Chapter 3
I NEED A WIN, DAMN IT
NELSON
I stayed outside long after the call ended, unwilling to face all those chatty Willow Lakers again. At least going to this market would get me away from here for a weekend.
When the cold finally got to be too much, I pushed away from the wall, only to find Gage stalking toward me.
I leaned back against the building and waited for him to reach me.
His skin had a red tinge to it, a sign his demon side was close to the surface.
His hot breath formed little clouds in front of his face, which he burst through with each step he took.
“Who was that?” Gage demanded, gesturing at my phone.
“The SC.”
“Is this about the unicorn? Did you find him this afternoon?” Gage narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t report in yet. I didn’t even know you’d returned until Jake mentioned something just now.”
I wasn’t technically on Gage’s team any longer. None of us were. But he still expected updates. And he was right. I should have gone straight to him to debrief. I just hadn’t been ready to vocalize my latest failure yet.
“No unicorn,” I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. I doubted I’d succeeded. “But it wasn’t a completely useless mission. I found the cage he’d been in. It was empty. No sign of a struggle, although there was some blood.”
Gage absorbed that for a moment. Then he nodded at my phone. “So, what did the SC want?”
“It was Venus. She had some intel.”
“About what? And why the hell is she phoning you directly?” His nostrils flared.
Then his mouth twisted, and he rubbed his hand over his face.
“Fuck. Never mind. Stupid question. I’m not officially your team lead anymore.
I just… I don’t like it.” His gaze caught on mine.
“What’s the intel? Do you want to talk about it? ”
I didn’t mind Gage’s questions. He’d been in the SC a lot longer than I had. I respected his experience and knowledge. And I would always think of him as my team lead, even if my SC paperwork said otherwise. “Another market.”
“Hmm…” Gage stroked his chin as he paced in front of me.
Venus hadn’t asked for secrecy, although perhaps her turning to me instead of her SC colleagues suggested a desire for secrecy might be implied. I filled Gage in anyway.
The demon frowned when I finished. “I remember Venus, and I don’t recall there being any problems, but I’d like to ask around. You okay with that? Something about this doesn’t add up.”
I nodded. “Sure. But I think I’ll go anyway.”
Gage narrowed his eyes and studied me. “What do you know about this market?”
I frowned. “Nothing. But eventually someone somewhere will know something about Morgan. If I’m going to find him, I have to keep looking.
” I would cross paths with the unicorn eventually.
According to the oracle’s vision, it was inevitable.
But I wasn’t content to sit back and wait for Morgan to come to me. “This market could give me a new lead.”
Gage grunted.
“I got the impression from Venus that this market was going to be old school,” I said, knowing Gage would understand what I meant.
If Venus was right, this kind of market would attract the most amoral of the supe community.
Sinister alliances formed when those people got together.
Destructive secrets were passed along. Heinous deals were made.
And if any of those things involved a unicorn, this event could break my case wide open.
“Fuck.” Gage rubbed his forehead. “When you hear where it is, let me know. I’ll be your backup.”
“We both know it’d be better if I go in alone. I don’t know when an opportunity like this will come again. We can’t risk scaring them off, and you’re too recognizable.” I waved at his head.
His horns were always visible to supernatural beings.
They couldn’t be disguised or hidden away.
It also didn’t help that he’d been around for a long time.
People knew who he was. The SC wasn’t the only organization to keep track of untethered demons, which is what he’d been for centuries until he found Willow Lake.
They’d take one look at him and run, rather than risk getting caught doing something shady by a former SC agent.
The Supernatural Council wasn’t something you ever really retired from, and everyone knew it.
“I don’t like you going solo to something like this,” Gage said.
“I’m better equipped to do this than most.”
He huffed. “Fine. We’ll figure it out when you find out more. But if something goes sideways, I’m sending the whole team in. I don’t care if people recognize me or not. We’ll fight through the blizzard if we have to.”
“The snow is forecast to hit tomorrow. It should be finished by the new moon,” I pointed out.
“That’s not the point I’m making, and you know it. Do you still have the tracker Van gave you?”
“Yeah. It’s sewn into my jacket. But it isn’t like I’m going solo. I’m sure the SC will have a crew around the area too.”
“They aren’t us,” Gage said. He dropped his hand to my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You deserve the best.”
I nodded and looked away. My eyes stung, but it was just from the cold. Really.
“Whatever happens, this info needs to be kept close.” I looked him in the eye. “Venus was a little fuzzy about the details, but she was calling me off the books. My being there isn’t SC sanctioned.”
All of us still had top-level clearance and could be seconded for missions. So it wasn’t like I couldn’t be read into jobs like this. Which made the situation even more curious.
“What the fuck is she up to?” He frowned. “Regardless, we’ll have your back. Always.”
I looked at him for a long moment before nodding. “Thanks.”
“And I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Yeah. I hoped so too.