exit here and brush by us. Touching us would break the logic of the spell.”
Gideon swore again. “And I can’t teleport us outside because of the sun and inside we could end up materializing in someone.”
Thalia grimaced at the thought and gnawed her lip. Think. Think! She ran through her arsenal of spells, then glanced outside. “What if I could make it very cloudy?”
“It might help a little, but the burning rays will still penetrate.”
‘What about rain?”
She could feel movement behind her and thought he nodded. “Yes, the liquid might shield me to some extent. Enough that I could still heal, if I fed soon.”
Thalia pulled a ton of air into her lungs, closed her eyes and focused her intentions outward into the elements. She muttered the words of the spell under her breath, afraid the police in the tunnels might hear her and move faster through the network.
Blue light sparked around her. For Gideon, please! Let there be rain.
A gust of cool wind pushed through the open panel and within seconds, the sunlight dimmed as black clouds scudded in to block the sun.
Gideon braved a look past her shoulder. “It’s working.”
Thalia concentrated harder, her whole being consumed with one thought and one thought only. Save Gideon. Bring the rain.
A flash of lightning struck nearby with a clap of thunder so loud she jumped.
A few fat juicy drops pattered down onto the driveway and hammered like nails into the wooden shingles on the garage roof. Then rain fell in earnest, coming down in heavy sheets, making it hard to see outside the open garage door.
“Gods.” Gideon shook his head. “This isn’t rain, it’s a typhoon. Maybe I can teleport us now.”
“No.” Thalia bit her lip. “There’s no way to know how far the downpour goes. We’ll have to make a run for it.”
The sound of voices made her grab his hand. “Do you have your keys?”
He nodded and they took off into the wall of water just in time to see two men emerge from the tunnel.
Chapter 15
“Cole.”
The light was too bright. Cole squinted against the razor sharp shards of pain. She tried to sit up and realized her eyes weren’t the only thing that hurt. It felt like her brain was bouncing around in her skull. She groaned and put a hand to her aching head. The surface beneath her was soft. A bed?
“Cole.”
She recognized Poole’s familiar voice, though he sounded strangely hoarse, but still fought to open her eyes. “The lights.”
“Oh.” Seconds later, there was a swoosh, and the light dimmed. She opened her eyes.
Poole leaned over her. He wore a flimsy hospital gown and robe. She was in a hospital. Nearby, a row of cheap woven curtains on a transverse rod were backlit by the sun. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
She shook her head, then regretted it as pain shot through her tender skull and the room became a carnival tilt-a-whirl. She felt as if her head were made of papier-mâché and could be punctured like a piñata if she moved it too hard. “No.”
“They said you might not. From what I’ve learned, Damek was choking me and you shot him. He must have knocked you down trying to get away, because you have quite a bump on your head. They started looking for us when we didn’t show up at the new scene, but a patrolman didn’t find my car until morning. He found us both unconscious in the basement, although I came around as they were calling the ambulance.”
“So Damek got away?”
Poole nodded solemnly.
“Damn.” She tried to get up.
Poole pushed her back by the shoulders. “Hey, hey. You’ve got a concussion. You’re here overnight for observation.”
“What about you?”
“Some bruising, but they’re going to release me in a couple hours.” He looked down at his attire. “I’m having someone bring me some clean clothes. Mine have dirt and blood all over them. They’ll be entered into evidence.”
“What’s the status of the manhunt?” Cole thought about jumping out of bed and pulling on her clothes. She hated to think of missing the excitement, but even speaking hurt. She’d get up later.
“Damek didn’t return home or to his club. But he’s not exactly inconspicuous. It’s only a matter of time ‘til we find him.”
Cold rain pounded her head, soaking her hair instantly as they raced for the car. Water muffled shouts sounded behind them. She could hear the rhythmic splashing of men running over the sound of her own footfalls and heavy breathing.
Were they catching up? She didn’t dare