Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
LUCIFER
Oh, I was eager to hear what the little ghost had to say. Truly ethical billionaires were few and far between. I sat back and waited for her to drop her knowledge on us all. There was no possibility I’d be surprised, but I was willing to be wrong.
“His name is Ransom. He’s a cowboy in Devil’s Grove, Texas.”
Exactly as I’d expected. See? The pool was and ever shall be shallow.
Also, the name of the town was no coincidence. I might have played a part in that many years ago.
“Uh, aren’t we sort of skipping several steps?” Merri asked.
“Such as?” I drawled, loving the feel of my mate’s attention on me.
“Whether or not he’s still alive? The non-supernatural world might be functioning as though it’s business as usual, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been impacted by the lead-up to the apocalypse.”
“That’s easily enough remedied,” Hades said.
“All over it, boss. Say less.”
Asshole disappeared from view only to return a few heartbeats later with a very annoyed woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses beside him.
“You rang?” she asked in a very put-out voice.
“We need to know if someone made a trip down the Styx,” Hades explained.
The woman sighed and manifested a rather impressive binder. “Name?”
“Brett Ransom,” Kiki answered.
“Let’s see . . . Radner, Rammstein, Ranklin, Ratliff. Nope. No Ransoms. Not yet, at least. There’s time.”
Kiki’s shoulders slumped in relief, and I’d bet my wings she had a story to tell as it pertained to Ransom.
She found her soulmate in the underworld, but that didn’t mean the woman didn’t have a past. I couldn’t imagine what Ransom joining the party would do if she looked that grateful he was still topside.
She’d have quite a bit of explaining to do once he finally did kick the bucket.
“Great, if that’s all, I’ve got shit to do. We’re pretty busy down here, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Thanks, Janine,” Hades called, but she’d already vanished from sight.
“All right, one problem solved. We know the guy’s alive. Still doesn’t mean we know where to find him,” Alek said, wary gaze on Kiki.
“We could try a locator spell,” Merri suggested, only to immediately catch herself. “Wait, that requires a personal item. Shit.”
“I know where he lives,” Kiki offered.
“He could be hunkered down somewhere else. Do we really have time to waste on a maybe?” Alek asked, the question genuine.
“Well, we know we have at least a day or two before the horsewomen will be able to pull off another whammy like they did today. Even if they have blood stored up, magic like that requires time to prep,” Moira answered.
“Still, we don’t want to chase shadows. A strategic search would be far more beneficial for all involved,” Chaos said.
“Well, yeah, of course. But strategy requires information. So unless someone has some relevant bit of knowledge they’re sitting on, we’re not gonna get the opportunity to do that this time,” Moira shot back.
Before I could offer up said relevant knowledge, Sin piped up. “Speaking of all involved, who wants to be part of this mission?”
“I know what he looks like, so I should definitely go,” Kiki said, stepping through the portal and making Alek flinch.
“If it’s all the same to you guys, I’m going to sit this one out.” He moved as far away from the ghost as possible, and I didn’t even try to hide my smirk.
“Aw, big guy, don’t be afraid of me. I’m only scary when I want to be.”
Alek didn’t respond; instead, he fitted himself in the corner behind Sunday and Caleb, although he was so enormous there was no hiding him.
“I’m going this time,” Dahlia stated. “I’ve been sitting around here doing nothing, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say nothing,” Caspian said with a smirk.
“Fucking you doesn’t count, Cas,” she snarked, causing her ghost friend to hold up a hand for a high five.
“Tell him, sister,” she said with a wide grin, their hands slapping together. I had a momentary flicker of confusion before I remembered that Dahlia was Death’s daughter, meaning she could interact with ghosts as if they were corporeal, much the same as Grim and Hades could.
“Oh, I don’t know. It sure counts to me,” the pirate countered.
“If you’re going, then so am I,” Hades stated, arms crossed over his chest as if that would stop his mate from arguing if her mind was set on it.
Kiki wove her arm through his. “Aw, it’s almost like the gang’s back together.”
“I think you’re missing a few members, toots,” Asshole shouted at her from the portal.
“I did say almost, thankyouverymuch.”
“I’d like to go and see this one through,” Merri said, scrutinizing the blade.
“Is that really a good idea, kitten? We almost lost you last time.”
Merri leveled Sin with a glare. “You heard Moira, we have at least a day before they can pull something like that again. Besides, we’ve already been over this. Famine is my cunt of a mother, and I’d very much like to be involved in anything related to sending her ass back to oblivion.”
Oh, I loved it when she got all fiery. It reminded me of that time she took control and dominated me.
“Obviously I’m going,” Sin said.
And here was my moment. “Actually, I’ll be leading this charge.”
He looked at me with his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. “What now?”
“None of you have any idea how to get to our target.”
“And you do?”
I sat on the arm of the chair nearest me and made a show of crossing my legs at the ankles. “Yes.”
“And you’re just telling us now?”
If I were a less patient devil, I would have slapped him. “I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. You’re always talking.”
“Okay, pot,” Sin said with a snort. “If you say so.”
“How do you know where he is?” Kiki asked.
“Let’s just say I’m a friend of the family from a long time ago. Those connections are forever.”
We didn’t have time for me to go into detail about my dealings with Brett Ransom’s great-great-great-great-granddaddy and the blood debt the family would forever be paying. What he thought was a birthmark was actually my direct line to him.
“Why does that sound like a really nasty loophole?” Merri mused with a little smile, familiar enough with her aunt’s antics to understand exactly what must have happened.
“They say the devil is in the details for a reason, darling. However, I think you’re missing the point. I can take us there with a simple snap of my fingers. So I will be in charge of this hunting party.”
“Fine, but if anything happens to our girl, it’s your ass.”
I fought the urge to blow him a kiss. “Promises, promises.”
Sin scowled. “Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Why ever would I do that? A filthy mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
“Uh, guys, we have a new problem. How are we supposed to shlep this thing?” Kiki asked, jerking her spectral thumb at the two-foot, eighty-pound slab of metal.
“Can’t we just steal some blood and bring it back here?” Hades asked.
Dahlia frowned. “What if there’s not enough blood to get the job done? It would be best to do it all in one go so we know for sure it’s attuned.”
“Fair point,” Hades said.
“I have an idea,” Chaos said, striding forward.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand over the large blade. Brow furrowing, he took a few deep breaths before light began to glow from underneath his palm, engulfing the weapon in a blaze so bright I had to look away.
Oh goody. A horseman using his powers was always a thrilling sight.
Not.
It was far better when I did it.
Chaos removed his hand from the blade, instantly extinguishing the light and revealing an axe where the guillotine’s blade had been. “There. More manageable. Easier to carry. Still capable of beheading.”
Merri beamed, looking far too pleased with him. He made a fucking weapon, for crying out loud. Try an entire realm and then come talk to me. I made her a lake house. I conjured puppies for her. I baked her cookies.
“I’ll take that,” I said, turning to hide a very over-the-top roll of my eyes. Then I turned once more to address the room. “Any other pressing issues, or are we cleared for takeoff?”
Grim locked gazes with me. “I don’t like that she’s going again. Just as Sin said, keep her safe.”
“We’re trusting you with the only thing of value to us,” Malice said, a second before his eyes flickered to his son. “Well, one of the only things.”
Pan visibly stood up straighter at his father’s declaration, though he didn’t do anything else to outwardly acknowledge it.
“If anything goes wrong, don’t hesitate to call for backup, boss,” Asshole said. “Keeks can pop back to the underworld and let us know quicker than anything else.”
“Will do,” Hades said as the rest of Dahlia’s mates each took a moment with her. It was clear none of them were overly pleased with her choice, but with everything on the line, it wasn’t the time for a long, drawn-out fight. We only had a small window to finish what we’d started.
“Lovely,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “Gather ’round. We’re off to see some cowboys.”
We arrived without any fanfare, materializing on the lake side of the sprawling mansion the Ransom family’s blood money paid for.
We were under a pergola placed just to the right of the dock, affording what used to be picturesque views of the large body of water.
Behind us, the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows glowed with light, the pocket glass doors open wide to allow the crisp night air into the space.
From our vantage, we could easily make out the small group sat around a table, but we were cast in enough shadow that they could not see us.
“Fuck it, I fold. Again. I shoulda known better than to play poker with you, man,” one of the cowboys said as he threw his cards on the table.
“You’ve said that before, Walker, but you still keep showing up and giving me your money.”
“Shit, it seems pretty obvious McCreedy’d be a card shark. He’s a retired rodeo clown turned lawyer. Gotta be quick on his feet.” This cowboy was dressed all in black, facing away from us, with a dark hat on his head.