Chapter 23
HARLOW
Ihit the base of the vat and kicked my legs to push myself back to the surface. The water was icy, a thousand tiny needles against my skin. Each one reminded me I was alive. While I was still breathing, I was going to keep fighting.
I popped out, gasping for air.
Don't panic, I told myself. Think. You can do this.
I had to.
I glanced up. The lip of the vat was too high to reach, even if I lunged. I pressed my palms against the sides and bobbed. Water dripped down my face, and my clothes were heavy, clinging to me everywhere, threatening to drag me back under.
"Like I said, it'll be a little cold at first," Hypnos' voice carried over the side of the vat. "In half an hour or so, it'll be at one hundred degrees. It'll keep climbing slowly until it reaches boiling point."
That really wasn't going to work for me. I didn't have ‘be boiled alive’ on my bingo card for this year. Or any other foreseeable year for that matter.
"You're not very nice," I called out.
He chuckled. "I've been told that before. The thing is, I don't care about being nice."
"You care about staying out of prison," I said.
"Yes, that is high on my list of priorities," he agreed.
"Making me into soup won't help you," I told him.
"It'll help me," he said. "I'll be getting rid of a menace. My associate will be pleased at my initiative."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "If Zeus is the big bad everyone is making him out to be, he might not care. He didn't seem particularly impressed with any of the rest of you. Why would you be any different?"
Something clattered against the side of the vat, followed by what sounded like him climbing up the ladder. His head appeared over the top, peering down at me.
"The others were different," he said. "They were lackeys. I'm Zeus's right-hand man."
"So you're the head lackey, I said. "I mean, right-hand man isn't the boss, is it?"
"Not yet," he agreed. "Until I take care of Zeus."
Hmm, interesting.
"So, in a manner of speaking, we're on the same side," I said. "We both want him taken care of. How about you let me out of here, and we can work together? Or better yet, you can tell me who he is, and I'll take care of him for you."
After I killed the hell out of Hypnos.
He snorted. "I wasn't born yesterday, Miss St. James. Nor do I need your help. When the time comes, I will deal with him."
"Okay, but can you satisfy my curiosity at least, since I'm about to be boiled alive?” I said. "Can you tell me who he is? I mean, what do you have to lose, right? You tell me, I die, the secret goes with me to…" I glanced down at the water. "I'm not going to get an actual grave, am I?"
"Probably not," he said. "I’ll drain what's left out into the sewer."
I was tempted to remind him he wasn't nice, but I didn't think he'd forgotten since the last time I said it.
"Okay, I suppose it doesn't matter since I'll be dead anyway," I said. "So, who is Zeus? And how did you get into my kitchen to drug us?"
Hypnos considered for a moment. "Since you're going to die anyway…"
My eyes widened when he told me. I shouldn't have been surprised. Of course it would be someone that powerful and influential. Someone virtually untouchable.
When I got out of here, he was dead meat. I might even make him into a celebratory bowl of meatballs. Then take him to the park and feed him to the pigeons. They could shit him out all over the benches. That seemed like a fitting end for him.
As for who drugged us? That left me cold.
"Since I can't get out anyway, do you think you could pass me down something to cut the zip tie on my ankles?" I asked. That didn't seem like too much to ask. "It won't be any fun for you if I drown before the water gets to boiling point."
"That's very true," he drawled.
I grimaced to myself. A thing could either be true or not. It didn't need to be qualified with ‘very’ in front of it.
Yeah, I focus on niggling things at the wrong times. So sue me.
He disappeared, returning a minute or two later with a pair of scissors.
"Catch," he tossed them down to me. He watched until I caught them, then jumped off the ladder, his footsteps moving away.
I caught them and turned around, pressing my back against the slowly warming vat. I raised my sopping legs and sniped off the zip tie.
There, that was a little better.
"Thanks," I called out over my shoulder.
"It's the least I could do to prolong my amusement," he said.
Of course that was why he did it. Sadistic bastard.
I slipped the scissors into my pocket and kicked my way over to the opposite side of the vat.
I felt along the side, searching carefully in the dim light. I almost missed it, almost swiped my hand along the steel too quickly. But I found it.
Grooves in the side of the vat. An escape route for anyone who fell in accidentally.
I sent a quick thanks for the OSHA people who gave a thought for the health and safety of workers. A safety feature like this would be a relatively recent addition, making me wonder how long this vat was down here.
"Is the water feeling more pleasant now? Hypnos asked.
"It's actually quite nice," I said. It was almost as warm as bath water. "I don't suppose you can throw in some bubble bath? Maybe a rubber duck?"
He laughed. "Those would be wasted in there."
"That's what I thought you'd say." I glanced back to make sure he hadn't climbed back up the ladder before working my hands and feet into the grooves and climbing slowly.
Dripping, I reached the top of the vat and grabbed the lip, pulling myself over as quickly as I could and dropping to the floor.
I winced, hoping like hell he didn't hear the wet plop as I landed.
I dropped to a crouch and waited.
"It should be getting nice and warm by now," he called out. "I'm sorry it won't warm up any faster."
I stood quickly so I could project my voice. Hopefully I sounded like I was still inside the enormous vat. "That's okay. I'm not in a hurry."
There was that evil chuckle again. "Of course you're not."
I pulled the scissors out of my pocket and stepped slowly around the vat, moving toward his voice, keeping my eyes and ears open.
After a step or two, I stopped to push off my footwear. Bare feet would be quieter than slopping along in my work shoes and socks. My shoes were probably ruined at this point anyway. If I wasn't already angry, I'd be angry over that. Those were a perfectly good pair of comfortable, worn in shoes.
I came around the side of the vat to see him sitting in the rickety chair he'd been in when I regained consciousness. He was bent over his phone, intent on something on the screen.
Young people and their technology, I thought to myself.
He was older than me and I was grateful for the distraction. Now, if it kept him busy for just long enough…
Silently, I moved toward him, hands wrapped around the finger loops of the scissors. Blades pointed in his direction.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
I rushed at him but he turned around at the last moment and threw himself to his feet.
I lunged, but he grabbed my wrist, holding it right before I could plunge the scissors into his throat.
"Now, now, Miss St. James, is that any way to treat your host?" He clicked his tongue.
Since the answer was a definite yes, I raised my knee and jammed it into his groin.
He let out a muffled cry and let go of my wrist, dropping his hands to cover his delicate, and apparently painful, junk.
I drew my arm back and jammed the scissors into his jugular with everything I had. It was too blunt to slide in nicely. I had to force it in, pushing and shoving until it was nice and deep, blood squirting out and coating my fingers.
"Harlow!"
That was Cass' voice, calling out my name as he hurtled down the stairs so fast he almost lost his footing and face planted on the concrete floor.
Boner grabbed him at the last minute, holding him up while they both stepped off the stairs. Archer and Jules were right behind.
"You're just in time," I told them. "I was just dealing with our friend Hypnos here."
"Can we help?" Boner held up one of my kitchen knives.
"I guess he could use a few more holes." I yanked back the scissors.
Hypnos' eyes widened. He clutched at his throat, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.
Grinning, Boner stepped up behind him and drove the knife into his back, not enough to kill him quicker, but enough to hurt like a motherfucker.
Archer was right beside him, doing the same thing on the opposite side of his back.
Cass closed his eyes and turned his face before, poking his knife roughly in the direction of Hypnos' ribs. He made a face as it scraped against bone, the sound audible throughout the basement.
Grimacing, he dropped the knife and shook his hand.
"Good job," Boner told him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah." Cass looked like he might be sick.
Hypnos started to crumple, falling to the floor with the two knives sticking out of him. He landed with a thunk. Writhed a few times before lying still.
Jules shrugged and leaned over to stab his knife into Hypnos' left ass cheek. It wobbled back and forth when he let it go.
He straightened up and stood back. "I figured I should get in on the fun."
"I wish I thought of that," Boner said, looking at him appreciatively.
"You're already a pain in the ass," Jules told him, but he was actually smiling.
Boner grinned back and flipped him off with both middle fingers. "Love you too, bro."
“So, this was Hypnos?" Archer asked.
"Another name off my list." I rubbed the tattoos on my arm.
Six down, one to go. I already had a head start on Zeus. I knew who he was. The question was, what was I going to do with that information?
My men, they came after me. Found me here. That didn't mean I could trust them.
After what Hypnos told me about how we were drugged, I wasn't sure I could trust anyone.
How had they found me so quickly? I didn't want to think any of these things, but Hypnos put the doubt in my mind, and right now it was starting to fester.
"Are you okay?" Cass put his arms around me.
In spite of my misgivings, I melted into his arms.
"I’m okay," I said. "A little bit wet and cold, but alive."
I was starting to shiver. The cold of the air had worked its way under my wet clothes, under my skin and into my bones.
"Let's get you out of here and into a nice hot bath," Boner said.
"As long as it's not as big as that." I jerked my head toward the vat, which was starting to steam. Much longer in there, and I would have been chef soup.
"What are we going to do with Hypnos?" Cass asked. He looked like he hoped it wasn't anything gory.
"We're going to leave him right where he is," Boner said. "Full of those chef knives."
"That's why you brought them." Archer asked. He seemed impressed.
Boner shrugged a shoulder modestly. "I thought we might need them, but I also figured this was a good way for Chef Stabby to finally get recognized."
"I didn't use any of those on him," I pointed out.
Boner grinned and scooped up the knife Cass dropped, offering it to me hilt first. He waggled his eyebrows at me and stepped back.
I contemplated for a moment before deciding he'd look weird if I didn't do this. I crouched down and drove the blade into his other ass cheek. He had two in his back and two in his butt.
Perfectly balanced.
"Let's get out of here." Cass took my hand and led me toward the stairs and out of the basement.
I stopped halfway up to glance back, making sure Hypnos was dead.
Satisfied he wasn't moving or breathing, I followed the guys out.