Kate Daniels 03 - Magic Strikes

to slay any Reapers. You’ll get your head bashed in and we’ll lose an opportunity to plant the bug.”
    Saiman smiled, a thin stretching of lips without any humor. “That was not my original form.”
    Touché. “In that case, I hope your original form is a two-headed dragon spitting fire.”
    “Give me an opportunity to fail,” Saiman said. “I promise that my corpse won’t interrupt your ‘I told you so’ speech. The bout is tonight. May I count on the two of you to act as my crew?”
    What choice did we have? “Fine.”
    Saiman rose. “I’ll have to make a formal appearance for the first part of the evening. After the fight, provided we accomplish the actual kill, the Reapers will be grounded by the Red Guards for one hour to allow us a head start. The House doesn’t wish any friction between fighters outside the ring. That will give the two of you ample time to arrive in Unicorn and make the necessary preparations. I’ll stay the night in the Arena, in my private rooms, to recuperate.”
    Or he would stay the night in the morgue. The thought hung in the air like a funeral shroud. None of us mentioned it.

CHAPTER 15

    AFTER JIM AND I WERE FINISHED WITH SAIMAN, Jim dropped me and the Pack horse at my apartment. I wanted to go back with him. I wanted to be there in case Derek woke up. I had this irrational idea that my staying close would somehow fix him.
    But it wouldn’t. If I had gone back with Jim, I wouldn’t have slept, and I needed sleep and food badly. The Reapers wouldn’t take kindly to having one of their own knocked out of their lineup. If Saiman managed to deliver on his promise, they might come after us. I needed to be rested and sharp. So I took a shower, scrubbing every square inch of my skin and hair with scented soap to kill the smell of Jim’s posse, ate cold beef with black bread, tomato, and a little cheese, took a much-prized and expensive aspirin, and passed out.
    I awoke at eight because my phone rang. I raised my head off my pillow and stared at it. It rang and rang, filling my head with noise. The answering machine came on and a familiar voice made me sit straight up.
    “Kate.”
    Curran. Oy. Two hours of sleep wasn’t sufficient to deal with him.
    “Call me as soon as you can.”
    I picked up the phone. “I’m here.”
    “You’re screening your calls?”
    “Why not? It saves me from conversation with idiots.”
    “Is that an insult?” His voice dropped into a deep growl.
    “You’re not an idiot,” I told him. “You’re just a deadly psychopath with a god complex. What is it you want?”
    “Have you seen Jim?”
    “Nope.”
    “He didn’t call you?”
    “Nope.” But his goons beat the daylights out of me.
    “What about Derek?”
    “Nope. Haven’t seen him either.”
    There was a momentary pause. “You’re lying.”
    Shit. “Now what would make you think that?”
    “You didn’t ask me if Derek is okay, Kate.”
    That will teach me to have delicate diplomatic conversations first thing in the morning.
    “That’s because I don’t care. You told me you’d bring me in on the investigation. You promised me full cooperation and interviews. That was Friday morning. It’s Sunday now. Forty-eight hours have passed. You blew me off, Curran. Just like always. Because you expect me to trip over my feet in a rush to help you, but the precious Pack can’t cooperate with outsiders. What you hear in my voice is apathy.” And bullshit. Lots and lots of bullshit.
    “You’re rambling.”
    Curran two, Kate zero.
    “This is very important, Kate. Jim defied me. He’s refused a direct order to pull his crew in. I can’t let it stand. He has seventy-two hours to decide what to do. Then I’ll have to find him.”
    “You’ve known Jim for years. Doesn’t he get the benefit of the doubt?”
    “Not for this.” The hard shell on Curran’s voice broke. The alpha vanished for a moment, leaving a man in his place. “I don’t want to have to find him.”
    I swallowed. “I’d imagine he doesn’t want you to find him either.”
    “Then help me. Tell me what you know.”
    “No.”
    He sighed. “For one moment, forget it’s me. Put aside your ego. I’m the Beast Lord. You’re a member of the Order. You’re subordinate to me in this investigation. I order you to disclose the information. Do your job.”
    It stung. I was doing my job to the best of my ability. “You’re mistaken. I’m not subordinate to you. You and I are on equal footing.”
    “I