Page 9 of Circle of Death
She looks to the side. Deva has dialed her moves way down, just shifting her weight from one leg to the other as the predator leans over her. Maddy catches his eye, then jerks her head to lure him over. Then she pulls the guy behind her around so that both men are facing her. She smiles and crooks her finger to bring them in close. She leans forward until her head is between the two of them, her lips practically touching their ears.
“Go stick your heads in the ice bin!”she shouts.
The men lean back. Their eyes go dull. They turn and move through the crowd, pushing other dancers aside until they reach the bar area. The huge bin is overflowing with ice water and melting cubes.
Maddy and Deva watch as the two men grab the edge of the bucket and plunge their heads in up to their shoulders. Dancers back off to dodge the splatter. The punks stay under for just a few seconds. Then a massive bouncer yanks them both out by their collars and shoves them up the stairs toward the exit.
Deva wraps her arm around Maddy’s shoulders, laughing hard.“Thank you!”she shouts.“You preserved our honor!”
“Not a problem!”Maddy shouts back.“I have a way with men!”
CHAPTER 9
“DAMMIT,WHERE IS she?” I hate it when Maddy’s out late. And the Scotch isn’t calming me down.
I’m sitting with Margo in the main parlor of the mansion, waiting for the sound of the front door opening. I know the city is safer now than it was before, but it’s still a risky place for a young woman—even one as sharp as Maddy. I keep reminding her how much evil still exists in the world. I always tell her to never,everlet down her guard.
As usual, Margo tells me to ease up.
“Lamont, she’s in college now, not high school. If we try to hold her too close, we’ll just end up pushing her away. Be grateful she’s still living at home and not in some seamy dorm. Give her some space. Trust her instincts.”
“You’re right,” I say. “Maybe I’m extra paranoid tonight.”
“Because of Hawkeye and Tapper?” asks Margo.
She put her finger on the problem. My missing team members. The two who never showed up.
“Exactly. I need them here. And I have no idea where they are.”
Their ancestors and namesakes were two of my most trusted associates. Brave. Loyal. Unstoppable. I expected the same from their descendants. They were the hardest two to locate and the hardest to get messages to. Their last known location was Zurich. But now they’re totally off the grid.
“Remember,” says Margo, “the original Hawkeye and Tapper were both ex-cons.”
She’s right, of course. Back in the 1930s, Hawkeye and Tapper were tough, hard men, well acquainted with the dark side. Which is exactly why I hired them.
“Iknowthey were criminals,” I shoot back. “That’s what made them so good at fighting crime.”
“Well, maybe the bad genes won out in this generation,” says Margo. “Maybe these guys aren’t coming at all. Maybe they’re locked up somewhere. Or maybe they’re dead.”
I drain my glass. “I appreciate the encouragement.”
My other guests are already upstairs in the guest rooms, exhausted from their travel. After just a few hours with them, I can tell that they have a lot in common with their ancestors. Jericho is tough and brilliant. Moe is resourceful and street smart. And Burbank is an electronics savant.
But we’re about to go up against somebody called the Destroyer of Worlds. Even when we find his weakness, we’ll need all the help we can get.
CHAPTER 10
MADDY WAKES UP at 8:00 a.m., facedown in her pillow. She turns her head slowly and opens one eye to glance at the clock. Christ. Has she really only been home for three hours? She’s drained and dehydrated, and her feet feel like two throbbing lumps. The shoes she borrowed from Deva were at least a size too small. She pushes herself up and swings her legs out from under the covers, then waits a second to let her vision settle. She needs food. She needs fluids. She needs caffeine.
As Maddy comes down the main staircase and turns toward the kitchen, she hears a raucous mix of unfamiliar voices. Then she remembers. Oh, shit. Lamont’s guests must have arrived. Maddy stops and squeezes her head between her hands.
Why now? After last night, all she wants is a little peace and quiet.
For a second, she thinks about going back to her room and making herself more presentable—maybe something nicer than her gym shorts and ratty sweatshirt. No. Forget it. What they see is what they get. She shuffles her aching feet toward the smell of strong coffee and warm toast.
When Maddy walks through the alcove into the kitchen, the sun is stunningly bright. At first, all she can see around the table are backlit shapes.
“Good morning, beautiful!” says Margo. She squeezes Maddy around the shoulders and plants a kiss on the top of her head. Maddy blinks.Waytoo early to be so chipper.
