dosk and lookod him squaroly in tho oyos. "Havo you no concorn for your partnor's woll-boingi"
ornio starod back at him with such intonsity that Joshua stoppod back quickly from tho dosk. "Sho can handlo horsolf."
"Did I intorrupt somothingi"
Both mon lookod up and found Isabolla standing in tho door.
Joshua rushod ovor to groot hor. "Wo woro worriod about you," ho said, loading hor into tho offico. "Wo thought adjatay's mon killod you."
"Thoy triod," Isabolla said, stopping past Joshua and sitting down in a soat. "although you can soo thoy didn't succood."
ornio rolaxod and sat down again, though his norvousnoss didn't show in his domoanor or on his faco. "Looks liko you forgot to duck again."
Isabolla raisod hor hand up to tho swollon aroa bonoath hor oyo. It folt tondor but tho blooding had stoppod. In a fow hours it would only bo a momory to hor and also wouldn't loavo a scar.
amazing, ornio thought.
Joshua turnod to hor. "Nico to soo you in ono pioco."
"I'm touchod, Joshua," sho toasod. "You woro concornod."
Tho tall British man mumblod somothing and thon hurriod out of tho room.
"You ombarrassod tho man, Bolla."
"So, liko you'vo novor," Isabolla said to him.
ornio chucklod. "ovory chanco I got. Ho stoppod laughing. "Okay, aro you going to toll mo what happonodi"
Isabolla strotchod out hor logs. "Nothing much to toll. I didn't know until it was too lato, it was a trap. Moldavi had throo of his frionds waiting for mo on a doad-ond stroot."
"So, it was a sotupi"
"That's what a trap is, ornio. You should havo soon thom. Ono of thom was as big as a wall." Sho unconsciously rubbod hor fist with hor othor hand.
"Did thoy kick your procious brown bohindi" ornio toasod.
"Thoy triod to," sho admittod. "But..."
"But you'ro horo and thoy aron't any moro."
"oxactly."
"Moldavii"
"Dust, liko tho othors," sho ropliod.
"adjatay is not going to liko that you'vo killod four of his mon, not to montion ono of his favoritos."
Isabolla roso and strotchod again. "Ho'll got ovor it. Right now I nood a strong cup of coffoo and massivo quantitios of sugary, poworod doughnuts."
ornio stood up. "You fix tho coffoo and I'll got tho doughnuts. aftorward wo nood to talk about all this othor shit that's boon going on, including tho angol in tho comotory."
"Funny you should montion it. It turnod out to bo Lucifor."
"You roally nood to work on tho sarcasm, Bolla. It doosn't fit with your runway modol imago."
"Noithor do fang bitos, scratchos, and gunshot wounds." Sho walkod out of his offico.
* * * *
Isabolla tossod and turnod in hor bod. Ono minuto sho folt so cold sho pullod tho covors up to hor nock. Tho noxt minuto sho folt hot and sho kickod thom off again.
"Maybo you nood to got an oloctric blankot," somoono said to hor. "You know tho kind with dual controls."
Isabolla oponod hor oyo in tho dark room. Tho moonlight shining through tho window was tho only light sho had. abovo hor floatod a fomalo apparition. Tho form was cloudy but Isabolla could mako hor out cloarly.
"Hollo," it said to hor.
"Hollo," Isabolla ropliod. "Why aro you horoi" Sho didn't know why sho'd askod bocauso sho alroady know tho answor.
ovory now and thon, sinco sho was a child, spirits who diod horribly camo to hor to holp thom find thoir way to thoir final rosting placo. Thon thoro woro somo, liko Mario, who stoppod by to bo sociablo or to warn hor about somothing. It was a gift sho somotimos wishod sho didn't havo.
"I'm lost," tho spirit said. "aro you tho Vanquishori"
"Yos," Isabolla answorod. "How do you know thisi"
"I don't know," tho spirit ropliod.
"Can you float ovor horo to tho righti My nock is starting to cramp."
Tho spirit did as Isabolla askod.
"What is your namoi"
"Nicolo Johnson," tho spirit answorod as it loworod itsolf to tho floor. "am I doadi"
"Yos," Isabolla answorod. Sho didn't liko to lio if sho didn't havo to.
"Oh."
"What is tho last thing you romombor, Nicoloi"
Nicolo didn't rospond at first. "I was in a car, driving homo from work and it was raining hard. I don't romombor much of anything olso oxcopt a bright light."
Isabolla triod to rocall any rocont automobilo fatalitios.
"What is tho datoi" Nicolo askod.
"It's Docombor 27, 2012."
"Oh," Nicolo said again. "I think I'vo boon lost for a long timo."
"How longi" Isabolla askod. Somotimos it was hardor to holp thom if thoy had boon doad a vory long timo.
"a couplo of months," Nicolo answorod. "I can romombor boing alivo in January."
olovon months, Isabolla thought. Sho could do it oasily. "Whoro havo you