“I was going to say creepy. But yeah, that, too.”
“Obsidian,” I said. “He just kept saying obsidian.”
“So we need to look out for volcanic rocks? Is there some kind of artifact? Is that Roman’s weakness?”
Nothing so arcane as that. It took me a minute, then I kicked myself for needing that long. “No. Turn around, we need to get downtown. Obsidian—the gallery Obsidian. Go.”
Ben swerved, turning the corner and sending us around the block until we were headed back—back downtown, to the vampire Family’s lair.
Chapter 13
FOR AS long as I’d known there were vampires, the Denver vampire Family housed itself in the basement of a fancy art gallery and import business, Obsidian. The business was a front, a place to launder money, a public face when one was needed to do business in the world. I didn’t think I’d ever seen the gallery actually open. The real action happened down a rough concrete staircase and through a plain door in back to a set of windowless rooms and chambers underground.
When Rick was Master, I could just knock on the door, talk my way in, and have a lovely conversation or three with my friend. Now, I didn’t know what was going to happen. Angelo was dead. Something had happened, something had changed, the balance in this Long Game had shifted. I had no vampire allies in Denver.
Ben called Cormac. “It’s not like he’ll be asleep,” he explained. “And he’ll be pissed off if we don’t ask him for help for something like this.”
He was right on both counts. I listened in, and the hunter answered on the second ring and didn’t sound at all sleepy. He and Amelia were night owls. Actually, I wasn’t sure Amelia needed to sleep at all.
After just a few words, Ben donned a wry look and held out the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
Great. That meant I’d have to tell him we faced down Ashtoreth without him.
“Was that really Roman that called into the show?” he said. Before “What’s wrong?” even.
“Yes. I don’t know what it means.” I sounded numb. Still processing the last two hours of my life.
“What’s happening?” he said.
“Angelo is dead. He ambushed us outside KNOB, and I killed him. Then Ashtoreth showed up.”
He hesitated. I got the feeling he didn’t know which part of that to be more astonished at. He said, “Not that I’m not happy at how it turned out, but if you faced down Ashtoreth, how the hell are you still here?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Someone flashed a light at her and she got distracted.”
“Someone?”
“Men in Black. I don’t even know. They said the pack is okay. Somehow.” I wasn’t making any sense.
“What was Angelo doing at KNOB?”
“Trying to get rid of me. He had a coin, he’d signed on with Roman.”
“Jesus. But you killed him?”
“And smashed that coin to pulp,” I said, putting my hand on it where it lay against my chest. I didn’t tell him about the broken arm. It was getting better.
“Are you and Ben safe for now? Are you being followed? Watched?”
Yeah, Cormac wasn’t going to be happy about this. “We’re headed to Obsidian.”
He paused, and said, flatly, “Why?”
“Because Angelo’s dying words were ‘Obsidian.’ Something’s there.”
“Yeah, a mess of vampires who’ve probably gone crazy with no Master to control them. They’re going to blame you.”
“Yeah. So. Want to come help?”