There is only one of us who can really help out with this, and Sysco and I both look at Harry at the same time.
Harry is quiet, evaluating Roman and Juliet. He isn’t one to show his cards too quickly. He’s cautious. Measured.
“What will this necromancer’s consequences be once you’ve got hands on him?” Harry asks.
Not what I was expecting.
“That’s for us to worry about,” Roman answers cryptically.
“Who in this city do we have to worry about being brought back from the dead?” I ask, turning my brain back through the possibilities.
“Only about a thousand mobsters, crime bosses, and assholes like Augustus,” Sysco says in a deadpan tone. “And who knows who else we don’t know about. It’s New York City. There’re eight million people who live here right now. And who knows how many bodies are hidden on this island.”
I don’t much like those possibilities. “What if it isn’t nefarious? I mean, I can think of some people I would want brought back, and they’re good people.” My entire family is dead—Mom, Dad, my baby sister. I’d do just about anything to bring them back.
“Don’t go down that rabbit hole,” Juliet warns. Her eyes flick over to me, and I see something chilled in her eyes. “It will drive you crazy, and only break your heart.”
Clearly, Juliet had the same thought at one point, and was let down. Who did she lose?
“Markus needs to be dealt with,” Roman warns. “I don’t expect you to reveal all of New York’s shit to us. Chicago can’t explain all of ours. But I hope you can trust us when we say it’s not good that he’s in your city, snooping around.”
The three of us are quiet for several beats.
It’s a lot to process.
By the day, we’re getting confirmation that there are other beings out there who have supernatural gifts. They’re good at hiding. While vampires are pretty easy to classify, you’re either Born or Bitten, with the oddball exception of me, a Made; these others can be, well, just about anything, apparently.
So far, I’ve heard of a lightning wielder. Now Ophelia, with her influence. And a necromancer.
Holy shit.
The world is so much bigger than I ever thought.
“We can go to my main office,” Harry says. “I have access to cameras. It’s up to the others if they want to do the same, but I’ll give you access to all the cameras at my properties. Plus, I have access to some other networks. We’ll do what we can to catch this necromancer.”
“Thank you,” Roman answers, and he sounds sincere.
“I’ll get you access to mine as well,” Sysco takes Harry’s lead. “Though I’m not as techy as Harry is, so you won’t get as much coverage.”
“We appreciate anything you can give us,” Roman says with a nod.
“I’d give you access to the Hunt and Lonan properties, but my fiancé, the one who owns it all, is a little indisposed at the moment,” I say, trying to keep my cards close to my chest. When it comes to protecting Ares, I will always exercise caution.
That gets me an evaluative look from our white-haired newcomers. But neither says anything to that.
“We thank you for the cooperation,” Roman says. “If you don’t mind, could we handle this as soon as possible?”
Harry and Sysco exchange a look. This is all really up to them. I can’t help them out in this situation. But we were literally in the middle of something. And who knows how long we have until Ares wakes again. I want to be there when he wakes up. That doesn’t mean Harry or Sysco have to be, though.
“I can give you an hour,” Harry says. “No more than that, though. Not right now. As we said, we’ve got some things going on.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Roman says with a nod.
“Let’s go,” Sysco says, apparently willing to operate in the same timeframe. “Lana, we’ll meet you back at the vault.”
“All right,” I say, standing with the others.
“Mind if I hang out with you?” Juliet asks, to my surprise, as we all head toward the elevator. “I’m not a whole lot of help to Roman when it comes to this stuff.”
