Who took that moment to step out from behind Marge and Homer.
25
“Okay, here’s the deal.” I still had Louis in my grip as I stared down the necromancer who’d caused this hot mess. I noticed he’d pulled my knife out of his face, because nothing was jutting out of the dark hood, but it obviously hadn’t done any lasting harm. “First, Jacob, I saved your bacon, right?”
Jacob startled. “Not yet—”
I waved a hand at him. “I’m about to. You clear my name back in Savannah. Make sure it’s safe for me to go home after this—I mean, assuming I make it out alive.” Yeah, that little caveat was sitting on my shoulders. I went on. “Officer Burke will help if you need a human on the inside.” Guessing, I was guessing, but I suspected her suspension had been lifted as soon as I left town. “But I’d think the council has enough firepower to take care of it, right? Seeing as they were behind my death sentence?” Another guess.
He locked eyes with me and then slowly nodded. “You have my word, Sentinel, that I will do all I can. I . . .was one of those who was on the fence. I believe the numbers will be in your favor now.”
Sentinel, there was that word again. I would circle back to it, see if I could find it in Gran’s spell book after this was all over, assuming again that it ended in our favor. And yeah, I wanted to think it would. I had to. Still, I was grateful that Charlotte was out of this mess.
I could almost feel Suzy itching to fight, and I found myself laying a hand on her shoulder. What if the orgy she unleashed on them involved us too? I didn’t want to tell her I didn’t trust her abilities yet. Look at what Corb had done, or almost done, and he was way more experienced than her.
“Easy, Suze, easy.”
She gave a tight nod, which bobbed her high ponytail.
“Okay, so Jacob, you have your marching orders.” I said and faced the black-robed necro. “The rest of my friends will go free, and you won’t follow them.” I paused and let the rest of my words rush out of my mouth. “I will take you to my gran. Seeing as you can’t do it on your own.” No doubt this was why Marge and Homer had been hired. Extra muscle to force me to do what the necro wanted.
The tonton macoutes to set the fear of God into us.
The necromancer nodded, and his voice growled, “Let it be done. They may go.”
“What?” Beth’s voice cut through the air as she strode up to grab Penny by the arm. “That wasn’t the deal. We get my great-aunt.”
Penny spun around and whacked her niece on top of the head with her cane, dropping her to the ground in a crumpled pile of limbs. “Child, you do not know who you are messing with. Shut your fool mouth!”
Missy laughed, her glee a little inappropriate for the moment in my opinion. “Oh, I would watch that over and over again if I could.”
Of course, she would. She was just that sadistic.
My brows shot up, but I didn’t move because I sensed the wrong move would set everyone scrambling for weapons and magic, and with this much firepower around me, I knew we were outmatched and outgunned.
Marge and Homer watched me closely. I locked eyes with the big woman, and she smiled, not unkindly, and gave a shrug as if to say this was just life. It truly wasn’t personal.
“We still get paid,” Homer whined. “Right? Same as last time?” Marge grabbed his shoulder, almost pushing him into the ground.
So this wasn’t the first time he’d borrowed the tonton macoutes. Motherducker.
“Of course, take your final payment and begone,” the necromancer growled. He flicked his hands, and the tonton macoutes turned away from us and advanced on Marge and Homer.
Apparently they weren’t getting the payment they thought.
“Don’t you cross me! This was a deal!” Marge yelled and the necro just laughed.
“I will do as I wish,” He growled and the tonton macoutes moved faster toward their maker.
Marge shouted a few words that felt like they held power, but it wasn’t enough to stop the sudden horde being pushed by the necro. She and Homer spun and ran as the voodoo dead followed, picking up speed.
The necromancer was strong enough to turn a voodoo witch’s creations