Sin City Goddess (15 page)

I remembered Meg saying something about drinking a blue cocktail. “What color is it?”

“Blue.” That was it. Had to be.

“Who do you get it from?”

He closed his eyes. “I don’t know.”

I slammed his head again.

“I swear, I swear to you, I’m telling the truth.”

“Look at me.”

He opened his eyes.

“Who is your supplier?”

“I don’t know. Sam knows a guy who knows a guy. That’s all I know. I don’t even have a name.”

“I want you to bring Archer your stock. All of it.”

“Sure. No problem.” His face was smushed into the wood.

“And I want a meeting with Sam. Tomorrow morning. Contact Archer for the details.”

“Sure, anything you say.”

I let him go.

Clyde rubbed the back of his head. “You going to shut us down?”

Obviously, neither Archer nor I had the authority to do that. I needed Clyde to keep thinking Archer was deep undercover. I needed him on our side. And I needed Shadow Bar to stay open in case the killer came back.

But I also needed Clyde afraid. Afraid that if he made another wrong move, he’d be imprisoned.

“For now, no. But if I hear you’re still selling the juice, and if one more girl goes missing on your watch, I’ll be paying you another visit, Clyde.”

He nodded. “I never wanted anyone to get hurt. You have to believe me.”

The flame was still in my eyes, so I did believe him. Somehow, the flame of truth was finally working on humans. I
extinguished it, tucked my wings as best I could, put on my coat, and turned to open the door.

Clyde may not have wanted to hurt anyone, but there was a man out there who did. And he had his hands on my sister.

If I have to tear this city apart, so help me, Hades, I will find you, Alex.

Chapter 24

I was energized and exhausted at the same time. I thought about going outside, finding a quiet place to soak up the darkness, perhaps take a flight high above the city, where I wouldn’t be seen, but then I remembered what I was wearing, and that it might be a good idea to touch base with Archer and explain what had happened.

The elevator carried me back to our suite, where I found Archer sitting against the door, a duffel bag at his feet.

He yawned a greeting at me and looked at his watch. “You’re early. I thought the gig was supposed to end at midnight.”

“I got fired.”

That woke him up. He scrambled to his feet. “What happened?”

I was about to tell him, when he interrupted me. “What’s that poking out of the back of your coat?” He glanced around the hallway in a paranoid frenzy. “Are those your wings?” he hissed.

“Don’t start with me. I’ve had quite an evening.”

The man pursed his lips. He said through gritted teeth, “You have to cover them up.”

“Somehow I don’t think we’ll find virgin tears or cloud ether within a fifty-mile radius of this gods-forsaken city.”

“Tisi—”

“Relax, they’ll cloak in time. They’re still engaged is all. Why are you in the hallway?” Had he forgotten his key?

My moonstone ring lit up. I grazed it.

Stand by for a message.

Archer glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t think I can explain it. It’s more of a visual thing. You have to see it to believe it.”

I checked the ring.

I’ve sent you a gift to assist in your mission. It should arrive shortly.

—Artemis

I gave Archer a curious glance and slipped my key card into the lock. I looked back at him.

“You first,” he said.

I pushed the door open. There, taking up the entire sectional sofa, was the largest black dog I had ever seen. He had pointy ears, a long tail, and a leather-spiked collar. He was sleeping. And snoring.

“Where did it come from?” I asked.

“How the hell should I know?”

At the sound of Archer’s voice, the dog woke up. He lifted his watermelon-sized head, tilted it, and blinked his amber-colored eyes.

“I don’t think they allow pets in the room,” Archer said.

Something about the beast’s eyes were familiar.

It wasn’t until he tackled me that I knew who he was.

“Cerberus, get off!”

He was nuzzling me, leaving trails of snot across my neck and chest.

Archer stepped around me and set the duffel bag on the table.

At his movement, Cerberus turned his head and growled at him.

Archer backed up. “Yeah, see, that’s the thing. I don’t think he likes me.”

“Cerberus, be kind.” I crawled out from beneath the beast.

“He’s as big as a tiger. I’ve never seen a Great Dane that big.”

“He isn’t a Great Dane. He’s Hades’s hound, cloaked to resemble a mortal dog.”

“Why is he here?” Archer asked.

Cerberus glared at Archer. The lawman took several more steps back.

“Artemis sent him. For protection, I suppose.” I cocked my head and looked at Cerberus. “Maybe we’ve found our bird hunter.”

Cerberus wagged his tale and shattered a vase.

I asked, “Has he eaten?”

“Sure, I had a midsized cow delivered about an hour ago.”

I shot Archer a warning look. “Order him some food.” I stretched, suddenly drained of all energy. “I’m going to bed.”

“What? You’re kidding, right? You’re going to…” He glanced at the hound. “You’re leaving me alone with him?”

I headed up the stairs. “Just feed him, Archer. He’ll be your buddy for life. He adores elk.”

“Elk? Where am I going to get an elk?”

I turned and smiled at him. “You’re resourceful, Lawman. You’ll think of something.”

“Wait, you never told me what happened tonight. Don’t you want to know what I did? I got you a sword and some stuff we’ll need.”

I waved behind my head. “Tomorrow, Archer. It’ll wait until tomorrow.”

The knock on my door came less than an hour later. “Tisi. Tisi, can I come in? Please?”

“Go away.” I had been sleeping soundly, dreaming of flying high over the river Styx, dropping rocks on Charon’s head.

The door creaked open. “Tisi, can I sleep in here tonight? Your friend crashed on my bed, and he doesn’t look like he’s moving anytime soon.”

My eyes were still shut. “Kick him off.”

“With what, a cattle prod? Tisi, please. I need a lock between him and me.”

Oh, for the love of Zeus.
“Fine.” I pulled back the covers. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Thank you.”

A ray of light shining in from the hallway glinted off his eyes. Archer was wearing striped boxer shorts and a white T-shirt. Before he climbed into the bed, he pulled the T-shirt up and over his head. His shoulders were sculpted, his abdominal muscles defined, his back strong. He had a smooth chest, with a thick scar above his heart. I couldn’t help but wonder where it had come from. Who had hurt him? Had he been a child when the wound was fresh? I watched as he turned to shut and lock the door.

He smiled at me as he climbed into bed. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

He rolled away from me, and something inside me wished he hadn’t. There was a part of me that longed to lay my head on his chest, curl my fingers through his hair, trace the lines of his hips. I wanted him to touch me, hold me, kiss me.

I didn’t know if it was the city itself, the adrenaline from the flight, or the need to feel that this mission would end well. All I knew at that moment was that I wanted us to get lost in each other.

“Archer?” I whispered.

But he didn’t answer.

Chapter 25

It’s amazing how a little threat goes a long way. She shut up, finally. The bitch was lucky she still had her eyes.

He drove out to the desert late that night and buried the body. It was cool; there was a west wind coming in from California. He thought about the countless times he had disposed of his playmates. Wondered how many were ever found. He wasn’t the type to keep track of his victims or the families. He never took a souvenir, as some did. That was sloppy. Dangerous. The kind of rookie mistake that got you caught.

He never got caught.

Oh, he’d been in prison, true, but not for this. Not for killing. It was a trumped-up charge, if you asked him. He hadn’t raped that bitch—that was bullshit. It was her job, for crying out loud. And he had paid her well. Sure, maybe he had been a bit rough, but deep down, she wanted it—he knew she wanted it. He could hear her voice in his head, telling him to hit her. Telling him she was a bad girl who needed to be punished.

Who was he to argue with her?

But he didn’t have to worry about that anymore. He was much more careful now that he had his secret weapon.

The shovel was in the trunk. He’d make sure to dispose of it later, then wash the car out pretty thoroughly—something
else rookies never remembered. Cleaning was key. Science had made some remarkable advances since he’d been locked up. The tiniest thread could get you pinched. A wad of gum; a fucking straw, for Christ’s sake. Couldn’t leave that shit lying around. After he had cleaned up the mess of her on the floor, the walls, and the sheets, he had bagged all that shit and burned it. He had bleached the place down, with the help of one of the other girls, and burned the rags too.

It was getting late, but he felt like a drink. Digging holes was hard work. He deserved some fun. He stopped over at his favorite spot, the Shadow Bar, and that’s when he saw her.

He couldn’t believe his luck! She was perfect. She fit the look his partner insisted on to a tee. And that flying act. Wow. That was the shit, man. That was the coolest show he’d seen in a while.

Too bad she had to die.

That was the breaks, though. You’re born, you live, you die. If you’re lucky enough to have a little fun along the way, then you’re lucky enough.

He was prepared to nab her after her shift, but she cut out early. He had everything with him too. It would have been so easy. He spotted her again, getting on the elevator, but he missed it. So he went back to the bar and waited for her. She didn’t show, but Sam gave him her name.

Tisiphone.

Sam said he didn’t know when she worked next, but he did say he thought she was a friend of Clyde’s. Said she had come in and auditioned on the spot. Said she liked her drink too.

Good. That would make it easier.

Chapter 26

I woke up with Archer’s arm around me and something poking me in the back.

“That better be my sword, Archer.”

“Huh?” he grumbled. After a moment, he shifted. “Oh. Sorry about that.”

He rolled over onto his back. The sheet was draped just above his waist. The scar on his chest was a vicious red slash in the morning light. I leaned over and touched it.

“How did you get that?”

He looked down at his chest, at my hand.

I snapped my hand back. “Sorry.”

He smiled lazily. “Don’t be. I like it when you touch me like that. Sure beats getting sucker-punched.”

I pretended to punch him. He grabbed my hand playfully, and our eyes locked. I stopped breathing for a moment, stopped thinking. The world melted away, and it was just the two of us in that great big bed. I leaned forward.

Cerberus barked, and the spell broke.

Archer sat up. He touched his scar. “That was a parting gift from my ex-wife.”