he'd been done in. I focused instead on finding my Corvette. It was sitting on the other side of the fence, beside the curb, where I'd left it. Hopping the iron fence, I landed on the sidewalk and dove into the car.
The air reeked of fire and rain. If I didn't get out of there, and pronto, the spot was certain to be flooded with cops and firefighters.
I put the pedal to the metal and took off for the highway. Within minutes I was on the entrance ramp, coasting around the bend and racing for HQ.
I'd escaped with my life, had knocked a fair few zombies out of commission and dealt a decent blow to the mastermind behind all of this. But I hadn't been able to beat him. The knowledge that I'd been bested didn't sit well.
Lucian Colt knows a thing or two about disappointment, about feeling down on himself. For Gadreel however, this was new territory. It isn't often that a fallen angel gets his ass kicked.
I felt worse for him than I did for myself, honestly.
FOURTEEN
Kubo didn't care that my hair was all staticky, or that I looked like I'd just survived the Apocalypse. When I walked in that door and started through the lobby in search of him, he came up and socked me in the nose.
“It's past midnight. Where the fuck have you been?” demanded the Chief, taking me by the neck and guiding me down the hall.
I sniffed back a trail of blood and clutched at my face. “I overslept, OK? But on the way here I met Agamemnon and his horde. Got into a fight and managed to get some hits in. I think he made it out, though.”
Kubo really loved kicking me when I was down. He jabbed me in the side with his elbow. “Damned idiot. You're lucky you aren't dead, trying to take him on yourself. This ain't a solo job, Lucy. You can't just expect to play the hero this time around. We have a plan in place to nullify this threat, but it isn't going to work the way you're thinking. You need to get yourself in line before you fuck things up for everybody. Got it?”
“Y-yeah, Chief.”
Kubo cleared his throat and paused outside of a conference room. From inside I could hear all kinds of voices. The place was packed. “We've brought on two experienced contractors for this job. They've worked for us in the past and are exceptional at what they do. They'll be working alongside you and Joe.” He threw open the door and waved me inside. “I want you to meet them.”
As I'd guessed, the room was stuffed full of Veiled Order commandos. There were some other people there I didn't recognize, too. Dudes in expensive suits that were chatting up Amundsen. Joe was sitting on a stool in the far corner, sipping from a bottle of water and chatting with two others. A guy and girl.
And the guy was wearing a sword on his back. A sword with a bone for a hilt.
My eyes widened and I stormed across the room, leaving Kubo in the doorway. If the swordsman was here, then the girl with him must be--
“Oh, hey Lucy. Remember Kanta from the party? She and her partner Percy here are joining up,” said Joe as he saw me marching over.
“You... you! ” Kanta turned around and looked at me, her perfectly-shaped eyebrow arching. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
Hands on her hips, Kanta shrugged. “I should probably be asking you that.” Her hair was still done up in that perfect braid, and she wore a really beautiful sari made of a shiny, silky fabric. It was colored in blues and yellows, and featured a flower motif. It was also exceptionally tailored, hugging her tight curves and generous bust, and--
I had to stop myself from ogling her. This was the bitch who'd strapped me to a chair and tried to perform an exorcism on me. She and her buddy here had attempted to kill me; they were permanently on my shit-list. Didn't matter how pretty she was, or how cool her friend's bone-sword might've looked. I had half a mind to kill them right then and there. “I work here, you jackass,” I shot back. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't stomp your ass to
The air reeked of fire and rain. If I didn't get out of there, and pronto, the spot was certain to be flooded with cops and firefighters.
I put the pedal to the metal and took off for the highway. Within minutes I was on the entrance ramp, coasting around the bend and racing for HQ.
I'd escaped with my life, had knocked a fair few zombies out of commission and dealt a decent blow to the mastermind behind all of this. But I hadn't been able to beat him. The knowledge that I'd been bested didn't sit well.
Lucian Colt knows a thing or two about disappointment, about feeling down on himself. For Gadreel however, this was new territory. It isn't often that a fallen angel gets his ass kicked.
I felt worse for him than I did for myself, honestly.
FOURTEEN
Kubo didn't care that my hair was all staticky, or that I looked like I'd just survived the Apocalypse. When I walked in that door and started through the lobby in search of him, he came up and socked me in the nose.
“It's past midnight. Where the fuck have you been?” demanded the Chief, taking me by the neck and guiding me down the hall.
I sniffed back a trail of blood and clutched at my face. “I overslept, OK? But on the way here I met Agamemnon and his horde. Got into a fight and managed to get some hits in. I think he made it out, though.”
Kubo really loved kicking me when I was down. He jabbed me in the side with his elbow. “Damned idiot. You're lucky you aren't dead, trying to take him on yourself. This ain't a solo job, Lucy. You can't just expect to play the hero this time around. We have a plan in place to nullify this threat, but it isn't going to work the way you're thinking. You need to get yourself in line before you fuck things up for everybody. Got it?”
“Y-yeah, Chief.”
Kubo cleared his throat and paused outside of a conference room. From inside I could hear all kinds of voices. The place was packed. “We've brought on two experienced contractors for this job. They've worked for us in the past and are exceptional at what they do. They'll be working alongside you and Joe.” He threw open the door and waved me inside. “I want you to meet them.”
As I'd guessed, the room was stuffed full of Veiled Order commandos. There were some other people there I didn't recognize, too. Dudes in expensive suits that were chatting up Amundsen. Joe was sitting on a stool in the far corner, sipping from a bottle of water and chatting with two others. A guy and girl.
And the guy was wearing a sword on his back. A sword with a bone for a hilt.
My eyes widened and I stormed across the room, leaving Kubo in the doorway. If the swordsman was here, then the girl with him must be--
“Oh, hey Lucy. Remember Kanta from the party? She and her partner Percy here are joining up,” said Joe as he saw me marching over.
“You... you! ” Kanta turned around and looked at me, her perfectly-shaped eyebrow arching. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
Hands on her hips, Kanta shrugged. “I should probably be asking you that.” Her hair was still done up in that perfect braid, and she wore a really beautiful sari made of a shiny, silky fabric. It was colored in blues and yellows, and featured a flower motif. It was also exceptionally tailored, hugging her tight curves and generous bust, and--
I had to stop myself from ogling her. This was the bitch who'd strapped me to a chair and tried to perform an exorcism on me. She and her buddy here had attempted to kill me; they were permanently on my shit-list. Didn't matter how pretty she was, or how cool her friend's bone-sword might've looked. I had half a mind to kill them right then and there. “I work here, you jackass,” I shot back. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't stomp your ass to
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