Devon Monk - Hell Bent

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He stood. “You two boys working together again?” he asked as he lumbered between desks and down the short hall to Terric’s office on the right. Terric unlocked the door so we could go in.

Terric took his place behind the desk, and I motioned for Clyde to head in before me. I shut the door behind us. Then I pulled on magic and cast a Mute spell while I drew down the blinds on the big glass windows.

I trusted Dash to be able to hold his own with Dessa out there, but I didn’t want her hearing us or reading our lips.

“That’s a nice piece of magic there, Shamus,” Clyde said. “What’s going on?”

He settled in a chair against the wall across from Terric’s desk, and I leaned against the door, my arms crossed over my chest.

“We think Eli Collins is killing people,” I said.

“Collins the Cutter?” he asked. “You think he’s back in Portland?”

“There have been a string of murders here lately,” Terric said. “Which might be connected to him. There has been an even longer string of missing persons. Have you been briefed on them?”

“Detective Stotts mentioned the case when I stopped in yesterday after the meeting. Thought I’d check with you on anything else you know that he doesn’t.”

“I’ve been keeping him up to date on everything,” Terric said. “Except for what we just found out. Joshua Romero was found dead in his car down on Burnside today.”

Clyde exhaled and sat back.

“Did Joshua and Eli have history?” he asked.

Terric shook his head. “I don’t know. Other than the battles here a few years back, I don’t know if they ever crossed paths.”

“How did he die?” Clyde asked.

“Magic,” I said.

“Like the bodies that keep showing up in Forest Park?”

“There’s been more than one?” I asked.

Terric nodded to me. Then to Clyde. “Not quite. Joshua was cut—glyphs were cut into his skin. Death, Pain, and Binding.”

“And you think Collins did this?”

“He’s done it before—cut spells into people,” I said. “Davy Silvers.”

“I know about Davy.” Clyde rubbed at the bridge of his nose, then crossed his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you go to the police if you think it’s connected to the other deaths?”

“Because if it is Eli, then we have another problem on our hands,” Terric said.

“Go on.”

“He’s killing with magic,” I said. “Unless he’s come up with some kind of technology to increase magic’s power, then the only way one man can be strong enough to kill someone with magic is . . .”

“If he’s found his Soul Complement,” Terric finished.

Clyde’s eyebrows ticked up. “Damn.”

He took some time to think that through, while I exchanged meaningful glances with Terric. Was he going to tell Clyde we needed the files and some time to track Eli without every person in the Authority and on the police force knowing what we were doing, or was I?

“I wasn’t involved in Closing Eli all those years ago,” Clyde said. “Victor took care of that, I think. But I’ve briefly looked over his file. Especially after he was a part of the fight to rejoin magic you were all involved in. As I recall, he was instrumental in saving Soul Complements then.”

“That was then,” I said. “Allie was calling the shots and he listened to her, devil only knows why. As soon as he got the Soul Complements to safety, he disappeared.”

“Tell me what you have planned,” he said.

“It’s not much of a plan yet,” Terric started.

“Well, you should know that Ter here agreed to let an ex-government assassin in on this case.”

“The redhead out there?”

“ We agreed,” Terric said. “And we don’t know that she’s an assassin, just that she’s ex-government.”

“With a sniper rifle,” I said.

Terric sighed. “She said her brother was killed by wounds similar to Joshua’s. She has a personal stake in finding the killer, and seems pretty intent on dating Shame.”

“It’s not a date,” I said. “It’s pizza.”

“She poisoned you.”

“Just a little.”

“Isn’t that what your kind call foreplay?” he asked.

“My kind ?”

“So she’s a liability,” Clyde interrupted.

“She’s someone who has information we can use,” I said. “On the Breaker hunt.”

Clyde held my gaze, then shifted his look to Terric.

“She could be useful,” Terric admitted. What did you know? He actually agreed with me. “And I don’t think we’d have any problem handling her.”

“When was the last time you two used magic together?” Clyde asked.

“It’s been a while,” Terric said.

Which was good, because frankly, I couldn’t remember the last time he and I had actually used magic together, as in hand in hand at the same time to break it and make it do really dangerous things.

That little scuffle in the alley with the ox, Hamilton, didn’t count. I’d been angry, and while Terric’s proximity meant I could draw stronger spells, just like the Mute spell that was currently keeping this conversation from being overheard, we had not broken magic in a long, long time.

“I’d like to keep it that way,” Clyde said. “The Overseer is recommending Soul Complements get the hell out of Dodge. I agree. And if you are stubborn enough to actually stay in the area—yes, I’m looking at you, Flynn—then you’d better not pull on magic. And neither of you should break it.”

Terric frowned, and opened his mouth, but Clyde continued. “Because breaking it sets off sensors we think the government has developed. Sensors that will lead them to the people breaking magic.”

“That’s new,” Terric noted.

He nodded. “I’ve had some enlightening conversations with the Overseer the last couple days. Breaking magic will only paint an even larger target on your heads.”

“We weren’t telling you we were going to break magic,” I said. “We’re telling you—”

“Asking you,” Terric corrected.

“Fine,” I said, “asking you to give us a day or two to hunt for Collins.”

“Before we get the police or anyone else in the Authority involved,” Terric said.

Clyde shook his head. “No.”

“Come again?” I said.

“No,” he repeated.

The rings on my right hand crackled with red. I shut my mouth on what I hoped was a smile. “No?”

Terric sighed. “You don’t want us hunting Eli?”

Clyde kept his attention on me, even though he was answering Terric. “I don’t want you hunting Eli. I don’t want Davy involved either, in case you’re wondering. And I don’t want some unknown woman anywhere near our business. We work with the law, gentlemen. We are not vigilantes. We do not pursue personal agendas or revenge. Our job is to take care of Authority business as smoothly and discreetly as possible. We have never used Breakers as assassins. We aren’t going to start that now.”

“We didn’t say we were going to kill Eli,” I said.

“I heard you. But I know you, Shame. This isn’t your call anymore. Neither of you is the Head of the Authority. I am. If you want to remain on the payroll in some other capacity, then you’re going to have to get used to my orders and follow them.”

“Why are you always looking at me?”

“Because I know which of you won’t play by the rules.”

I gave him my best smile. “I like rules. They make that cracking sound when they break.”

“Shame,” Terric said. “He’s right. This isn’t our call. It’s his. Is there anything you need from us?”

“Your keys. Dash has already given me access to the files and everything else.” He paused a minute.