Shabazz looked around at the assembled team, noting that Dan and Bobby were still with the clerics, gathering last-minute details. Only the female team members were present. He cut a glaze toward Marlene, who subtly nodded. Yeah, this was man business. Shabazz gave the others the eye to back off so that only he, Rider, Jose, Berkfield, and J.L. remained. Even Marlene stepped back, reading Shabazz's expression.
"Listen to me real good. Where you're at right now is an extremely dangerous place for a man like you to be," Shabazz said in a quiet but firm tone.
"You have no idea," Carlos shot back in a very even voice.
"You're about to allow your anger get you played. Go back toThe Art ofWar, man . . . warfare is the Tao of deception. You've got to be strategic and make them think they got you to your core-then come up with a plan . . . not go in there swinging buck wild because fury's got the best of you. That's basic, brother. Even though they did your family-which is all the more reason to fall back and lay for their asses."
Shabazz waited a beat, breaking through in tiny increments. "Your eyes are glowing red at the edges of the silver, and I haven't seen that since you were dead.Bad combination. I want you to think about this place where you're at right now, because we both know it wasn'tno accident that you wound up here."
"But wherever this shit takes you,hombre, we wit you all the way.Even if you decide to go after you-know-who."
Jose pounded Carlos's fist, but Carlos looked away after the exchange. No. It wasn't about that, taking Guardians up against the beast. That was pure Neteru action, no matter that they were crazy enough to ride or die with him. Problem was,they probably wouldn't die . . . at least not right away. That reality jarred him enough to make him begin to amp down.
Rider landed a hand on Carlos's shoulder again. "This is the rough ride part, dude. We all know they're coming for our family, next of kin, if they can figure out who they are. There's never a way to reconcile a casualty, especially not losing somebody as close as Father P . . . we're all f**ked up with you, bro."
"But just like when your partner gets shot . . . and this is what they do, you know they went out their way. Not from some shit like cancer or a worthless DUI car accident." Berkfield stared at Carlos as their gazes locked. "He went down in the line of duty, doing what he devoted his life to. God have mercy on him, and maybe the clerics can do something. But for now, we can't let this rattle our cages so bad that we lose position."
"When it's time, man, we'll rig some real wicked shit like we always do to shove down their throats to leave a smoking black hole," J.L. said, fury simmering in his eyes.
Carlos finally nodded and rubbed both palms down his face, retracting his fangs. It messed with his head no end that, instead of him being the one to give this rally speech, the brothers had to keephim from losing it. All this shit was out of order, and he hated every minute of it.
He glanced around the small marble and stained-glass-ensconced foyer that hid the team from prying eyes on the street. "We need to make it over to Phat G's place inHarlem ."
He didn't want to talk about Father Patrick's quickly deteriorating condition. He didn't want to say good-bye to a man who didn't know if he was there or not, or even who he was. Rabbi Zeitloff had him, Monk Lin and Imam Asula were en route, and this place was a prayer citadel as far as he could tell. That would have to be enough for now. There was nothing else he could do-and that was perhaps the most damning part of it all.
"I got G on a prayer-secured sat phone, will make sure we get us a table in the back," J.L. said. "Will do everybody some good to refuel and get our heads together."
"I buy the first round," Berkfield said, slinging an arm over Carlos's shoulder. "I'll show you how we used to do this when I was on the force."
Carlos nodded, his vocal cords wouldn't work. Now they were about to have a good old-fashioned Irish wake. How fitting.
Lilith rolled over and sighed. The warm Vampire Council Chamber floor met her nude back, and she idly pushed the blood along one of the veins within the black marble while staring up at the transporter cloud of bats in the vaulted ceiling. Sebastian lifted himself up on one elbow, stroking one of her Harpies that had scuttled between them. The small, gargoyle-like creature fawned at the attention beneath Sebastian's long fingers, nipping him every so often to get a treat of blood.
"Give me your candidates," Lilithcooed, her voice drifting. "Your style is so much different than Lu's that I often forget how relaxing a primarily cerebral screw can be."
Sebastian smiled and kissed her bare shoulder. "Thank you, Your Highness." He hesitated, anticipation building as he studied her profile to gauge her mood. "I've thought of this for you for some time now . . . I think you'll be pleased."
"I'm growing more curious by the second to see who you'd propose. As one of the most adept necromancers, and now that Lu says I can raise whomever I want from the Sea of Perpetual Agony, I'm sure I'll also enjoy your enlivening demonstration when you bring them back."
"To be sure," he breathed, nipping her shoulder and shooing the stray Harpie away."Lilith . . . what about Lucrezia Borgia?" He waited as she turned to stare at him.
A slow smile spread across Lilith's face.
"You approve?"
She arched her neck, causing her onyx tresses to spill in a fan across the floor as she laughed hard. "Oh, that is so rich!"
Nervous, Sebastian sat up and snapped twice, causing a golden scroll to appear out of thin air and to hover near her face. "This lush, redheaded, Italian beauty had three husbands-two murdered, one cuckolded and disgraced-plus a number of affairs . . . a true black widow. She is the queen of poisons. The Borgias were notor-"
"Oh, put that thing away," Lilith said, waving her hand and sitting up. "I know her vile resume all too well. Her brother, acardinal with the nameCaesar, how fitting, was her lover and sired her illegitimate heir, while her first husband was dispatched for allegedly being impotent, which made thingsso messy to annul, unless she would admit to the affair-not. I loved the duplicity in her style. Ah, yes, then they also went about murdering her second husband . . . all the while her father was apope, for crying out loud. I do believe she was also his lover, too . . . and I think she was engaged twice by the age of eleven. In any event, as I recall, she had a passion for white arsenic dispensed from gorgeous rings . . . such a jewelry slut if ever I saw one, but a true Renaissance woman in every sense of the word. I definitely approve."
"I am glad you're happy . . . I think Fallon will like this treacherous European beauty, too."
Lilith chuckled. "I'm sure he'll admire her for her adept utilization ofpoudre de succession . . . inheritance powder, as they say inFrance . We could also use a poisons specialist to work hand-in-glove with your magnificent spell-casting abilities. But don't get jealous . . . when I'm sure Fallon wins her from you. Prepare your nerves in advance, darling. I can see the handwriting on that particular wall, and she's not even reanimated yet."
Sebastian didn't move as Lilith stood and slowly began to materialize her black gown to cover herself.
"Oh, come now-don't pout," she crooned. "He is, after all,French, she's Italian. . . . Both are very passionate, thus you must resign yourself to the inevitable. But the one thing I cannot allow is any further dissension in our ranks at this delicate hour."