Текст книги "Secrets of the Demon"

Автор книги: Diana Rowland

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

I nodded again.

He pushed off the wall. “I know where to start looking.”

We looked at him expectantly.

“C’mon, boys and girls,” Crawford said with a cheery smile. “We’re going to the dump.”

Chapter 33

Ben Moran had made his money in debris removal, or so Crawford reminded us after we’d looked at him like he was insane. One of the reasons Moran had enjoyed such success wasn’t simply because he had trucks to haul debris, but also because he owned a decent-sized tract of land in the north end of the parish which he was able to use as a place to dump said debris. And one of the reasons that the site was so ideal for a landfill was the fact that the ground was mostly clay—which had saved him a great deal of trouble and expense, since the landfill permits required a significant clay barrier to be placed before debris could be dumped.

Unfortunately, the landfill was a shit location as far as tactics went. It was in the middle of dense woods, there was only one road leading to it, and it was surrounded by a high chain-link fence and higher dirt berm. We’d scouted the location as best we could using the Internet, but we knew that the satellite images we found were probably months old. Eventually we grudgingly decided that there was nothing to do but go.

We went in two vehicles—Ryan, Eilahn, and me in one car, and Zack and Crawford in the other. As a concession to tactics we parked beyond the last curve of the road before the landfill, less than a quarter mile from the entrance. This area of the parish was hilly enough that we couldn’t see the landfill from where we were, which we hoped meant that anyone—or anything—at the landfill couldn’t see us either.

I stepped out of the Ryan’s car, then slung the strap of my shotgun over my shoulder. I had it loaded with double-aught buckshot and slugs, and I hoped like hell that I wouldn’t have to use it. I hated firing slugs. The last time I’d been forced to qualify with the shotgun I’d ended up with a bruise the size of a dinner plate on my shoulder that had taken weeks to fade completely.

But I had more faith in the ability of the shotgun to stop a golem than my 9mm. And, since we didn’t have access to grenades or rocket launchers, this was the next best thing for destroying the thing. I hoped.

“Doesn’t smell like a dump,” I remarked to Crawford as he walked up. He’d changed into fatigue pants and boots as well, and he held his shotgun down by his side.

“That’s ’cuz it’s not for regular garbage,” he replied. “Almost entirely for construction debris, and I don’t think it’s used much anymore. Moran made a killing after the last hurricane, when the local governments were desperate to find a place to dump storm debris, but this site’s a bit too remote for regular use.”

“Which makes it the most likely place to store a magic monster,” I said.

Ryan peered up at the berm that blocked our view of the landfill. It was at least twenty feet high and unnervingly steep. “Zack, you’re a nimble little fucker. You wanna reconnoiter?”

The blond agent smiled. “Thought you’d never ask.” A second later he was scrambling up the side of the steep hill, barely disturbing a single clod of dirt. We watched as he edged up to the crest and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. He remained still and silent for a couple of minutes, then scrambled back down.

“I’m not seeing any surveillance cameras,” he reported, brushing dirt from his pants. “Chain-link fence around the perimeter, with the one gate at the road. Gate’s open, and there’s a dark green Lexus SUV parked in front of a small metal building—about a hundred yards beyond the gate. And there ain’t shit for cover between the gate and the building. Lots of low hills of dirt, that’s all.”

“So he’s here then. He’s likely repairing the golem,” I said.

“We have bolt cutters, right?” Crawford asked. Ryan nodded. “Agent Garner and I can work our way around to the left and approach that way,” he continued. “I don’t like the thought of all of us marching up the road.”

“Do it,” Ryan said. “Take a radio.” We were using FBI-issue radios for this since we sure as hell didn’t want to have any chatter related to this on the police channel. The FBI radios looked a lot like walkie-talkies I could buy at Radio Shack, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Zack shouldered his rifle and gave me a significant look that I couldn’t interpret, then he and Crawford and Ryan loped off along the edge of the berm.

I watched them go, feelings the first flutters of nerves begin. There are five of us and we have plenty of fire-power,I reassured myself. We can take out a golem, even if it’s back to full strength.

Then why did I feel like I was overlooking something?

Ryan glanced back at Eilahn and me, then started up the road at a slow jog. I bit back a groan and broke into a run, relieved when he slowed as soon as we rounded the curve and came in sight of the gate. As Zack had reported, the gate stood open. Beyond it was a squat metal building with an SUV parked in front. There were no other vehicles that we could see.

“That’s Ben Moran’s vehicle,” I murmured. A strange frisson of relief swept through me. I’d been right. The lack of tangible proof had caused me more doubt than I’d realized until that moment.

We moved forward cautiously through the gate. As soon as we passed through it I had even more confirmation. “Hold on,” I said in a low voice as a wave of resonance washed over me. “Golem’s definitely here.”

Ryan flicked an acknowledging glance at me, then I heard him mutter low into the radio as he passed the info to Zack.

“Foul,” Eilahn muttered. I glanced at her to see her nose wrinkled as if she smelled something disgusting.

“Have you ever seen one before?” I asked.

She shook her head, keeping her eyes in a constant scan of the area. “It is a different sort of power, but it makes my nose itch.” She didn’t have a gun, since she’d pointed out that she had yet to have any sort of training with such a weapon. Instead she had a goddamn sword strapped to her side. The sword was Zack’s and he insisted it was merely a high-quality costume piece that he used for Renaissance fairs, but there was something about the weapon that made me think that this sword was not only very real, but had also seen actual battle.

The door to the building opened when we were about twenty yards away, and we raised our weapons. Or rather, Ryan and I raised our shotguns, and Eilahn drew her sword.

I expected to see Ben Moran step out.

I was shocked as shit to see Trey step out. What the hell? Is he working with Moran?

Trey didn’t seem very surprised to see us, though he did give Eilahn and her sword a brief “what the fuck?” look before returning his attention to me. He no longer looked harmless. He stood straighter now, more focused, but his smile had a nervous edge to it. We might not have surprised him, but he wasn’t looking forward to this confrontation.

“Keep watch for the golem,” I murmured to Eilahn, probably unnecessarily. I held my shotgun leveled at Trey. “Keep your hands where I can see them,” I called out, “and step forward slowly.”

He lifted his hands slowly and spread them to show that they were empty, though he didn’t move from the doorway. “Detective Gillian, what on earth is going on?” he asked, trying to look puzzled.

“Where’s Ben Moran?” I demanded.

His shoulders twitched in a shrug. “I’m not sure.” Then his smile turned more confident. “Most likely in a stockholder meeting, accepting the appointment to the new board of the bank.”

I scowled, rethinking my theories. “So, he had you do his dirty work?”

Trey cocked his head. “Detective Gillian, what do you think you’re going to do here? Do you have a warrant? I really think you should leave and forget all this.”

“We’re beyond warrants, Trey,” I said, slowly stepping forward. I could feel the resonance grow stronger, like a buzzing in the back of my teeth. I saw a shift of movement behind him, but I couldn’t tell if it was the golem. “You and Moran shouldn’t have sent your creature to try and kill me last night. We’re here to destroy the golem. Maybe then we can talk about warrants and murder charges.”

He shook his head. “I haven’t murdered anyone.”

“Semantics,” I retorted. This was stupid. I didn’t want to get involved in conversation. I simply wanted to get this over with. My hands were beginning to sweat and I had to fight the urge to wipe them on my pants. “Where is the golem?”

He took a slow step forward as I tightened my grip on the shotgun. “Which one?” he said mildly.

Resonance slammed into me as Ryan let out a curse. Shit! My heart began to slam in my chest. That’s what I was overlooking. If he made one, he could make more.

Eilahn give a soft hiss. “Five . . . no, six that I can see. We are flanked.”

I risked a quick glance and confirmed Eilahn’s info for myself. Crude and shambling, they rose out of the dirt piles we’d passed like zombies rising from graves and terrifying me about as much.

I stepped forward and lifted the shotgun, training it on Trey’s chest. “Call them off!” I shouted. “Make them stop, or I’ll fucking drop you right here!” I didn’t know if killing him would make them stop, but it seemed like a fucking good start to me.

He let out a nasty laugh. “But I can’t. I’m not the one controlling them.” He stepped to the side. “Michael? These are the people who are trying to ruin everything.”

My gut tightened as the young man stepped through the doorway, his face contorted into a bewildered anger. Shit!

“Tell your clay men to take them away, Michael,” Trey said, gaze never leaving us. “Take them away so that they can’t take your nice house away.”

“Michael, don’t believe him!” I shouted. “We’re not here to ruin anything. Your uncle and Trey have been killing people with your clay men. You know that’s not right!”

Doubt flickered across Michael’s face. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the shambling advance of the golems slow. Trey gave a sigh. “Now she’s accusing your uncle of being bad, and you knowthat’s not true. You can’t trust anything she says.” He met my eyes and the look of smug satisfaction in them told me more than any confession could have.

What if that was true? What if Moran wasn’t involved at all? It doesn’t matter right now,I told myself. Get him to stop the golems!

“Michael! You’re not a murderer.” I tried to keep my voice strong and steady, which wasn’t easy considering how scared I was. At least these golems were moving nice and slowly. Maybe it was because he was controlling so many instead of only one. “Trey wants your men to take us away to kill us. He already had one of your men kill Adam and Roger!” Where the hell were Crawford and Zack?

Michael shook his head slowly. “Roger and Adam weren’t nice. They were bad for the band. They were ruining everything. Them and Mr. Vic. They were gonna take our house away, and all our money. They were gonna put me in a home, and I’d never see my sister and uncle again.”

Fuck. I didn’t have time to debate this crap. I turned and fired at the golem on my right while it was still a dozen feet away. The blast from the shotgun took a portion of its right shoulder off, but I felt as if it had taken off a portion of mine as well. I heard a cry of dismay from Michael, even as Ryan unloaded on the golem coming up on his side. I didn’t have time to spare him a glance, but judging by the satisfied “Take that, fucker!”I heard from Ryan I had a feeling his aim had been better than mine.

Eilahn let out a strange piercing battle cry, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her leap toward a golem coming up on our rear, swinging her sword in a broad arc. But my golem was still moving in inexorable advance, as were the other three. I pumped another round into the shotgun and fired again, this time with more success as the creature’s head exploded in a cloud of dirt.

“Nice shooting!” Ryan shouted. I wasn’t about to tell him that I’d been aiming for the middle of the thing’s body.

I took aim at another golem. “Michael, call them off! Think of Lida! What would your sister think if she knew what you were doing?”

My chest tightened at the sound of a feminine laugh. “She’d think he was finally being useful,” I heard Lida call out. I looked with dismay to see Lida step out of the doorway behind Michael and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. But her expression was anything but comforting.

I scowled and snapped my attention back to the approaching golem. “So what’s the deal, Lida? You afraid of losing your comfy lifestyle? You’re on your way to being a big star. Why do you care if your uncle loses his position on the bank board?”

She let out an ugly bark of laughter. “I don’t give a fuck about my uncle, but I do so love his money and influence. I wasn’t going to let it all disappear because he couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut around his friends. And, besides, I was ready to kill Adam anyway for how much he’d fucked up the band. But Trey knew about Michael’s cool little talent and organized a little damage control.” She cocked her head. “But you knew, somehow. You can speak to the elementals?”

So, I’d been right about the golems actually being earth elementals. But I was wrong about Ben Moran.Later I’d have a small freak-out about how close I came to murdering an innocent man. First I had to get out of this situation intact.

I tried holding the shotgun down by my hip in the hope of giving my throbbing shoulder a break, but instead damn near broke my thumb when I fired at the golem. Plus, I missed. “We know that the attack at the concert was a publicity stunt,” I said, ignoring her question. “That was gutsy to have it throw you in the river. Or stupid.” I raised the hated shotgun to my shoulder and fired again, this time blowing the leg off the thing and dropping it. I was glad to have stopped the thing, even though, once again, I’d been aiming for the middle of its torso. I looked around, near sagging in relief to see that all six of the creatures had been dispatched. My ears rang in the sudden silence after the shooting and my shoulder was so numb I could barely hold the shotgun.

Lida slipped an arm around Trey, looking quite unconcerned that the golems had been destroyed, which didn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling. “The river wasn’t part of the plan,” she replied with a shrug. “Michael fucked that up.”

Her brother’s face crumpled as fury surged through me. But his face lit up again when she put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get upset, little brother, you redeemed yourself with Adam and Roger.”

Michael gave her a tentative smile, then looked to me. “They were p-pussies who didn’t have the stomach for the business,” he said as if reciting a script.

I was only paying him the barest of attention. Lida and Trey were too relaxed, too confident. Something else was coming. I kept every sense I had extended, scanning. Eilahn and Ryan could sense it too; we stood with our backs to each other, weapons at the ready.

“So, Lida,” I called out, “how long before you ditch Trey? Now that you’ve wiped out half the band, you can probably get out of your contract and go solo, right? That’s what you’ve always wanted.” I could see doubt flicker across Trey’s face, and I wondered if I was saying something he’d refused to admit to himself. “Trey doesn’t want to be a full-time musician. He wants money and stability. He’s doing this for you because he wants your uncle to get him a nice high-paying white-collar job.”

“Or, for that matter,” I continued, “how long before you get sick of caring for Michael and put him in a home?” I heard Michael’s swift intake of breath and pressed on. “It’s not like you’re going to keep up this pretense of caring for him if you don’t have to, and you’re not going to take him with you when you leave Trey and Beaulac behind. You don’t want him in your band, do you? Not when you have to stop and coddle him every time he gets upset.” I looked her way, seeing the truth of it in her eyes. “Or will you even bother putting him in a home? Once you’ve taken care of us, you won’t need him anymore. In fact you won’t be able to risk him blabbing, will you?”

Trey took a shocked step back from her. Yet another truth he hadn’t wanted to consider.

“Shut up!” Lida screamed. She was losing control and knew it. “Michael, shut them up! Call the rest!”

Confusion warred with misery in the young man’s face. There was a part of him that understood, but he’d been loyal to his sister for too long to want to believe it.

But Trey wasn’t giving up that easily, and apparently had a bigger stick than sibling love. “Detective Gillian, did you know that Michael killed his father?” His tone was conversational, but there was a vicious gleam in his eye. He hadto win this now and get rid of us.

Michael gave a strangled cry of horror. “You promised you’d keep it secret!”

Trey’s hands tightened into fists. “Michael, if you don’t take care of these people, they’ll take you to jail and keep you there forever.”

Michael looked at us in sudden terror. “I didn’t mean to! He was teaching me! I lost control! I’m sorry!”

A wave of pity nearly overwhelmed me as I realized how Trey had managed to control the young man. “Michael, don’t believe him,” I said as gently as I could. “You were just a boy, right? It was an accident. We don’t put little boys in jail for accidents.” I felt a vibration under my feet. Not an earthquake,I realized, mouth going dry. But a lot of dirt moving.

“You can’t trust her, Michael,” Trey said, eyes not leaving us. “She wants you to put your men away so that she can arrest you.”

I felt as much as heard a low rumble. Shit. How many more of them are there? “Michael!” I yelled. “You have to stop this! They’re going to kill you as soon as your men have killed us! They won’t need you anymore!”

“See, Michael?” Trey said, turning a comforting smile on the man. “She’ll say anything to get to you. You can’t believe anything she says. I love your sister, so that makes us family, right? And family would never hurt you.”

Michael looked into Trey’s oh-so-earnest face, then nodded and turned back to us.

And an army of golems descended upon us.

Chapter 34

They came from all around us like a slow wave, with more coming from behind, cutting off our retreat. I couldn’t take the time to count them, but I estimated that there were more than twenty and less than fifty. I hoped.

I barely noticed Trey and the others retreating inside the building. I was almost grateful for that since it meant I didn’t have to worry about accidentally shooting Michael. At this point I didn’t have a problem shooting Trey or Lida, but my do whatever it takesattitude wasn’t quite ready to cut down someone who’d only been a pawn. I wasn’t so sure that Eilahn or Ryan would share that attitude.

But I didn’t have time for that particular moral dilemma. “Eilahn, you keep our backs safe!” I shouted as I quickly reloaded. I chambered a new round into the shotgun, then held it tight against my miserably sore shoulder, gritting my teeth as I fired at the approaching golems. At least my lousy aim didn’t matter so much. With so many of them coming at us, I was guaranteed to hit one of them.

I breathed raggedly as I fired again and again. I couldn’t hear anything but a low buzzing, a combination of the gunfire and my own stress response of blocking out all sound. I dropped five or six of them, but the line kept advancing, closing in on us like a giant claw. I could only trust that Eilahn was keeping our rear safe.

I chambered another round and squeezed the trigger, but there was no violent kick of the shotgun this time. I’m out.I slapped my hand onto the side pocket where I had extra shells, but it was empty. In my peripheral vision I could see Ryan swinging his shotgun like a club, taking off the head of one of the golems. I could barely hold the shotgun at all; I doubted I’d be playing T-ball with golem heads.

I let the shotgun drop from my hand and drew my Glock. My right arm was so numb that I nearly dropped it, and I quickly transferred it to my left and started firing. I could see puffs of dirt rising where my rounds struck the golems, but they weren’t very impressive. We’d taken out over half of them, but the rest still marched in devastating silence toward us.

I felt another rumble beneath my feet. No,I thought in dismay. Not more. We can’t even handle these.I looked past the golems, braced to see another wave of the creatures come around the building.

I sure as shit didn’t expect to see a big yellow bulldozer come around the corner. Crawford was at the controls, while Zack stood atop the canopy, keeping his footing with inhuman balance. He squeezed rounds off from his rifle, sighting down it and blowing off golem heads even as Crawford mowed down a good dozen of the creatures with the bulldozer. Crawford was shouting something incomprehensible, face stretched into an exultant grin that I never expected to see on my sergeant.

Zack suddenly swiveled the rifle toward me. No, not at me—

I whirled to my left in time to see Zack’s shot take a chunk off the head of the golem there, but it apparently wasn’t enough to slow the thing down. I yanked my gun up, but I could see its fist coming at me . . .

White light exploded behind my eyes and I crumpled to the ground. I’m dead,I thought through the haze and pain. I struggled to focus only to see the golem standing over me, raising its blocky fist for a blow that would no doubt crush my skull like a melon.

Not dead yet. About to be.I couldn’t make my body move, could only stare at the impending blow. And I could hear again. I could hear everything.

Eilahn screamed something. It wasn’t Ryan’s name, but he whipped his head around, his face filling with horror and shock as he took in the sight of me on the ground and the golem about to brain me.

In the span between one heartbeat and the next he straightened, expression smoothing to ice, with only his eyes showing a devastating rage. He raised his hands before him, and in the next heartbeat the space between his hands filled with white-blue potency. He lowered his head, lip curling as he unleashed the power into the golem above me.

Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed as dirt rained down around me.

I felt frozen as I stared at Ryan’s motionless form. I distantly heard Zack let out a cry of horror. He leaped off the bulldozer and swiftly moved to Ryan, cradling him in his arms like a child. I felt Eilahn’s arms around me and I was distantly aware that she was holding me in similar fashion, but I couldn’t look away from Ryan.

A hand on my chin did it for me as Eilahn turned my face up to hers. “What did you yell to him?” I asked. It came out in little more than a cracked whisper, but I knew she’d heard me.

“It matters not. How badly are you injured?”

“The golems?”

A flicker of annoyance passed over her face. “They have all been defeated. How badly are you injured?”

I put a hand up to the side of my head. I could feel the lump there, but I didn’t have double vision or anything. Yet. I was probably mildly concussed, but the fact that I was able to realize it was probably a sign that it wasn’t too bad. “Help me stand,” I said. “This isn’t finished.”

She nodded and helped me up. I swayed briefly but she kept a hand on my arm to steady me. I couldn’t look at Zack and Ryan. Instead I focused on the scene by the building.

Trey stood in front of the building door, shielding himself behind a weeping Michael. I could see Lida still inside the building, staying mostly behind the doorjamb. Crawford had come down from the bulldozer and had his gun trained on Trey. I couldn’t see the gun that Trey was holding to the back of Michael’s head, but I knew it was there from the level of tension in everyone involved.

“It’s over, Trey,” Crawford growled. “The golems have all been destroyed. Killing Michael won’t give you a way out.”

I knew what Trey was going to do. Crawford probably did too. I could see the decision click into place in the man’s eyes, chasing away the anger and defeat for the few seconds before Trey pulled the gun away and stuck it in his own mouth.

I didn’t even twitch at the sound of the gunshot, but Michael jerked violently, no doubt thinking that he’d been the one shot. He fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands as Trey’s body crumpled to the floor.

“You stupid fucks!” Lida screamed. Her face twisted in fury as she reached down and yanked the gun from Trey’s limp hand.

She’snot going to kill herself,I thought in a flash. But my gun wasn’t in my hand. I’d dropped it when the golem hit me. I could only watch in numb horror as she lifted the gun to aim at her brother’s head, hatred suffusing her features. “Crawford! Shoot her!” I yelled.

Lida’s whole body jerked before the words were out of my mouth, and a red spot bloomed on her forehead. An instant later the gun fell from her hand, and she dropped to the ground.

I blinked in surprise at Crawford, but he was looking at the crumpled form of Lida with a perplexed expression on his face. He turned to me. “Kara, did you . . . ?”

I lifted my empty hands. “Not me, Sarge.”

Eilahn cleared her throat, then held my gun out to me. “You dropped this,” she said. Then she gave a light shrug. “They are not so hard to use after all.”

She turned to walk away, smugness radiating from her every move. I rolled my eyes and started to retort, but the words died away at the sight of Zack still cradling the motionless Ryan.

He blasted that golem with arcane power.The image I’d pushed aside came flooding back in. I’ve seen that done once before,I thought, hands beginning to tremble slightly. And the expression on Ryan’s face had been . . . inhuman.

I took an uncertain step toward them. “Zack? Is he all right?”

He jerked his head up, then shocked me by baring his teeth and growling deep in his throat. I froze, then took a slow step back.

A shudder seemed to crawl over Zack, then he seemed to regain himself. “I will tend to him,” he said in a low, hoarse voice. He stood, still cradling Ryan, then started walking down the road.

“Zack?” I couldn’t keep the desperate note out of my voice. “Is he going to be all right?”

He paused. “I will tend to him,” he repeated. I expected him to continue walking, but he remained still. “Kara, you must trust me,” he said without turning. His back was stiff and straight. One of Ryan’s hands dangled at Zack’s side, and I could see the top of his head by Zack’s shoulder. I didn’t know whether I wanted to rush to Ryan and put my arms around him or run as far away from him as I could.

He blasted that golem with arcane power.

“He will be as he was, Kara,” Zack said after another several heartbeats of silence. “You have my oath on that.”

As he was . . . when I knew him? Or before?A chill shimmered through me.

I watched him walk down the road until he rounded the curve and was out of sight. Then I returned to the others and the rest of our mess.