes and saw that it, too, was magically inscribed with new runes on every inch of its surface.
Most of the runes on the door were indecipherable. The few I did understand scared the hell out of me. Jimmy had asked Monty to increase the configurations and Monty had gone to town.
Before, if anyone tried to use this door without knowing the sequence, they were in for a world of pain. Now, with the new runes, trying this door without knowing the sequence would leave the victim in a pile of dust before they knew what hit them.
“I’m impressed you can sense the difference,” Monty said, opening the door and stepping into Jimmy’s office. “It means your sensitivity is growing.”
“I’ve always been in touch with my sensitive side,” I said, still looking at the runes on the door. “How did you manage to enhance proto-runes?”
“The same way anyone improves at anything—practice.” Monty glanced over at the faintly glowing runes. “I do admit it was dicey there for a few moments. Nearly disintegrated this place a few times.”
“Wait—Jimmy tells me not to break anything, but trusts you to enhance the destructo-runes on his door?”
“Doors,” Monty corrected. “I needed to do the protorunes on both doors: this and the main door. That one took some work. In any case, we aren’t here to discuss my runework, impressive as it may be.”
“How strong are you now, exactly?”
“Irrelevant,” Monty said, waving my words away. “If you recall, I called Cecil earlier to get your vehicle delivered. He shared some disturbing news.”
I held my hands up in surrender.
“I haven’t destroyed any vehicle and I don’t think the Dark Goat can be destroyed. Whatever he’s saying I did—wasn’t me.”
“You do realize that not everyone who knows you thinks you are a source of mayhem and destruction,” Monty said. “Some actually think it’s you and your creature.”
“Hilarious, really,” I said. “I’m going to go on vacation and let everyone see what a menace you two are. If it’s not about the vehicles, then…?”
“This has to do with something—someone—else.”
“Who?” I asked, actually concerned because we were having this discussion in a secure office inside a neutral zone. It meant either Monty was taking major precautions, or worse, he was scared of something. “What’s going on?”
“Cecil was instructed to deliver a particular vehicle tomorrow night.”
“Since when does Cecil give you his delivery schedule, and what does that have to do with telling his people I suddenly have the black plague?”
“Every few decades, Cecil delivers a special vehicle. The 1939 Duesenberg Coupe Simone Midnight Ghost.”
He paused to let the words sink in.
“That piece of automotive art was never found after the war,” I said in almost a whisper. “There’s only one of them, and it was lost.”
“Not lost, hidden and kept hidden, even to this day,” Monty said. “Except for rare occasions when its owner requests it.”
“I thought Cecil owned the ‘Duezy’—and why is this relevant?”
“Cecil owns a 1939 Duesenberg Coupe Simone Midnight Ghost.”
“You’re saying there’s two of them?”
“This Simone Midnight Ghost is owned by one Magnus M. Balfour,” Monty said. “Cecil informed me that he will be delivering this vehicle to a location downtown tomorrow night.”
“Magnus M. Balfour?” I asked. “There is no way this is a coincidence.”
“I was just informed that Slif belonged to a very prominent dragon enclave, one of the most powerful in this country. Would you like to guess what her last name was?”
“Please tell me it was something generic, like
