Bloody Heretic (18 page)

    “
Nothing,”
she cleared her throat. “
We should get moving. This was an excellent exa
mple of working and having fun at the same time. Consider lesson learned.”
She slapped him lightly in the face again, and just like that she had trivialized everything they had just done. It was like a bucket of ice water had been tossed over his head.
She
didn
’
t see the look on his face a
a
she hopped up and took off out of the room. He followed just behind her but there was no more friendly banter, no quips about protec
ting him from the enemy. He
walked
silently
behind her as they made their way further do
wn into the compound.
All was eerily quiet for a long time. They didn
’
t find anything of consequence on the first level, so they worked their way down.
Eventually they came upon the voices of several females and she smiled up at him. He didn
’
t even feel th
e effects of it anymore.

    “
Jackpot,”
she whispered, ignoring his obvious lack of excitement. They walked toward the voices, stopping just outside the door they emitted from. She gave him a series of hand gestures in rapid succession. He frowned at her
in confusion. She huffed at him, slowing the hand signals down for him as if he would understand them any easier. He grabbed her hand between
his, stopping her mid-command.

    “
I don
’
t have a clue as to what you
’
re trying to say,”
he whispered.

    “
Navy
SEALs code! Come on!”
She whispered back. Before he could respond the door in front of them slid open.

    “
Jeanne! Come in, come in! It took you long enough to find us,”
came a loud male voice. Jeanne
’
s eyes bulged. She turned around slowly, looking into
the room.

    “
Fuck,”
she answered.

Chapter Eight

    “
Come on, don
’
t be shy. Let me see you,”
he was saying. Only a lifetime of false bravado kept her from racing from the hallway as fast as her legs coul
d carry her. All the years of
training, hidi
ng, the death, it had been for naught. She had hand delivered herself to her greatest enemy.
Not even the Council could help her now.

    “
Boris?”
She asked incredulously. He gave a great snorting laugh.

    “
It serves a purpose. Come child, won
’
t you int
roduce me to your
friend
?”
His sneer answered the question of whether he knew how long they had been here. Possibly since last night. She turned toward Dominic, suddenly more afraid than before. His life was now thrown into the balance. All she had wanted
to do was protect him. She swallowed.

   “
Dominic Harcourt, meet Michel Le Soleil Noir. Michel, Dominic Harcourt.”
His eyes quickly widened at the name.
And
now
he wakes u
p.

    “
Ah, you
’
ve heard of me! Wonderful. We can skip the formalities. Ladies,
would you excuse us?”
He asked the women seated around him on the semi-circle couch they sat upon. They stood and turned to leave but before they did Jeanne did her best to relay the message that if they were tired of being hookers that didn
’
t get paid,
t
hey would find Adam and Ethan and let them know what was going on. She just hoped they weren
’
t so far gone under Michel
’
s influence that the message didn
’
t stick. They gave no sign that they heard her, but that was best anyway. If Michel knew how powerful
she had become he would crush her all the sooner.

    “
So, how long have you
been in the pimp game?”
She asked.

    “
Pimp game? Now, Jeannie, that
’
s just crass. I provide companionship and entertainment. I don
’
t
pimp
the girls.”
He tsked at her. 

    “
Do
n
’
t call me that,”
she snarled. He smiled, knowing he had gotten to her. “
I don
’
t see the difference between whoring them and calling it entertainment. They have no choice in the matter.”

    “
They do what they
’
re told,”
he answered coldly, but perked righ
t back up. “
They enjoy themselves and I get valuable information and patronage. What
’
s so wrong with that?”

    “
Of course you would see nothing wrong with that. You always were good at using women to do your dirty work.”

    “
Bitter Jeannie? You seemed so excited to take up arms for your country. I
’
m surprised you
’
re not thanking me for making you into a Saint.”

    “
You didn
’
t make me a Saint. Pope Benedict XV did.”
She rolled her eyes. His blathering was getting on her nerve
s. If he was going to kill them she didn
’
t feel like waiting all day. “
What do you want Michel? If you
’
re going to kill us, just do it. I
’
m not going to stand here and chat with you as if we
’
re just catching up on old times.”

    “
You
’
re right. I have miss
ed you
’
re refreshing honesty. Keeping to that vein, honestly speaking, I could care less about you. I want Gabriel.”

    “
Oh, fuck.”
Dom whispered behind her. She looked at him, puzzled. Michel too, looked at him in confusion.

    “
Something to add Mr. Ha
rcourt?”
He asked. She tried to tell him with her eyes to shut the hell up.

    “
No, Sir,”
he answered, showing some brains. She turned back to Michel.

    “
I haven
’
t seen Gabriel in damn near four hundred years. If he still walks this Earth he
’
s the Hide
and Seek Champion of all time.”
Dom snorted. “
That
’
s the God
’
s honest truth.”

    Michel didn
’
t look pleased with this news. “
I see. Well, perhaps you would be compelled to come up with a better answer if I threatened to skin your friends alive.”
H
e turned
towards a giant TV monitor
that sat atop the fireplace. With a flick of his thoughts the
monitor
came to life, showing
Adam, Vic
, Ethan and Alex strapped to a wall somewhere in the compound.
Well so much for that message helping.
She gave nothing away upo
n seeing this. She wouldn
’
t give Michel the satisfaction of knowing he held all the cards.
His smile said he knew he had
the upper hand.

    “
I don
’
t know what answer you would like to have. If I said I knew where Gabriel was, I
’
d be lying. I can
’
t change
that fact, no matter who you threaten. This isn
’
t the Inquisition Michel, torture will get you nowhere. He
’
s gone. You lose.”
Rage transformed his face for the briefest second before he caught it.

    “
You know, Jeannie, when I saw you tonight upstairs I
thought
‘
Michel, there is no possible way that your prayers have been answered. God would not be so giving
to one such as yourself
.
’
I was right. You
’
re not an answered prayer. You
’
re a fucking curse.”
Before she could react he had her by the back of the n
eck and was dragging her towards a trapdoor that
had opened in the center of the floor
.
She fell down hard, landing on her ass.

    “
You too.”
Michel tossed Dom in after and she rolled just in time to not be squished. As she took in her surroundings she c
ould immediately see that they were in a cage. It was ten feet by twelve and she didn
’
t need to test the strength of the bars to know they would be unbreakable.
The mechanism that allowed the sliding metal door above them must have been de
signed by Michel himself. She wouldn
’
t be able to open it kinetically without concentrating for hours.
Dom sat up and looked at her.

    “
I blame you for this, Dom.”
She looked up to see Adam and the others strapped to the walls.

    “
Me?”
He turned to loo
k at Adam.

    “
Yes
,
you
.
‘
For once I
’
d like there to be someone standing in front of me, one enemy, with one goal. No fucking henchmen, no fucking loose ends.
’”
Adam mocked Dom
’
s accent. “
You wanted this to happen! It
’
s like you conjured him out of thin a
ir!”
He ranted. She looked at Dom.

    “
When did you say that?”
She asked him.

    “
Last night. But had I known it would play out like this I would have chosen
my words differently,
”
he answered without looking at her.

    “
What I want to know is how you
managed to get yourselves caught,”
Jeanne said.

    “
Oh, I
’
ll tell you exactly how we were caught!”
He glared at Vic. She glared right back and Jeanne gave her points for sticking to her guns. “
After I had to stop Ethan from murdering a human in front hund
reds of other terrified humans, the guards stepped in to break it up. Valentin came down to figure out what the problem was and after that we were all ushered down here. At first it was voluntary
, but then The Black Sun
shows up and bam! We
’
re strapped to
the wall.”

    “
It
’
s not their fault, Adam.”
Jeanne stood and brushed her hands down her scuffed dress. “
It was my
idea;
they just agreed to do it.”

    “
I
’
m well aware of whose idea it was. I
’
m upset that they went through with it.”

    “
Well, the decis
ion was made easier when Vic told us of her suspicions regarding you
r little
foray into the plaza earlier tonight.
”
She smirked in satisfaction when Adam closed his mouth. Vic turned her head to Alex.

    “
I told you! What did I say? I said they were follo
wing us! You lying shithead! Just wait until I get loose from these straps. You
’
re going to wish I had my stiletto. It would have been a quick death!
”

    “
Love, let me explain...,”
he tried but as he spoke the main door opened and in walked Gloria and Orl
eans. She thought for the ti
niest second that they were there
to rescue them, but of course nothing could be so easy. Two guards followed behind and proceeded to strap them to the wall as well, without either making so much as a peep. After the guards left
Gloria and Tim both blinked simultaneously.