Tory was still suspicious. Having done the Porsche driving school a few years ago just for fun, she'd learned the various models and their price tags. This was the creme de la creme of Porsche-and it drove like a badass dream. She'd wanted one so badly she could taste it, but the price tag was way out of her reach. 'You own a quarter-million-dollar car?'
'Give or take a few ten thousand, yeah. Now get in.'
Tory wasn't completely convinced. How on earth could he afford a car like this? But as she looked over at the driver's seat and realized that it was definitely designed for a very tall human, she couldn't deny the obvious. It had to be his. She got in as he slid into the driver's side.
Yeah, the car fit him like a glove and the fact that he knew the key went in on the left hand side said he'd been in the car enough not to hesitate with it.
'Acheron!'
As Ash shut his door, she looked up at the shout to see a large brown-haired man running toward them.
'Buckle up.' Ash slammed the gearshift into reverse.
The man ran up onto the back of Ash's car.
'Oh you fucker,' Ash snarled angrily. 'Getting paw prints on my car… I swear, you scratch it, you die.' He slammed on the brakes and sent the man flying onto a parked blue sedan.
Ash turned the steering wheel sharply and headed straight for the man who had rolled to the ground.
Tory cringed as she expected them to plow straight into him. Just as they reached him, he jumped out of the way with an astounding agility.
'You're crazy, aren't you?'
Ash didn't answer her as he took a corner so fast, she swore she felt a 2G pull. There on the street was a white BMW that fell in behind them.
'We're being followed.'
Ash cursed at the sight of them in his mirror. More demons. But he was grateful they were at least attempting to blend in. Stryker must have had a talk with them about keeping anonymity in the human realm. Their inhibition to blast him leveled the playing field since he couldn't use his powers outright either.
Downshifting, he cut through traffic, heading toward the interstate. He needed to get them out of the populated areas before an innocent was hurt. Something easier said than done as two more cars appeared and then opened fire on them.
Ash threw a shield up to protect the car. He tried to use his powers to flip over the cars chasing them or at the very least stall the engines, but because they were demons inside and not humans, they countered his abilities with their own.
Damn them!
'My God,' Tory gasped. 'Do they suck at shooting or what?'
He didn't comment as he caught sight of four sleek black Honda Blackbirds closing in on them. Two of the bikes had double riders and the rider on the back was loaded for bear with KACs 6x35mm PDW that they pulled out from under their jackets.
Ash cursed. 'Looks like they're opening for business.'
At least that was what he thought until one of the motorcycles opened fire on the cars after them.
Tory scowled at the sight of the bikers helping them. 'Friends of yours?'
'Not that I know of.' If not for the fact they were using guns, he'd suspect Were-Hunters since many of them used motorcycles to travel by while in human form. But Were-Hunters would be fighting with magic.
The bikes fell into formation, forcing the BMW to drive into the retaining wall. Then they moved on to the other Beamer before they made short work of it, too.
Ash gunned the engine as they approached. At least until he realized they were definitely on his side. He swerved to the shoulder, then slammed on the brakes.
'Wait here,' he said as he got out to confront the riders.
They stopped a few feet behind his car. The two who were armed swung off first and turned their backs to him as they scanned the road for more demons. But what caught his attention most was the gold sun symbol emblazoned on the back of their Brazilian leather Stitch suits.
His mother's symbol.
The drivers got off the bikes in unison and approached him like a single trained unit. They stopped before him and stood wide legged until they each brought their right fist to their left shoulder and bowed their heads. Then they sank down to one knee right there in the street.
What the hell was this?
The one who was the leader got up and removed her helmet. She was breathtakingly beautiful with long blond hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. In the leathers, her broad shoulders would make her easily mistaken for a man, but there was nothing masculine about her. 'Sorry we couldn't arrange a better introduction. I'm Katherine Zanakis, head priestess of the Apollymachi.'
Ash looked over them as he realized they were all human women in service to his mother. 'What are you doing here?'
Katherine moved to the side as the others rose and another one came forward and removed her helmet. Very cute and probably a good ten years older than Katherine, she had short black hair and warm eyes.
'Justina?'
He turned at Tory's confused call to scowl at the imp who was running to join them. 'I thought I told you to stay in the car.'
'I don't listen,' she said dismissively as she joined him.
Justina came forward and pulled the messenger bag off her shoulder. 'I was told to deliver this to you.' She handed the bag to Tory.
Tory looked as confused by the gift as he felt. 'What is it?'
'It's what Dimitri died for,' Justina explained. 'I was there when the Atlantikoinonia stormed in and I managed to escape out the back door with the journal and seal while he held them off.' Justina crossed herself three times as her eyes filled with tears over their lost friend.
Ash cursed as he remembered seeing Justina in his vision. Only then he hadn't realized whose side she'd been on. He'd assumed she'd been working for their enemies.
'The Atlantikoinonia?' Tory asked Justina.
'A group of lunatics,' Justina spat. 'They've chased us all the way from Greece to New Orleans. Every time we turn around, there they are trying to nab the journal.'
Katherine nodded. 'They're a group of men who are sworn to protect the secrets of Atlantis and they're ruthless.'
'They destroyed our boat,' Justina told Tory. 'I killed one of them as he fled and that's what made me run to Dimitiri to get the journal. I didn't realize how important our research was until then.'
Tory shook her head as if all this was making her dizzy. 'I am so confused.'
Ash put an arm around her to hold her steady. 'She also just had surgery and was almost killed earlier today. Not to mention, our friends might find us again and when they do, I don't want to be in the open where they can get her or take a clear shot at us. Do you guys know where Sanctuary is on Ursulines?'
'I do,' one of the women with the KACs said.
'Then we'll meet you there.' Ash went to open the door for Tory who gave him a hard stare.
'What exactly is going on here, Ash?'
'I'm not sure, but I think we're about to get a few answers.'
'Good. 'Cause I'm tired of being in the dark.' Tory got in and started to open the bag in her lap, but Ash put his hand on hers.
'I'd rather you not do that.'
She looked up with a frown. 'Why?'
'All right.' Her blind trust sent a wave of guilt through him. She folded her arms around the bag and held it tight, not knowing it was his life and dignity she held so close to her heart. Every secret he'd worked so damn hard to keep was right there…
