Angel's Ink (26 page)

“I don’t see that you’ve got much choice. Death or Reave’s offer.” I dropped my hand, but continued to glare over the shoulder of my friend. Work for the mob. What a horrible, gut-twisting thought! My business was honest, relatively so, and it was my own. There were no threats or shakedowns. I didn’t escape the authority of the Ivory Towers to now find myself under the thumb of a Svartálfar.

“Are you still working for them? Were you sent to my shop to spy on me and get me to bend to Reave’s demands?”

Bronx gave me a hard shove. My back slammed against the wall in the dark room and I slumped there for several seconds as his low growl sent a shiver of fear through my intestines. “I left Reave’s association. It was ugly and hard, but I did it. I haven’t been back in contact with him or his people in over five years. Not until now and only because you needed me.”

My heart lurched in my chest as I looked at my friend. What had I done to Bronx by dragging him here? What was he risking? “Bronx, I’m sorry. I—I didn’t mean it,” I stammered, hating myself.

The troll’s shoulders slumped a little bit, but his face was still an unreadable mask. “I know you didn’t. No one wants to find themselves in this position, and you just have to make the best of it. Death isn’t an option. Trixie would never forgive either of us if I let you make that choice. We’ll find a way out of this.”

Staring at Bronx standing in the light of the open doorway, his head slightly bowed and his shoulders slumped, I realized that he was right. It wasn’t just my life that was on the line when it came to Reave. If Reave handed me over to the Ivory Towers or to a lynch mob, I was done and Trixie was still in trouble with the Summer Court. It also didn’t solve Tera’s immortality problem. Furthermore, Bronx would once again find himself in the clutches of the Svartálfar. Of course, if I killed Reave, we’d all be in the clear. Unfortunately, I’d need to use a spell or two to accomplish that and then Gideon would kill me. And I was back at square one.

Forcing one corner of my mouth up in a smile, I pushed off the wall and patted Bronx on the shoulder as the troll stepped out of the doorway and into the hallway. “We’ll figure something out,” I murmured, my eyes slipping over the pair of armed figures standing at the end of the hallway. One particularly ugly troll with an eye patch stared at Bronx, a smug grin on his fat lips.

“Always knew you’d be back,” the troll said as he leaned against the wall, blocking our way.

“Just a little business, Covington.” Bronx didn’t even look at the other troll as he stood, waiting for him to move so that we could continue on our way to talk to Reave.

The one-eyed troll leaned close to Bronx, crowding him, but my companion didn’t waver despite the obvious threat. I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting to keep my mouth shut. “You think it’s goin’ to be that easy? You’ll just slide back into your old spot?”

“I don’t want anything to do with Reave and his associates.”

“Trust me, you’ll be begging to be welcomed back before Reave’s done with you and him. And then you’ll have to follow what I say.”

“Doubtful.”

The troll snarled as he stepped back. His large fist swung at Bronx, aimed for his face. Bronx leaned back just in time to see the punch slide by him, while he placed a hand on my chest to hold me back so that I wouldn’t be hit as well. I waited long enough for Bronx to drop his hand before I launched myself at the unknown troll. Threading my fingers together, I slammed my doubled fist into the troll’s face, snapping his head back as blood exploded from his large nose. As he stumbled backward, I kicked him between the legs, bringing the troll to his knees with a high-pitched cry of pain. It was a low blow and one I didn’t often use, but the troll was more than twice my weight and had three times my strength. He was going to rip my head off. Sometimes you have to even the playing field in order to survive. Besides, he was harassing Bronx, and my friend didn’t deserve it.

To my surprise, Bronx stepped forward and wrapped one arm around my waist. Picking me up, the troll carried me at his side down the hallway, past the wheezing troll I had attacked and his shocked companion.

“You can’t help it!” Bronx barked, raising his voice for the first time since I’d met him. “You have to get in trouble no matter where you go.”

“I do not!”

“My experiences with you prove otherwise.”

I struggled against his grip, but it didn’t budge. Bronx was undoubtedly right, but he didn’t need to carry me around like a disobedient child. “Put me down!”

“Can you restrain yourself until we get out of here?”

“Possibly.” I wasn’t going to make any promises that I couldn’t keep and we still had to face Reave.

Bronx made a sound in the back of his throat that didn’t sound encouraging, but he paused long enough to let me return to my own feet before he walked down a set of dark stairs to the main room of the Strausse Haus.

“Try. I don’t have any plans to die here today.”

With that, my temper instantly deflated. I decided it was time to shut my mouth and start thinking because it wasn’t just my life and future that were on the line. My actions would also have an impact on what happened to Bronx from here on out and I needed to stop acting like an idiot.

Reave was standing at the bar, talking to the bartender, when we entered the room. He straightened and smiled at us before returning to the same booth he had been sitting in when I’d first met him. The lights in the bar were on, but shadows still crowded thickly in Reave’s booth, making it a little difficult to read his expressions. Not that elves were known for being the most expressive, but it would have helped.

“Bronx, it’s so wonderful to see you again! Come for a visit?” Reave asked in mocking tones that instantly had me wanting to throw him into the wall of alcohol bottles behind the bar. When the dark elf failed to get a rise out of the troll, he turned his attention to me. Leaning forward so that he could rest his forearms on the table, he moved into a shaft of light, revealing a particularly evil grin. “Gage, you’re looking . . . healed. Ready to talk?”

“It doesn’t seem like I’ve been left with much choice,” I said, forcing a lightness in my voice that I didn’t feel.

“It really doesn’t have to be that way.” Reave settled back into the booth again, letting the shadows wrap their arms around him. “This could be a quite enjoyable arrangement for all involved if you just relax and do as I request.”

“What exactly will you be requesting of me?”

“Oh, nothing too taxing for a former Ivory Towers resident. I’ve got a few places of business that could use some protection spells. Maybe a cloaking spell or two. I’m sure you’re talented enough to handle something like that.”

I crossed my arms over my chest while shifting from my left to my right foot. “Fine.” Right now, it didn’t sound too bad. The places he would send me would naturally be places where he housed the bulk of his illegal activities, but no one would be hurt by those spells. Unfortunately, I was sure that Reave would up the ante as time went by, compromising my morals a step at a time until I was in way over my head. I had to get out as soon as possible.

“There will be a few other errands here and there. Not too much. I don’t want to interfere with your tattoo parlor.”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone for you, so just get that out of your head now.”

“No need for that. I’ve got plenty of muscle in my employ already. You’re a fine instrument to be used for delicate procedures. Creatures, like your friend Bronx, are blunt objects used for basic things such as enforcement.”

I clenched my teeth so tightly my jaw began to throb. I wanted to hit him, throw him, hurt him in some way, either with my bare hands or with magic. It didn’t matter. I hated that Bronx was forced to stand there with me and endure his derisive remarks. Bronx was a skilled artist and a compassionate friend. He deserved to be treated with respect.

A large hand landed on my shoulder and gently squeezed. I looked up to find Bronx watching me, a half smile tilting up one corner of his mouth. It was only then that I noticed a crackle in the air. The lights in the bar were flickering and the sound of static crinkled around us from the charge of magic in the air. In my anger, I had summoned up energy, but wasn’t releasing it, so the charge was building around us. Cocking my head to the side, I cracked my neck and released a slow breath out of my mouth to unroll the tension from my body. At the same time, the energy in the air dispersed and everything was quiet once again.

“Interesting,” Reave murmured. He folded his hands together while remaining back in the shadows. I had little doubt that he also could sense the energy I had pulled together. “Since it seems that Bronx has a positive influence on you, I will generously allow him to serve as your backup. Think of him as someone to watch your back when you go on an errand for me.”

“What?” I shouted at the dark elf, the exclamation bursting from me in a thoughtless rush. “You can’t do that! He doesn’t work for you.”

“Of course he does.”

“I left,” Bronx said.

“You tried to, but look, here you are.”

Stepping forward, I slapped both hands down on the table and leaned toward Reave so that I could clearly see his face. “He didn’t come back to you. He only came to get me. Let him out of this.”

Reave smiled, his gray eyes seeming to peer into my soul. “He knew when he entered this building that he would have to return to my employment if he wanted to get you out. So he did, and I’m not letting him go. It’s not so much that he’s a fantastic errand boy. It’s more that his presence will make it easier for you to obey me. Accept it, Gage.”

I shoved off the table and paced away from Reave. A quick glance around the bar revealed more than two dozen creatures lingering, closely watching the conversation. Too many for both Bronx and me to take on physically. My only means of successful attack was through magic. Kill Reave with magic and Gideon kills me. Refuse Reave’s offer and the dark elf hands me over to the Ivory Towers and probably still kills Bronx. Agree to his offer . . . and we both live.

Glancing over my shoulder, I locked eyes with Bronx. There was no anger or blame in his gaze. He didn’t blame me for dragging him into this no-win situation, but I blamed myself. And I would find a way to get him out of this mess. To do that, we both had to live.

“All right, Reave. You win,” I conceded, turning back around to face the Svartálfar. “What do you want me to do?”

“Right now? Nothing.” There was a grin in the dark elf’s voice as he claimed his victory. “You’ve had a rough day and I would prefer to have you in top form when I send you to work. You’ll be contacted in a few days.”

With that, we were dismissed from Reave’s presence, but I could feel the shackle on my ankle. The only plus was that it was likely that the grim reaper was going to claim my soul in two days, freeing me of Reave, but Bronx would still be trapped.

Freddie stepped forward and motioned for Bronx and me to move toward the front door of the bar. Bronx followed me as we silently filed from the building, just grateful to be away from Reave and his companions. It wasn’t until we were standing on the sidewalk, under the moonlight, in the warm night air that I started to breathe again. Looking up at Bronx in the nearby lamplight, I frowned as the weight of what had happened crushed down on my chest.

“Don’t say it,” Bronx warned. “I would have come no matter what. Reave would have found a way to drag me back in sooner or later. I’m just glad that he’s teamed us up. Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

“I’ll get you out of this,” I vowed, clenching my right hand in a fist at my side.

“I know you will.” Bronx tilted his head down the street toward a row of parked cars. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”

I paused, staring almost blindly down the street. The day had been a total bust. I had planned on contacting a few people, trying to dig up an answer to my problem with Tera and her immortality. Instead, I had spent it unconscious, lying in a pool of my own blood. What’s more, I still needed to figure out what to do about Trixie’s dilemma, and now I also had to find a way to get Bronx free of our current bind. I needed to think, and I didn’t do my best thinking at home.

“I’m going to stop by the shop. I’ll catch a cab later.”

“You sure?”

I nodded, forcing a smile on my lips when I really didn’t have anything to smile about.

Bronx started down the street, toward his car, but stopped when he was only a couple of feet away. “I talked to Trixie just before I got here.”

“She okay?”

“Yeah, a little bored, but good.”

“Did you . . . tell her . . . about this?”

Bronx snorted and a wide grin cut across his face. “I’m not crazy. I’ll let you tell her.”

Chuckling, I waved to Bronx before turning and heading in the opposite direction, toward the shop. The laughter quickly faded as I got closer to Asylum. On my giant list of things to do before my life and my friends’ lives were destroyed, I needed to first tackle Tera, the grim reaper, and the sticky problem of curing immortality. I could think of only one group that might know the answer and only one person who by some extraordinarily slim chance might be willing to help me. But asking wasn’t going to be easy.

Chapter 22

L
ight cut through the front window, sliding along the jagged glass teeth that rose from the edge of the case at the back of the lobby. The parlor was blanketed in a sickening, heavy silence. There was no magic in the air, as the antiglamour spell that generally encased the shop expired after twenty-four hours. There was no reason for me to reset it. I was hoping not to stay too long, and I wasn’t planning to welcome in any customers. Only one person was going to stop by the shop tonight.

I thought about zipping up to the second-floor apartment to see Trixie, but I was only procrastinating. Seeing her would be a vain wish that she might be able to talk me out of my present course, which appeared to be quite suicidal at the moment. There wasn’t any other choice. If I wanted to help Trixie, if I wanted to help Bronx, I needed to help myself first and that meant contacting Gideon.