Kasey moved slowly and quietly between the vehicles, background noise drowning out the sound of her feet crunching through the snow.
Somewhere off to her right, there was a muffled blast. It was close, perhaps three or four vehicles away. Kasey crept between the cars, looking for any evidence that the gnome assassins had passed this way.
The suddenness of the attack had taken her by surprise, and Kasey had to concede that the pair were well named. Savage Garden had been a great name for a band but an even better name for a pair of little brutes.
Unfortunately thinking about the band only served to get their music stuck in her head and Kasey had to fight to keep from humming the lyrics to the only Savage Garden song she could remember.
So, break me, shake me, hate me…
Snow crunched up ahead as something small darted between two vehicles.
Breaking cover, she raced after it.
The gnome turned as she approached. Kasey launched herself at the creature, driving her boot into its chest.
The gnome grunted as it went flying backward, ankles over earlobes, disappearing into the fog behind it.
The groan turned into a shrill shriek that faded into the distance. Kasey raced after the creature only to find a gaping hole open before her. Unable to stop, Kasey threw herself over it, landing on her feet on the sleet and asphalt on the other side.
Turning, she found the manhole in the middle of the street had been blown open by the creatures. That explained the shriek she had heard. Clearly the creature had expected to make the descent under his own power. Kasey had helped him on his way. Hopefully, he’d broken his neck.
Kasey studied the open entrance to the sewers and tunnels beneath the city and considered going after the gnomes.
Much as she didn't want to let them get away, following them into the dark and unknown tunnels was just asking to get herself killed.
She paused and waited. If the creatures doubled back, she would be waiting for them. When neither of them re-emerged from the sewer, Kasey turned and headed back to Casimir's.
The fog was lifting, revealing the street in utter chaos.
Kasey reached the bookstore to find the police officers hunkering down behind their remaining police cruiser. The second vehicle had been heavily damaged by the grenade. One of the officers was lying on the sidewalk, bleeding from a wound in his side. Another officer was tending to him and watching the street for any sign of the gnomes.
Spotting Bishop where she had left her, Kasey made her way back to the store.
“Did you get them?” Bishop asked, a bead of sweat running down her face in spite of the cool weather.
Kasey shook her head. “They retreated into the sewers. I couldn't follow them down there. It would have been suicide. I think they're gone, at least for now.”
Bishop rose, tucking her weapon back into its holster. “What were those things?”
“Gnomes,” Kasey replied. “They’re Fae creatures that usually content themselves living deep in the forest or in faerie. They usually stay out of sight of humans.”
“Gnomes? Like garden gnomes?” Bishop asked, stepping out of the cover of the store's entrance.
“Yep, where do you think those cute little statues come from? The first ones were an artist's re-creation of something he saw while wandering in the woods. Of course the Fae consider them crude imitations, almost offensive, but like most myths and traditions, they have some basis in the supernatural world.”
“And you believe they were here for you? Not the tome?”
Kasey bent over and tried to catch her breath. Each breath let out a small wisp of fog as the warm breath met the wintry air. “Pretty sure. They blew up my car and were hellbent on trying to finish the job.”
“What did Hades tell you, exactly?”
Kasey looked around. There were a handful of uniforms close enough to hear her as well as a few pedestrians and commuters who had gathered nearby for protection. Kasey put her hand on Bishop's shoulder and steered her back into the alcove that formed the entrance to the bookstore.
Bishop's brow furrowed in disapproval, but Kasey raised a hand to ward off her protests.
“I don't want anyone overhearing us. Once you hear this, you'll know why.”
“What's going on?” Bishop whispered.
Bishop nodded and pointed to the bracelet on Kasey's wrist. “The one that owned those teeth.”
“Yep, that one. Turns out he was something of royalty in the Feudal Court.”
“Royalty?” Bishop asked. “What kind of royalty?”
Kasey bit her lip. “Well, he called himself a prince and it turns out he wasn't lying. His father, Rhain, is King of the Feudal Court.”
“So we killed the heir to the throne, and you’re wearing his teeth as a bracelet,” Bishop said, her voice growing louder by the moment.
Kasey put a finger over her lips. “Shhh.”
“Don't you shhh me,” Bishop replied. “Get to the bit where tiny creatures start trying to murder you in the street.”
“In my defense,” Kasey began, “I didn't know who he was when I promised to cut them out.”
“The murderous gnomes, Kasey.”
Kasey pushed her hair back out of her face. “Okay, okay. Turns out the king is rather upset about the whole killing his murderous offspring and torching their business. To express that displeasure, he has put a price on my head. According to Hades, it’s five million.”
Bishop's face flushed red. She grabbed Kasey's arm. “And you're only telling me about this now?”
“Well, you'd just gotten through telling me that I needed to stop bringing Hades up around the precinct. I thought I'd take some time to figure out if the threat was real or not before I troubled you with it.”
Bishop pointed at the smoking wreckage in the street. “Seems pretty real, Kasey. More of a heads-up would have been nice.”
“So would a little bit of understanding on the ledger,” Kasey replied. “I only did it to get Vida back and it worked. You don't need to treat me like I'm going rogue on you.”
Bishop shook her head. “It’s five million, Kasey. We need to get you off the street, now. We can argue about Hades later.”
“That's what I was trying to do when they blew up my car.”
“We'll head back to the precinct. We can't stay here. We'll send another team to pack down the scene,” Bishop replied as she grabbed Kasey's arm and started dragging her toward her car.
“I can't stay locked up in the Ninth Precinct forever, Bishop. Besides, the last thing I want is anyone else there getting killed because of what I've done.”
“Well, you can't stay out on the street. Call Sanders. Surely the Council can provide you with some extra security while we sort this mess out.”
Bishop was proving a little more flexible than Kasey had expected. Last time people had wanted to kill Kasey, Bishop had forced her to sleep overnight in the precinct.
Bishop unlocked her car, but Kasey put a hand on her chest to halt her.
Bending down, Kasey checked underneath the vehicle for explosives, but there was nothing.
“Just being careful,” Kasey replied.
Bishop slid into her seat and Kasey popped in the passenger’s side. Closing the door behind her, she fastened her seatbelt. The street was still congested, but Bishop turned on her lights and sirens.
As the lights flashed, Kasey couldn't help but appreciate the irony. An army of mercenaries and bounty hunters were coming to kill her and here she was, stuck in a car on a crowded street, producing as much light and noise as humanly possible.
All the while, one question played over and over in her mind.
Who was coming for her next?
Chapter Five
The sedan rolled through the New York City streets. Kasey could feel the sideways glances from Bishop but didn't know what to say.
nbsp; Bishop was a good cop. Together, they had faced horrendous foes and survived, but even after seeing the ugly side of the supernatural world, Bishop still clung to her old ways.
Vampires weren’t going to care about the chain of custody on a loan shark's ledger. They would simply kill everyone involved or turn them into thralls. Kasey wasn't one to believe that the end justified the means, but the world was changing and to fight the growing threats, there was a need to adapt to face them.
This bounty hunt was a perfect example. It was so brazen that it defied belief, but her foes hid themselves on another continent while their minions carried out their dirty work. There was nothing the NYPD could do but try to thwart the attempts as they happened, but that wouldn't deal with the Feudal Court. It would only frustrate their agenda.
“What are you going to do about this price on your head?” Bishop asked as they rolled to a stop at a traffic light.
“I don't know that there is much I can do,” Kasey replied. “The King of the Feudal Court is hiding overseas. As long as he exists to pay the bounty, hunters will come. I can't go after him. I don't have the faintest idea where to even start. For the time being, I just need to survive.”
“You can't keep running around the city while people are trying to kill you,” Bishop said, staring at the traffic light, waiting for it to change.
“I can't just sit around either,” Kasey answered. “Eventually, they will find me and take the battle on their terms. Besides, what if this is just a distraction to draw us away from their true purposes? The Night Crew were building power here for months before their masters showed up. They have other plans here, I’m sure of it. I'm just someone who got in their way. We need to work out what they are up to, and I can't do that if I'm locked in a basement.”
The light changed and Bishop looked both ways before rolling through the intersection. “I get that, but at least take some precautions this time. Do something to change your appearance. Maybe dye your hair or get a wig. Vary your routine, don't go back to your apartment for anything, and whatever you do, make sure you take someone with you for backup. Don't go all lone ranger on me. I don't want to lose my best friend.”
The words bit deep. Bishop just wanted to help, and Kasey had kept her out of the loop. With everything that had been going on lately, she'd been a lousy friend. She had hardly talked to Bishop outside of the cases they had worked together.
“The wig is a good idea,” Kasey said. “I can't use my magic to assume another identity. The Council has had to take a hard stance against that after the Shinigami.”
“I had thought it was always illegal,” Bishop replied.
Kasey nodded. “It was and doing it might have got you thrown in a cell, but now it's the kind of thing the Council will execute you for. I can't be seen flaunting their new code.”
Bishop winced. “They can do that? Execute people, I mean? What about the law?”
“They are wizards. They view it as a lesser concern. After Akihiro revealed their existence to the world, they have outlawed any action that might inflame the community against them. They'll leave governing the non-magical community to others, but members of the supernatural community will be held to their new standards.
“One of Sanders’ new initiatives?” Bishop asked, shooting Kasey a sideways look.
“He was part of it, yes,” Kasey answered, tensing at the mention of the Arcane Chancellor. She had skipped their morning training session to help Bishop but that wasn't the only reason. Things had been a little awkward lately.
Kasey could have sworn there was chemistry between her and Sanders, but try as she might, she just couldn't get Sanders to open up about his feelings. To add insult to injury, the appearance of the Fae woman Talora seemed to be occupying a great deal of his time recently. Kasey hated feeling jealous, but the elegant creature had an exotic allure that seemed to capture the attention of men around her.
Fae magic was a potent force, but Kasey found it difficult to believe a wizard of Sanders’ stature could be so simply manipulated. No, the truth was, he simply seemed to want to spend more time with her than he did with Kasey.
And that made Kasey want to punch Talora in her perfect little face.
Kasey hated that she felt this way, so instead of heading into the Arcane Council and risking a confrontation with the Fae ambassador, she'd used the opportunity Bishop's call presented and dodged her session with Sanders.
“I take it from that dirty look that things aren't going well,” Bishop said.
It was difficult to hide her reactions from Bishop. It seemed the detective could use her annoyingly accurate ability to read body language even while driving through New York City traffic.
“Nope,” Kasey replied, staring deliberately out the window.
“What's going on?”
Kasey turned to face Bishop. “You want me to update you on the sad status of my love life, but you still haven't even told me who this new mystery man is that you're seeing. If you spill, I will.”
Bishop bit her lip, which wasn't like her at all. If she was nervous, there was a reason for it. The most likely reason had to be that she was worried about what Kasey might think. It also meant that Kasey had to know the mystery man. That narrowed the pool considerably.
Kasey wanted to tread carefully. Bishop hadn't done much dating in the time they'd been together. Her reputation at the Ninth Precinct had intimidated most suitors and the first man Kasey had seen her take an interest in had turned out to be a serial killer. Naturally, Bishop hadn't raced back out into the dating scene.
“Come on, Bishop, you can tell me. You know you want to talk to someone about it.”
Bishop seemed to consider telling her. “I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say, particularly after this morning.”
“After this morning?” Kasey wondered aloud. It couldn't be Hades, surely. There was no way Bishop would chew her out about getting close to him while fooling around with him herself after hours. Bishop was many things, but a hypocrite was not one of them. That couldn't be it.
“You are going to have to give me more than that,” Kasey replied. “Don’t worry, the car is neutral ground, a judgement free zone.”
Bishop gripped the wheel tight. “It's Jack Rosenburg.”
Kasey didn't say a word. Her mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. Jack had almost brought the Arcane Council into open conflict with the city’s werewolf population when he’d set fire to their den.
“See, this is what I was afraid of. You're judging me.”
Kasey shook her head. “No, I'm not. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all.”
“I don't know how it happened,” Bishop began. “We just got talking after the raid on First Medical and we hit it off.”
“You are aware that he tried to burn down a building, right?” Kasey asked.
Bishop groaned. “He was under duress, and we both know he made sure no one got hurt.”
It was true. Rosenberg had been blackmailed by the Night Crew to save his father's life. He had also been willing to put his life on the line to rescue Vida and undo some of the damage he had caused. Clearly Bishop was able to see past the indiscretion and if she could do that for Rosenberg, maybe she was becoming more flexible than Kasey gave her credit for.
“I know, I know. I guess I'm just a little surprised that you are so forgiving. You can be a little rigid at times.”
“Yes, but what you don't know is that he is also kind and generous and—”
“Incredibly hot?” Kasey answered.
“Yes.” Bishop fanned herself with one hand. “Oh good, I was worried that it was just me and, well, my gauge for these things has been a bit off after Collins. I was worried I had rose colored glasses on for this one.”
“Nope, you are seeing twenty-twenty here. He's a wizard and a fox,” Kasey said, her mouth peaking up into a grin.
“Yes, he is,” Bishop replied with a smile. “In more ways than one.”
It was good to see
Bishop climbing out of the trenches and getting a little life into her.
“So, what about Sanders?” Bishop asked.
“Nothing as juicy as that I'm afraid,” Kasey replied, searching the road ahead. “Every time I think something is going to happen, the world gets in the way. The fact that he leads the Council certainly isn't helping. It keeps him so busy I hardly get a chance to see him. When I do, it's usually in a meeting and that's hardly the time or place to get him to open up about his feelings. If such a thing was even possible.”
“You know he has feelings, Kasey. Anyone with two eyes can see that.”
“But just once I'd like to hear him say it,” Kasey replied. “He keeps me close, duels with me, gives me a taskforce but can I get him to go out to dinner? No. Not since we were fugitives splitting whatever meal we could get our hands on.”
“You'll get your chance, Kasey. I know you will.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Bishop?” Kasey asked. She wasn't used to seeing Bishop so upbeat. Jack had been good for her, that much was plain as day.
The sedan rounded the corner onto East Fifth Street and Bishop slowed. There in front of the vehicle was a mob of people picketing the Ninth Precinct station. There had to be close to a hundred of them, waving signs and marching in circles, blocking the street.
“What's going on?” Kasey asked. “Something go down here that I haven't heard about?”
“Not that I know of.” Bishop scanned the street. “No organized protests scheduled in the area either.”
The sedan rolled forward, coming to a halt behind a handful of other cars. The mob showed no signs of parting any time soon. As Kasey watched, a tall man in preacher’s garb got up on a soapbox and started pointing and hollering at the precinct. A handful of officers in riot gear blocked the station entrance.
The Ninth Precinct had seen enough conflict lately. Chief West clearly wasn't taking any chances.
As Kasey studied the crowd, she noticed the sign one of the marchers carried over their shoulder. It was a picture of a woman, her hands raised in defiance, arcane energy swirling about them. It'd been taken from the front page of the New York Times and Kasey would have recognized it anywhere.