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Authors: Kristi Charish
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started to back up. “Alix, it’s not what it looks like. Let me explain—”
He didn’t get much further than that, on account of me punching him in the face. Benji yelped and grabbed his nose. “Son of a bitch! Oh my God, I think you broke it!” Or at least that’s what I thought he said, on account of him clasping his bleeding nose between his hands.
I shook my hand out. Rynn’s self-defense lessons were coming in handy, though I didn’t know if my bar of entry into violent conflict resolution needed lowering. My God, hitting someone in the face hurt . . . I’d have to remember to use my knees next time. Didn’t stop me from pinning Benji against the wall. “You sold me out to a bunch of vampire junkies!”
Benji winced, but whether from the accusation or my arm across his throat, I wasn’t sure. “Jesus—I know, all right! But I didn’t know they were junkies, I thought you were the junkie—that’s what they told me. My God that hurts!”
I raised my fist, and Benji’s eyes widened. “OK, look, I can explain. I came to help.”
“How stupid do I look?”
He shrugged and nodded towards the dig site. “Considering you walked right into an IAA trap?” Benji frowned. “Come on, Owl, Algiers? Even I guessed that one—”
Shit. “Yeah, well, never mind,” I said, and let Benji off the wall. “And what the hell is with the IAA manhunt anyways? And you’ve got five seconds to make it good.”
He managed a glare. “Or what? You’ll hit me again?”
“No.” I turned so Benji could get a good look at Captain, who obliged with a hiss. “I’ll let him at you. I’ll warn you, he’s a little wild. Found him slinking around the pyramids—”
“OK, OK. Jesus, when the hell did you get so violent?”
I crossed my arms.
Benji rushed to continue. “All right, all right—I’m not exactly in the IAA security know, but I picked up a couple things because I’ve had my ears open. They’ve been looking for you the last couple months, but it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that they got real serious—don’t ask me why. All I know is it’s got something to do with a theft.”
I shook my head. “That’s impossible—” I would have explained I’d been in Vegas two weeks ago, and the week before that, but Benji stopped me.
“I’m just telling you what I know. A theft five days ago in Morocco tipped them off, so they set up Algiers. You beat them to it, but then yesterday someone somewhere flagged Serena. The lines went nuts after that.”
I closed my eyes for a second. The IAA had known exactly what bait to set out and where to look for me . . . I was getting as predictable as Captain was with vampires. “What was the theft?” I went over the last few things I’d lifted: Not the Moroccan burial mask, too soon; Norwegian burial jewelry, no; Easter Island idol . . . that might have done it. They don’t like major monuments going missing, though still.
Benji shook his head. “No, they were looking for you before that. All I know is it’s this side of the globe and the theft had your signature all over it—”
Six weeks ago I’d lifted a Dionysus idol outside Athens, but with the economy collapsing, it was open season in Greece. Who wasn’t lifting stuff there? Besides, none of it rated supernatural, except for the Easter Island idol, and even that was minor. The IAA wouldn’t go to these lengths over that, not unless they’d eaten a really great batch of mushrooms . . .
Then again, when supernatural shit is involved, I suppose anything is possible.
I snorted. “They’ve probably got another ruined temple to pin on me and are trying to track down my signature for insurance purposes.”
Benji frowned. “OK, that’s not completely unreasonable. Might I add you did trash the temple in Bali—just like I said you would?”
I clenched my fist. “Not on purpose—and no offense, but the Naga did way more damage than me—and I haven’t trashed any dig sites
He didn’t get much further than that, on account of me punching him in the face. Benji yelped and grabbed his nose. “Son of a bitch! Oh my God, I think you broke it!” Or at least that’s what I thought he said, on account of him clasping his bleeding nose between his hands.
I shook my hand out. Rynn’s self-defense lessons were coming in handy, though I didn’t know if my bar of entry into violent conflict resolution needed lowering. My God, hitting someone in the face hurt . . . I’d have to remember to use my knees next time. Didn’t stop me from pinning Benji against the wall. “You sold me out to a bunch of vampire junkies!”
Benji winced, but whether from the accusation or my arm across his throat, I wasn’t sure. “Jesus—I know, all right! But I didn’t know they were junkies, I thought you were the junkie—that’s what they told me. My God that hurts!”
I raised my fist, and Benji’s eyes widened. “OK, look, I can explain. I came to help.”
“How stupid do I look?”
He shrugged and nodded towards the dig site. “Considering you walked right into an IAA trap?” Benji frowned. “Come on, Owl, Algiers? Even I guessed that one—”
Shit. “Yeah, well, never mind,” I said, and let Benji off the wall. “And what the hell is with the IAA manhunt anyways? And you’ve got five seconds to make it good.”
He managed a glare. “Or what? You’ll hit me again?”
“No.” I turned so Benji could get a good look at Captain, who obliged with a hiss. “I’ll let him at you. I’ll warn you, he’s a little wild. Found him slinking around the pyramids—”
“OK, OK. Jesus, when the hell did you get so violent?”
I crossed my arms.
Benji rushed to continue. “All right, all right—I’m not exactly in the IAA security know, but I picked up a couple things because I’ve had my ears open. They’ve been looking for you the last couple months, but it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that they got real serious—don’t ask me why. All I know is it’s got something to do with a theft.”
I shook my head. “That’s impossible—” I would have explained I’d been in Vegas two weeks ago, and the week before that, but Benji stopped me.
“I’m just telling you what I know. A theft five days ago in Morocco tipped them off, so they set up Algiers. You beat them to it, but then yesterday someone somewhere flagged Serena. The lines went nuts after that.”
I closed my eyes for a second. The IAA had known exactly what bait to set out and where to look for me . . . I was getting as predictable as Captain was with vampires. “What was the theft?” I went over the last few things I’d lifted: Not the Moroccan burial mask, too soon; Norwegian burial jewelry, no; Easter Island idol . . . that might have done it. They don’t like major monuments going missing, though still.
Benji shook his head. “No, they were looking for you before that. All I know is it’s this side of the globe and the theft had your signature all over it—”
Six weeks ago I’d lifted a Dionysus idol outside Athens, but with the economy collapsing, it was open season in Greece. Who wasn’t lifting stuff there? Besides, none of it rated supernatural, except for the Easter Island idol, and even that was minor. The IAA wouldn’t go to these lengths over that, not unless they’d eaten a really great batch of mushrooms . . .
Then again, when supernatural shit is involved, I suppose anything is possible.
I snorted. “They’ve probably got another ruined temple to pin on me and are trying to track down my signature for insurance purposes.”
Benji frowned. “OK, that’s not completely unreasonable. Might I add you did trash the temple in Bali—just like I said you would?”
I clenched my fist. “Not on purpose—and no offense, but the Naga did way more damage than me—and I haven’t trashed any dig sites
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