Collateral Damage (Demon Squad Book 8) (4 page)

“I’ll get our people working to see what they can find.” He tapped the monitor, ignoring my outburst. “This was always Abraham’s forte.”

The mention of Abe was like a summer’s breeze. It washed over me, reminding me of better days and brushed aside the resentment I’d been clinging to. The barest of smiles crept to my lips. Unfortunately, Rahim’s next words knocked it from its perch.

“I’ll inform Katon of what’s going on once he checks in. I’m certain—”

“What do you mean, `checks in?’”

“Given our latest adventure, he felt he needed some time off,” he answered. “He’s been out of touch for the last three weeks but is due to touch base with us in a few days.”

My crazy Spidey-sense tingled like a motherfucker. “So you haven’t heard from him?”

Rahim shook his head. “I reached out as soon as I spoke with Rachelle after you’d dropped Abby off but haven’t heard back yet.”

“Shit.” While I was likely being paranoid, hearing that Katon was not only unavailable should something happen, but out of touch as well, sent shivers down my spine. I’d grown so used to him always being there. We were gonna need him to deal with these supernatural psychos, and his not being around made me nervous.
What if they had found him already?
“Where is he?”

“He went on a vacation with…Scarlett.” Rahim shrugged, appearing uncertain as to how I would respond to the news that Katon was canoodling with my cousin. “I didn’t ask where they planned to go.”

I sighed, not the least bit concerned with their extracurricular activities. They were together, and that was all I cared about. Wasn’t much in this world that could take those two on at once, but if they were living it up, their focus on each other, there was always the chance that these batshit bible-thumpers could get the drop on them.

“Keep Abby safe a little longer, please,” I told Rahim and headed for the door.

“What are you going to do, Frank?”

“I’ve a honeymoon to ruin.”

Four

Given that Katon and Scarlett had the means to go anywhere in the world on a whim, there wasn’t much hope in me finding them if they didn’t want to be found—a circumstance I hoped applied to the holy rollers, too. I did know one thing for certain; the couple weren’t going to be snuggled up at Scarlett’s place up in Heaven. That place was locked down tight since Azrael’s little coup to take over my body and powers. Even with Scarlett vouching for Katon, the ever
compassionate
Uriel would kick the vampire to the curb before he could set one foot inside Eden. That eliminated one location. Only a billion more to scratch off the list.

No clue what the pair had planned for their little getaway, I decided to start with the most obvious: Katon’s home in the hills of El Paseo. I’d only been to the place maybe five times that I could recall since Katon spent all his time at DRAC. Oh, and we tended to butt heads more often than get along over the years. Wasn’t like he was gonna invite me over to watch a game or anything.

Well, at least not after that one time. Who knew ball jokes would get old?

Fortunately I remembered where he lived. I hovered a good distance above his house so I could case the joint without being seen. It was a fancy, two-story place that looked like a mansion compared to my old house. Parked alone at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, Katon had clearly paid a king’s ransom for the property. His closest neighbors were over a block away and around the corner on either side of the street, the space between filled with so much foliage as to appear wooded. An Olympic-sized swimming pool shimmered in the backyard while the breeze played across its surface. From the air, the house looked untouched. That only partially mollified me. It could mean everything was okay or that the pair were dead inside and the proselytizing assholes hadn’t felt the need to wipe the place out afterward.

I let my senses out for a walk but there wasn’t anything sending up flares, though that was to be expected. Katon had warded his home against magic and those defenses played havoc with my senses, even amped up as they were. There was no way to tell if anyone was inside without actually going in. I was hesitant to do that, however, so I waited a little longer, scanning the neighborhood first. It wasn’t until I felt confident that no one of any power lurked nearby that I decided to take a chance. Before I could talk myself out of it, I dropped down into a shadowy corner of the house and made my way to the front door to knock.

Only silence answered me, so I knocked again and again, trying not to disturb the neighbors while I did, my hand getting heavier with every
thump
. Still, no one answered. It didn’t mean they weren’t there. Had I seen me slobbering on the front stoop while trying to get my supernatural groove on, I wouldn’t answer the door either.

I ran my hand along the frame and felt for the wards. They tingled against my palm while I struggled to remember what they were. Not much of a student on my best days, those lessons were largely faded and pretty much useless. I growled and put up a shield before slamming my fist into the door right where the deadbolt sat. There was a sharp
crack
as the wood frame splintered and gave way, then the sudden scent of sulfur as the wards were triggered.

An invisible force slammed into my defenses. It felt like a mule whacked out on PCP had kicked me in the gut, but my shield held, dispersing the energy without too much effort. Good ol’ Katon. As much as he wanted to defend his property, he was still a big ol’ softie. He wasn’t looking to kill anyone. The odds were good that it’d be a human looking to rob his place rather than some monstrosity bent on world domination, and he’d set his wards accordingly, which was awful polite. Saved me from getting my ass kicked by a door.

Speaking of which, it swung open on oiled hinges, the dark, empty living room beckoning from beyond. I was just about to step inside the house when my senses set off a klaxon that reverberated through my skull. I’d been worried Katon or Scarlett might retaliate for what I’d done to the door had they been inside sleeping, or otherwise occupied, but this wasn’t them I realized. Four empowered entities materialized in the street behind me. It wasn’t the Three Stooges obviously, which was disappointing. Still, that didn’t mean they weren’t connected somehow. I spun about and strolled out to greet them. Right then, it really didn’t matter who they were. They certainly weren’t there on accident, and I was in the mood to destroy someone.

Anyone.

I apparently caught them unaware as the foursome jumped like spooked puppies when I strolled out of the shadows. “Day care let out early today, kids?” Wide eyes stared at me. They were an interesting lot, I’d give them that.

The bravest of them, a dark-skinned girl with respectable amounts of padding in all the right places, looked at me through narrow eyes. She had dark, wavy hair that fell to her shoulders and framed a face that was pretty despite the sour lemon twist of her lips. Her muscular frame was packed into tight jeans and a tank top that showed off her broad, sculpted shoulders. My senses rang back as Nephilim. She had some power running in her veins but was hardly the head of her class.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice raspy, albeit still soft from uncertainty.

I ignored her and glanced at her friends. The girl next to her was tiny; a porcelain doll that clearly spent all her allowance at tattoo shops. There was enough metal poking holes in her that she probably couldn’t classify as waterproof anymore. What parts of her that weren’t covered in piercings or clothing—she was dressed much like the first woman—was covered in intricate tattoo work that professed a love of all things mechanical. There were gears and sprockets and all sorts of whatsistats I didn’t recognize or give a damn about. She’d fit right in at a Steampunk convention. I couldn’t make out what she was, but there was no mistaking the magic that wafted off her.

“I asked you a question,” the first repeated, gaining a little confidence when I hadn’t drawn any closer.

“Answer her!” the Marilyn Manson clone with them demanded. I raised an eyebrow.

Out of all of them, he had the best resume on paper, a Black Metal wizard of the highest diabolical order. That’s probably what his business card said, at least. The stink of his dark energies curled my nose hairs something fierce. Crimson eyes glared at me from above the craggy plateaus of his cheekbones. His paper thin lips were pursed so tight as to look like an em dash of dissatisfaction. Black leather robes hung from his emaciated frame and swayed in the wind, metal clasps scraping against the asphalt.

Lastly, the little hobbit that could was a mismatched amalgam of girth and redneck couture. It was as if Glen Danzig had made a pact with Lucifer for a lovingly coiffed unibrow. Despite being four foot nothing, the guy was as wide as he was tall, nothing but layers of muscle carved on top of more layers on top of more. He wore a pair of overalls that had a lived-in look about them and a pair of beat up shit kickers. If you pictured a pug cowboy turned human, that was this guy. He was also clearly a demon, though I imagined his bloodline was more diluted than the whiskey at a Drink-N-Drown.

“If you don’t—” the pale guy started but the barest flare of my magic cut him off mid-threat.

I waggled a finger, power humming at the tip, and then traced the letters
F
and
U
in the air with a glowing streamer. Wisps of flame danced in the darkness. The assembled circus clowns went silent.

“I don’t know who you people are, or why you’re here, but you’re picking a really, really bad time to trespass in my world,” I told them. “Explain what you’re doing, and I might let you off with just a spanking.” In reality, I was hoping they’d take the bait since I’d been reining in my power since they popped up on my radar. I was spoiling for a fight.

The thick guy chuckled. “I’m thinkin’ Grandpa Ballsack here wants his ass kicked.”

“Stand down, Thud,” the first woman called out, signifying that she was in charge. I smiled. It was great when the bad guys advertised who to take out first.

“Thud?” I said with a laugh. “Is that your name or the sound your mother made when she shit you out?”

“You’re going to regret that when I rip your tongue out and use it to wipe my ass.”

“Seriously?” The little tattooed girl rolled her eyes. “We’re not here for this.”

“There’s always time for a boot to the head, Kit,” Thud said, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist and started forward.

That was more like it. The fuse of adrenaline flickered to life as the demon advanced, but I knew I needed to keep them talking no matter how much I wanted to brawl. They were there for a reason, and whether they were connected to the fanatics had yet to be determined. If they were, I needed to know.

“You here to finish the job the holy rollers started?”

“Maybe we are,” Thud replied, a broad grin spreading across his square face, though it sounded more like he was just talking shit rather than admitting to something.

“I said stand down!”

“I don’t answer to you, toots.”

“You damn well better or—”

“No need for threats, Grace,” the vampire wannabe said. “Let the two morons battle it out. We have other things to attend to.”

“Morons?” Thud and I asked at the same time, both of us looking at the asshole.

“See?” he said. “They
can
be reasoned with.” His smile would have looked right at home on a shark.

“Fuck you, Styg,” Thud told him. Clearly there was no love lost between the motley crew of freaks.

“Why don’t you clue me in as to why you’re here and maybe, just maybe, we can go our separate ways without any of you getting hurt too badly,” I asked.

“Why don’t you go hump a porcupine?”

“Because I’d rather screw the ass golem that gave birth to you.”

Thud’s upper lip twitched, and he charged. I just grinned. Sometimes it was too easy. I cast a sideways glance at the woman they’d called Grace and saw her roll her eyes. Whatever they were doing here hadn’t involved getting into a scrap.

Too bad.

Thud growled and swung at me but it would take an hour before his T-rex arm got anywhere near me. I drilled a kick into his kneecap Jon Jones style, hyperextending it and stopping him cold. He huffed, and I used my reach advantage to hook a shot to his liver followed by a straight right to his face. Like a good little boy, he doubled over at the body blow, adding his momentum to the last punch. My fist collided with his cheek and he went flying across the street, disappearing into the trees. He hit with a sound that made his namesake proud.

All hell broke loose right after.

The wizard’s power welled up, and I heard several distinct clicks as the short woman cobbled some weird device together out of thin air. It was damn interesting to watch, but I figured then would be a good time to make an impression. With a thought, I cut the leash on my power and let it shimmy into the light.

“Shit.” Grace shouted as my essence washed over them. She paled.

Her hands were a blur as she drew two weird pieces of metal out of what looked like holsters at her hips. There was a blue flash of energy, and a concentrated beam of mystical power shot between the two pieces, connecting them. Before my eyes the beam solidified into a glowing chain that linked together a solid steel handle and a hooked blade. She spun the chain about and the razor sharp blade hummed through the air beside her.

Styg took her motions as the sign to attack. An inky blackness erupted from his hands and streaked toward me. I formed a shield in front of it and directed it downward into the asphalt. The ground where it struck withered and rotted in an instant, a hole the size of a basketball rupturing in the street like time-lapse photography on fast forward. The blast had some sting to it, but my easy deflection made it clear to both of us that we weren’t playing in the same league. I couldn’t help but laugh at Styg’s unhappy expression.

And, of course, that’s when the little girl jumped in. There was a
clack
as she fitted the last piece of her device together, followed by a loud
boom
. Turned out she’d built a gun of some kind.

Well,
gun
was selling the thing short. It was more like a cannon.

Something ugly slammed into me and knocked me to my knees. My ribs throbbed something fierce, and I could smell charred skin, acrid smoke billowing from my side. I glared at her as she cocked the slide back, readying the weapon again. Clearly I’d underestimated the shrimp. She fired again before I’d even gotten to my feet, but my power worked at the speed of thought. A trebly reinforced shield met the blow and turned it aside.

“Not gonna happen twice, Miss Metal.” Visions of hooking her up to a car battery until her piercings glowed white played across the inside of my skull, but the Dark Wizard of Oz decided he wanted some loving first.

He loosed another bolt, but I sidestepped it and brought my power to bear. A giant hammer of glowing energy formed at my fist, and I whipped it his direction. He cursed and tried to duck away but I’d made the thing too big to avoid. It hit him hard and sent him tumbling down the street like a Tim Burton cast reject.

“It’s just us now, ladies,” I told the last two as they held their ground, their weapons at the ready. “Tell me what I want to know before I have to get rough on you.”