“Lizzie’s.”
That one word called up so many bad memories, my stomach cramped up.
“We keep the Diabolical Market as a pressure zone,” Josef went on, “and that irks him bad enough, but to find out Lizzie’s had been running right under his nose all those years? He can’t forgive himself for that. And he thinks you should have found a way to let us know about it.”
“I wasn’t making too many decisions on my own at that time,” I told him.
“I know that. He does, too, but still…”
“Yeah.”
We stopped talking and watched the healers finish prepping the wounded for transport. They’d already determined ’porting would have been too hard on bodies in such poor shape, so they loaded the nephs onto stretchers and carried them up the stairs. We followed the last one up, and I broke the silence between us.
“You should check with the other outposts,” I told him. “Is the Dark World stirring only here or everywhere? If it’s only here, it’d be good to know that Hell’s planning to bust open under your feet before it does this time.”
“I am not in a hurry to repeat that.”
“What are you whining about? You were unconscious for most of it.” I cut my eyes down at him.
“Lucky me. I was still sick for three days afterward. On that note, did you call Chessie?”
“I did. She said she’ll do it, but you’ll have to owe her because she doesn’t need anything right now.”
Josef surprised me with a laugh.
“You told her who I was, right? I’m the richest, most influential neph in the city. I could give her anything she wanted.Needhas nothing to do with it.”
“I told her a muse needed a ward to protect himself and that she could name her price. And she ain’t the kinda girl who’d appreciate being showered in designer clothes and shoes or luxury cars or jewels.”
“In other words, a saint,” he sneered.
“Avictim,” I corrected, “who knows what it’s like to be helpless and held hostage to something you can’t control.”
For the second time, Josef pushed his hat back to stare at me.
“What?” I grumbled. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“Just making sure it’s still Kerry Harker I’m talking to.”
“That guy you knew is dead. And I’m still learning who this new guy is, but I already know one thing Idon’twant him to be.”
“And what’s that?”
“Anything like the old guy.”
30. Working on Killing That Guy
Mira
I found my potential accomplice staring into the refrigerator.
“Hey, Jax, do you feel up to an adventure?”
“Depends.” He closed the fridge door and cocked his head as he looked up at me. “From the look in your eyes, I’m either going to love it or hate it, aren’t I?”
“Yup.”
“And we’re doing it right now because Rome’s in bed with a migraine and Gigi’s off with Kerry on his mystery errand?” he sneered.
