Before I could decide if we should attack or flee, Jeane said, “They’re following the Hunters.”
They were in fact heading in that direction. All at once things clicked. Walker and his companion had been waiting for someone at the restaurant, and either these men were who they’d been waiting for or they were the reason the contact hadn’t arrived. I was betting on the latter because though Walker had been involved with the Emporium at Desoto’s mansion, he hadn’t shown Stella’s device to the Emporium agent there. I didn’t know what Walker’s angle was or how he was involved, but I was going to find out.
“We can’t let them get Walker,” I said.
“What do you mean? They’re probably friends. Maybe he’s a recruit.” Jeane stepped delicately over a beer bottle on the sidewalk, looking for all the world as if a camera were following her every moment.
“No. I don’t think so.” I stepped up the pace. My bet was that Walker had learned about Unbounded from the Hunters he’d led to Desoto’s mansion, but that he hadn’t fallen to all their rhetoric. He might not even know for sure that some of the patrols at Desoto’s were Unbounded—at least I hadn’t detected that in his mind.
I was also betting that both of the agents in front of us were gifted in combat. No way could I take them on alone without using my ability to either channel one of them or to incapacitate them with a mind blast. I was glad I had reinforced my snake container.
I put on my phone’s wireless headset and placed in a call to let Stella know where we were and about the Unbounded. “I think they’re an Emporium hit team.”
“Good to know,” she said. “I’m tracking all of you. The Emporium agents are a complication, but we knew they’d be around. You want me to call Mari and send her to you?”
My gut relaxed a little at that. With her ability, Mari could “find” me anywhere I was, a link so far she’d only been able to develop with me and Dimitri. “Maybe. Tell her to get ready just in case.” Mari was reliable, though inexperienced, and a far better companion than Jeane. Plus, she knew her way around a knife. With Mari, I could also shift out, though that would mean leaving Jeane, and as irritating as it was to be with her, I needed her for now. Letting her fall into Emporium hands again was not an option.
“Walker is with a Hunter,” I told Stella. “Or at least we think the man is a Hunter.”
“Well, we’ve known Walker might be involved with them since our run-in with the Hunter’s back at Desoto’s. You think Walker’s one, or just working with them?”
“Not sure, but obviously there’s some connection. I may bring him in for questioning. Assuming he isn’t killed in the next five minutes.”
“Try to see that doesn’t happen. Keep the line open. I’m calling Mari now.”
We’d fallen into step behind a group of people, but they turned a corner while the Unbounded continued ahead. A man and a woman, I saw now, both wearing dark clothing and jackets I knew hid swords in back sheaths that would have called far too much attention had it been daylight. They slowed as we moved into a section of town that was darker and plainly deserted except for Walker and the Hunter, who my phone indicated were just ahead, down a street on the left.
Sure enough, the hit team turned in that direction. As we reached the narrow intersection, I motioned for Jeane to duck behind the parked cars along the right side of the street so we could get closer without being seen. She looked incongruous squatting there, her lips pursed sourly. Ignoring her, I slid past the first couple of cars and then stood and darted to stand against the wall of the building behind us where the light didn’t quite reach. Jeane was behind me, moving slowly but steadily.
This street was deserted and a little less than half a block long, though it still had two lanes with space for parking on both sides and sidewalks as well. Five-story apartment buildings loomed overhead. I went faster now, spying Walker as he reached for the door of a new sedan that he’d probably rented at the airport.
The two Emporium agents emerged from the darkness, moving with the stealth of shadows themselves. The man was white, probably American or European, and his female companion, a full head shorter, had olive skin like many of the Venezuelan natives, and her black hair was woven into a braid similar to my own. Both whipped out their swords, looking as if they anticipated, and even hoped for, resistance.
Walker’s companion yelped as the hit team appeared next to him out of the darkness, and he fell back into the car with astonishment, his hands up in a warding-off gesture. “You can have our money. Just leave us alone! Please!”
Walker turned, backing to the car as well, but his head twitched back and forth as if searching for help or a way out. He said something, but I couldn’t hear what, so I drew even closer, using the parked cars again to hide my approach.
“Why are you here?” The male Unbounded said, almost casually, as if he were amused. “Why were you meeting with Habid Salemi?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Walker said. “Look, take all our money.” He reached into his pocket.
“They ain’t after money.” Terror filled the Hunter’s voice now. “Can’t you see the swords? They’re devils, just like I was telling you. Sooner gut you and eat your heart than give you a chance to explain.”
The Unbounded shared an amused glance with his partner. “Oh, and I thought that’s what I was doing—giving them a chance to explain. You feel like eating heart?”
“Hmm, maybe a little,” she said.
Walker held up his hands. “Look, I don’t know what you guys want, but we aren’t a danger to you.”
The woman stepped toward him, lifting her sword until it was parallel to his neck, the point inches away from his skin. “How do you know Habid Salemi? What has he told you?”
Walker’s chest heaved with sudden terror. “Nothing! I swear. We were going to meet, that’s all. He said he had some information he thought I’d want. I’m a journalist.”
“An American journalist?” The woman gave a low chuckle. “And what did Salemi say to make you come all this way?”
This wasn’t looking good for Walker and the Hunter.
Signaling Jeane to stay put behind the parked car, I worked my way far enough down the street so I wouldn’t be heard. “Stella,” I whispered, easing out my nine mil, “tell Mari to come on my signal.” As I checked my silencer, I flirted with the idea of giving Jeane my backup pistol but decided she might decide to empty its magazine into my back.
“Sorry,” Stella answered in my ear. “She hasn’t picked up yet.”
“Well, send her when you can.” I was already retracing my steps back to the parked car where Jeane still crouched. I wanted to learn more about this Habid Salemi guy, and the fact that Walker claimed to be a journalist was very interesting.
“Where is Salemi?” Walker was asking the Emporium team. “He can tell you we don’t know anything.”
The woman twirled her blade. “Don’t worry. We know how to deal with traitors, even those who need a little more care to kill.”
The old Hunter moaned. “Dear God, they’re going to eat my heart!” Was he really that afraid? Many Hunters I’d met became sniveling weaklings without a group to support them, but I had a hunch he might be one of the rare brave ones, leading the Emporium agents on while waiting for a chance to pounce.
“And what would you have done to us, old man?” The Emporium man flicked out his sword, slicing into the Hunter’s shoulder. It was a controlled hit, meant to bring pain but not mortally wounding him. Yet.
The Hunter screamed, grabbing at his shoulder as blood spurted over his hands.
To hell with the snake,
I thought, pushing out my thoughts, ramming them against the male Unbounded’s mental shield. I couldn’t let them kill Walker or the Hunter, no matter how much I despised the old man’s ideals.
The enemy’s shield held for the moment; obviously this pair had been working on creating stronger barriers. Using the mental reincarnation of my machete would probably do the trick, but that took effort and would feed the snake even more. Better to use a little physical force.
As his sword came down for another slice of the Hunter, I shot the Unbounded in the neck because I was pretty sure he was wearing body armor. My next bullet was supposed to go into the woman, but she anticipated me at the last minute—her combat ability kicking into high gear—and the bullet went wide as she changed position.
The man tumbled away, pulling his own silenced gun and firing. I was already moving, having slipped inside him as his shield wavered with the pain of his gushing neck wound. Channeling his ability, I let off two more shots at the woman without looking, knowing already that she would move out of the way in plenty of time, but at least it would keep her ducking.
Two against one. Me protecting the cowering mortals who would probably flee as soon as they had the chance. Or stab me in the back.
I’d chosen to shoot the man first because of his size, knowing he would be the greatest danger. If I could take him out in a way that still allowed me to channel his ability, I’d be a match for the woman. Even as I had the thought, I felt the man’s mind slip from my grasp.
No!
I pushed out, but the only thing I received was the last few seconds of agony as his life bled out onto the pavement.
Dead. Temporarily so, but useless to me at the moment. Obviously my training had paid off—or not in this case, since I hadn’t wanted him quite that far out of the way.
The woman fired more shots, and Walker dropped to the ground, scurrying under the car for cover. The wounded Hunter wasn’t as fast, and she grabbed him for a shield, backing into the shadows across the street, firing steadily. Crouching between cars, I went after the woman, wishing I could shoot her as well. But as long as she had that Hunter, I couldn’t use the gun without risking his life.
He would kill me if he had a chance.
I dived between two cars and came up running. Something sliced into my thigh, and a flash of white hot pain traveled up my leg to my stomach, making me want to vomit. I dove to the ground next to a car bumper and lay there panting, my cheek pressed into the roughness of the road.
Where is she?
I had to find her before she warned whoever had sent her. I pushed out my thoughts. My mind felt groggy all of a sudden, as if a sleeping pill had suddenly gone to work. The blue lights from the snake gleamed brightly, and I had no doubt where my energy was going.
The muffled whizzing sound of the silenced shots had ceased. Either she’d stopped for a refill or she realized she’d hit me and would now stalk me to finish the job. I pushed outward, searching for her life force.
Concentrate.
I tried not to think of the snake growing as it fed on my energy. The pain in my thigh was less now, as my body rushed natural painkillers to the wound at an accelerated rate. I wasn’t in danger of passing out or temporarily dying—if I could keep my wits about me.
There. I felt the woman’s life force. She was only two car lengths away. I heard steps—the Hunter’s clumsy ones. Just two, but it was enough to help pinpoint their progress. I waited, focusing on the dim light of her life force. Touching the shield on her mind, I knew I’d need the machete to get inside her, and more time, which I didn’t have. There had to be another way. Feeling around, my hand closed over a couple pebbles. Not the rocks I’d hoped for.
Dropping them, I worked my way to a crouched position. Slipping my ballistic knife from the sheath on my leg, I aimed it upward. Its range was eighteen feet, and she was still far enough away that she probably wouldn’t pinpoint the launching point, so if I aimed it just right, she might be fooled into thinking I’d managed to sneak around behind her.
In one, two, three.
I pushed the release when she was a car length away. There was a firm click as the knife launched from its housing. It was too dark to follow its trajectory, but if I’d calculated correctly, it should land right about—a solid clunk reverberated in the alley as it landed on the roof of the car she’d just passed.
Go!
I vaulted to my feet and jumped toward her, slamming into her and the Hunter. Her gun skittered across the pavement, but she was already whirling, tossing the man to the ground like refuse. Her leg shot out, slamming my hand holding the pistol, forcing it from my grip, but I had a knife in my left hand, the little one Ritter had given me. I swiped it at her, felt the blade bite into her hip. Not deep enough to hit flesh.
She jumped away, laughing at me before she landed a punch to my jaw. I blocked her next punch and landed one of my own, but it was clear I wouldn’t be good enough, unless I got inside her head. Ordinarily, I would be able to hold my own for a bit longer, but with the snake sucking my energy, doing so seemed impossible.
And this Unbounded was good.
Where was Mari? I’d already lost my headset in the fight, but Stella would send Mari once she found her if I didn’t answer. Whether or not Mari would arrive in time was left to be seen. I pushed harder at the Unbounded’s mind without success.
I took two more hits to my torso that didn’t hurt all that much through my protective vest, but one to my throat nearly knocked me down.
“Let me guess, you must be a Renegade,” she said, before slamming her fist into my face. I didn’t block but instead used her distraction to whip the knife at her again. Pain exploded in my mouth, but this time the little knife sank into the flesh of her arm. Again not deep enough to cause a mortal wound, or even a slowing one—except for the poison.
She laughed again. “Really? How pathetic. No wonder you guys are—” As pain abruptly contorted her features, I punched hard with first one fist and then the other. The next instant she was down, giving me time to pull out my backup pistol and shoot her. This gun wasn’t silenced and the shot echoed loudly in the stillness of the night.
I’d once again chosen her neck because it was unprotected, and the idea of blowing off her face made me sick. Besides, I’d need her conscious sooner rather than later, and head wounds took more time to heal. Ready with the gun just in case, I leaned over and spat out a mouthful of blood, watching as she gurgled to unconsciousness.