“What do you want?” I demanded.
His grin grew. “I want free rein here for a week of my choosing. I get to collect more souls. None that you’re interested in,” he added quickly. “Just a few who have done me wrong or my associates wrong. In exchange, I will let you have Sylar.”
I stared him down. Sylar would be helpful. He knew plenty of things no one else knew. The guy was a special case of nuts and fucked up. I figured he was psychic. Or psycho. It depended on how one viewed a man who could hear voices, see the future, get into people’s heads, and murder people without batting an eyelash.
While I hated giving Everett free rein for a week, I wanted Rosalie.
Sylar would be a good start.
“Fine,” I agreed softly.
Everett went to his phone and made a brief call.
“My office. Now.”
He hung up and smiled at me. “How have you been, Archangel? I’ve heard you’re close with the horsemen. Do they invite you into their bed to fuck their whore?”
I lunged at him without a second thought, my fist cracking him hard across his face. He stumbled back against the wall, and I pressed my forearm against his throat.
“I could kill you with a twist of my arm. Dead. Fucking gone,” I snarled at him. “Is that what you want? Huh? Is that how you want to die? Never fucking talk about her or the horsemen like that again. Understand?”
He choked out a garbled answer as I continued to glare at him. Why I didn’t just end him was beyond me. I was sure it had something to do with his son. Dante Church would be a fucking force to be reckoned with if he took over the Underground. There would be no negotiating with him. I was positive Dante only ran on hatred and violence. Everyone in the Underground feared Dante Church. He’d most likely want to avenge his father. Then again, I didn’t know shit about their relationship except they were related, and Dante was more fucked up than Everett was.
It wasn’t a can of worms I wanted to open. At least, not yet.
“Archangel. We thought we saw you,” Sylar’s deep voice boomed out as he entered the room.
I released Everett and stepped back, knowing Sylar was also a force to be reckoned with. He, however, was more on my side than Everett’s; at least, he was the last time we’d seen one another.
We’d murdered Alice together, after all. If that didn’t say best fucking friends, I didn’t know what did.
Bonded in blood in the underground and all that.
“I need your help,” I said, turning to him.
“I know,” he answered. “I’m at your service.”
I nodded and stepped past him. I stopped at the door before looking over my shoulder at Everett.
“If you fuck anything up even close to my life, I’ll come for you and tear your guts through your dick hole. Understand?”
“Perfectly.” Everett gave me a tight smile.
Satisfied with that answer, I pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. Sylar walked with me, and neither spoke until we were in my car.
“Get in,” I said, opening my door.
Wordlessly, he followed my orders and slid onto the leather passenger seat. I started the car, left the Underground, and didn’t speak until we were far enough away that I felt relief.
“What have you seen?” I asked.
“Mm, I saw a skunk on my way in today. Nasty little stinker. Had me afraid I’d end up smelling like its ass?—”
“Sylar,” I snapped, glaring at him. “I’m in a bit of a situation here. My girl is missing.”
“Not your girl,” he murmured. “We killed your girl. I distinctly remember the way her blood smelled on my hands.”
“Alice was never my girl.”
