As for me, Dekes might have taken my regular knives last night in the library, but that didn't mean I wasn't armed. I'd packed a couple of spare silverstone knives in my suitcase, just in case something unexpected came up while we were in Blue Marsh. One knife was in my hand, another was up my left sleeve, and the others rested in the pockets of my vest, just waiting for me to grab and use them.
Donovan let out another sigh and squirmed in the grass. "Any damn day now - "
In the distance, a sudden roar ripped through the air, and a flash of fire flared upward into the sunset sky before blooming into a black cloud of smoke. In addition to being rather handy with guns, Finn enjoyed making the occasional explosive in his spare time, and he'd just used his expertise to blast open the front gate. A few shouts rose up, followed by the sharp crack-crack-crack of a gun. Finn again, putting down the guards in the front of the house, along with some help from Bria. My baby sister wasn't quite as good a shot as Finn, but she could hit a giant's head at a hundred feet, which was all she needed to do tonight.
The two men guarding the back of the house froze at the sudden explosion of noise, fire, and smoke. They glanced at each other, then ran into the interior, heading for the front of the mansion to find out what the hell was going on. I waited a few seconds to see if any reinforcements would hurry outside and take up their positions, but none did.
"Let's go," I said, and slipped out of the swamp grass.
I took the lead, followed by Owen, then Donovan. The three of us sprinted around the edge of the pond that butted up against the back of the mansion and pounded up a set of stairs to the third floor. The giant guards had forgotten to lock the door to the patio in their haste to go help their friends, just like I'd hoped they would. I opened it, and we slipped inside.
We hurried down the hallway, keeping a lookout for any guards and peering into all the rooms we passed. Every single room, every single wall - hell, every single tabletop - featured some part of Dekes's collections, whether it was gleaming pirate treasure, stacks of classic albums, or other, weirder, creepier things.
"Never trust a vampire who collects dolls," Owen muttered as we passed that particular room.
We eventually came to a crossway with halls that branched off in four directions. I stopped, looking and listening, but I didn't hear anything. No footsteps, no shouts, no snaps of gunfire. I grabbed the cell phone out of my vest and held it up to my ear.
"What's your position?"
Some faint pops and crackles sounded through the phone before Finn picked up a second later. "Took out the first three guards in the front of the house, then another one who rushed out to join them. Bria, Sophia, and I are going in the front door now. "
"We're on the third floor and about to start searching the wings up here," I said. "There are probably at least two more guards coming your way. Be careful. "
"Always. "
I put the phone back into my vest pocket.
"Which way?" Donovan asked.
I thought back, trying to remember as much as I could from the tour Dekes had given me last night.
"Left," I sai
d. "The library's down the right hall, and the one beside that leads down to the pool. I doubt that Callie's in either one of those places. Dekes would want her to be tucked away somewhere more secure and out of sight. "
The three of us turned left and did the same procedure as before, walking quickly and quietly, weapons up and ready, keeping a watch out for any guards and peering into all the rooms that we passed. We reached another hallway, and I gestured for the others to hang back a second. I crept up to the edge of the wall, slid down until I was crouched on my knees, and slowly peered around to the other side.
Jackpot.
The hallway stretched out about thirty feet before coming to a dead end. The door at the end of the hall was shut, and a giant stood tall and stiff in front of it, a concerned look on his face and a cell phone in his left hand. That must be how he was communicating with the other guards. Judging from the loud squawks coming out of the phone, the news wasn't good.
I pulled back and got to my feet.
"I think we've found at least one of the women," I whispered to the others. "Callie most likely, since there's only one guard, a giant standing in front of what looks like a locked door. I'll deal with him. You two watch the other halls in case there are more of them lurking around. "
Owen and Donovan nodded. I drew in a breath and grabbed another knife out of my vest. Neither one of the blades in my hand had my spider rune stamped into the hilt. The symbol wasn't much to look at, just a small circle surrounded by eight thin rays, but I still missed the feel of the rune pressing into the larger, matching scars on my palms. Maybe it was silly, but it comforted me to know that my knives bore my mark, my rune, my name. More than that, the weapons had been a gift from Owen, and I wasn't leaving here without them.
But I pushed those distracting thoughts away and concentrated on what I needed to do right now - kill the giant in front of me. There would be plenty of time to search for my knives once the women were free and Dekes and his men were dead.
So I tightened my grip on the blades, rounded the corner, and sprinted down the hall as fast as I could.
The giant had been murmuring something into his cell phone, but his head snapped up at the sound of my boots stomping against the stones. The giant's mouth fell open, and he blinked as if he couldn't quite believe that I was actually running at him instead of screaming, turning around, and going in the other direction. By the time his brain figured out that I was in fact real and not some weird trick of his imagination, it was too late. My knives flashed silver in the light before sinking into his chest. Three quick cuts, one to his heart, and two to his stomach, and the giant was down. Still, I leaned over and slit his throat, just to be sure.
"Clear!" I called out.
Donovan and Owen rounded the corner and hurried up behind me. Donovan rattled the door, which was locked, while Owen kept his eyes trained on the hall, watching our backs. I stooped to one knee beside the giant, ignoring the blood and guts still pouring out of his body, and started patting him down. I fished a key ring out of one of his jacket pockets and held it out to the detective.
"Here. Try one of these. "