Part 5 (1/2)
”I wouldn't have either,” Ritter said. ”You've only been able to s.h.i.+ft a few yards with another person and that situation would be far too dangerous. We can't risk you that way.”
The Emporium had one aged male s.h.i.+fter, and we all knew they were anxious to breed the ability back into their family lines. Worse, if Delia could use others' abilities the way I could, Mari would be the Emporium's ticket to all kinds of mischief. Few doc.u.ments or computer files would be safe, no lineage records secure. a.s.sa.s.sinations that much easier. Normally s.h.i.+fters could only s.h.i.+ft to places they knew, but sometimes they could also s.h.i.+ft to people they were close to or had a mental connection with. Mari had so far been able to s.h.i.+ft to places unknown only if Dimitri or I was there. Or if I showed her the place in her mind. But I believed it was only a matter of time before she was able to ”find” the rest of our group.
Mari blew out a sigh. ”I know. I know.”
Ava resettled in her chair. ”This brings up another issue we need to address. We're all aware of how the Hunters kept genealogical records since before their abandonment by the Emporium. These include connections with Renegade descendants. Lately, they've been researching and finding these extended connections and are watching them to see if they Change. Then they attack to kill. So far we've been lucky to have no casualties, though Keene reported that the Emporium hasn't been so fortunate. While that might be good news for us, we can't allow this to continue, especially as we have several more descendants approaching the age of Change.”
As Ava spoke, I was watching Mari, who stood behind Jace, her fists now clenched. Her husband had been a Hunter, sent to watch her for the Change, and he'd betrayed her before being brutally murdered by the Emporium. While she'd rebounded more quickly than anyone imagined possible, there were still nights when she came into my room tortured by nightmares.
I reached out to her mentally, pus.h.i.+ng soothing emotions her way without delving into her thoughts. It's okay. You made it.
Her eyes flew to mine and her hands relaxed. I refocused on Ava's words.
”That a prominent Hunter,” she was saying, ”showed up tonight at the fundraiser with an Unbounded is something we can't overlook. If the Emporium has managed to get a plant in that deeply, they may be close to obtaining the Hunter records, which we know they want every bit as much as we do.”
”There is another possibility,” I said. ”I mean, the man had no s.h.i.+eld to speak of. He didn't seem Emporium trained.”
”He could be new.” This from Jace, who could create a tight s.h.i.+eld-but couldn't maintain it without repeated effort.
”That could be, but”-I shook my head-”it seemed different somehow. What if this cowboy Hunter is recruiting Unbounded now instead of killing them? He has money and position-that alone is different than most Hunters we deal with. Maybe he's also learned to work differently.”
”I can't imagine Hunters overcoming that kind of hatred,” Ritter said. ”They don't even differentiate between us and the Emporium.”
Jace perked up. ”Yeah, but if they have their own Unbounded, they could get more of us, right? It's the smart thing to do.”
”That's just it. Hunters aren't smart.” Ritter paced a few steps. ”They're racists, which generally means poor and uneducated. Most of them barely graduate from high school. And those who have gone to college are steeped in so much prejudice that they never see past it.”
I leaned back and put my foot on the table, adjusting the left side of my coat so the sai inside lay lengthwise down my upper thigh. ”Well, some would call Unbounded racists against mortals, especially Emporium Unbounded.” Was I speaking for myself or saying something I knew Keene would say?
Ritter's eyes narrowed. ”You know what I mean.” His eyes dropped to where I was stroking the leather-wrapped handle of the sai. Satisfaction rushed from him. What did that mean? I pulled my hand away.
”The Hunter's name is Davis Emerson,” Stella said, looking up from her laptop. ”He was pictured on one of the news blogs. No mistaking that hat or his wife's dress. Not poor by any means, though he was once. He's a self-made man from right here in New York. Born on a small cattle ranch in St. Johnsville about two hundred miles north of here. Married his high school sweetheart after graduation. Only took a few cla.s.ses at a community college and then worked his way up in the business world creating marketing videos. Barely saved his parents' ranch from repossession. Eventually he hit a couple of lucrative contracts that made him a quick two million. He kept working, got into several fast food franchises, and invested in the stock market the day before it took a huge dive, but the check didn't arrive at the broker's until after the plunge, so he made a lot of money when the market revived. He bought his parents' ranch and four other properties surrounding it.”
”Living the American dream,” I mused. That explained at least why Mrs. Emerson looked so awkward in her designer dress. ”Any children?”
Stella nodded. ”Two. Boy and a girl. Thirty and twenty-five respectively.”
”I think the girl was there last night,” I said. ”She had red hair like her dad.”
”More Hunters in training.” Ava sighed, shaking her head. ”That brings me to the next a.s.signment. Erin, I want you to take the night off. Get some rest.” She meant no going to the rooftop, as was my nightly custom, to see how much further I could push my thoughts, all the while beating back my acrophobia. ”Tomorrow morning,” she continued, ”I want you and Mari to find the Emersons and feel them out. Even if the Unbounded bodyguard is with the Emporium, he didn't seem to recognize you as a Renegade, so there's no reason for you not to go. In fact, it might become an opportunity to set you up with a cover inside the Hunter organization that we can use later.”
”But Mari's in their records.”
”Only as a descendent. Not the fact that she Changed.” Ava rubbed her chin in thought. ”But it might be good for her to go in disguise anyway.”
”I always wanted to try being a blonde,” Mari said, ”and there are some really cool gla.s.ses in our costume boxes.”
”Maybe Keene can set up a meeting with Emerson using some of his Hunter contacts, a.s.suming his cover is still intact and that he's well enough.” Ava glanced at Dimitri as she spoke.
He shrugged. ”The poison is out and the bleeding stopped. I st.i.tched the slashed artery and healed it as much as I could. He should be able to do some calling at least.”
”Good.” Ava's gaze now swung toward Ritter. ”As I was saying earlier, you will have everyone else, including Tenika and her people. Freeing our Renegades remains the priority. If you need any more help, just ask and we'll juggle the other a.s.signments.”
”But shouldn't I go with Erin and Mari tomorrow?” Jace asked. ”What if there's fighting? Erin and I together are unbeatable.”
Ritter arched a brow, but he didn't challenge Jace's a.s.sertion. ”A fight is exactly why she's sending Mari. If they run into anything Erin can't handle, Erin can channel Mari's ability and the two of them can s.h.i.+ft out.” Funny how he said the words and I could tell he wanted to believe them, but his vivid surface emotions told me he was more worried than he let on about what happened tonight. Whatever his feelings, he'd better not go all macho on me, and insist on coming with me himself.
”We won't need to s.h.i.+ft.” For the moment at least, I felt perfectly confident of my own ability against so few Hunters and only one Unbounded. And as Ritter had said, Mari and I could always s.h.i.+ft out.
”So do we all know what we're going to do?” Ava asked. ”Questions?” Heads shook as we all arose. Everyone but Stella, who was busy with her computers once again.
”I'm heading back to the compound now,” Ritter said. ”You up to it, Jace?” It wasn't really a question. Even after going through his forms, Jace was so tense that everyone could see it.
My brother nodded. ”Oh, yeah. I can't wait to hear about this idea of yours. But do me a favor, huh? Send Oliver home. Another night of listening to his whining might be more excitement than I can take.”
Ava stifled a sigh, but I could see it on her face. ”Don't worry,” Dimitri said, a hand on her shoulder. ”It's nothing that won't resolve itself in a hundred years.”
”Yeah,” she replied, ”we just have to make sure we all stay alive that long.”
”THE BEST THING ABOUT TODAY,” Mari said as she and I rode the elevator down to breakfast the next morning, ”is that Oliver isn't going with us. Growing up I longed for cousins, but since meeting him, I take it all back.”
”Well, you've got all of us now, especially Stella.”
The elevator opened, and the delicious smell of bacon pulled us along to the dining room. Our cook, Janice, provided a nice buffet breakfast every morning at six, right after our morning workout. Technically no Unbounded needed food because absorbing gave us all the nutrients and calories we required, but sitting down to eat with the mortals in our group had become a ritual, one that bound us together more tightly and created a sense of normalcy that was missing from our lives.
Besides, I loved the taste of waffles with syrup.
Today, with three of our mortal employees in California and Marco still watching the Emporium compound with Ritter and Jace, only a few of us-all Unbounded-were present. I'd taken longer than expected in the shower, and Ava, Dimitri, and Stella were already finis.h.i.+ng their meal when Mari and I entered.
Stella came to stand with me by the buffet as I picked up a plate. She looked the perfect business woman in her crisp, black pin-striped suit that couldn't hide her slender curves.
”Dimitri told me you did well with the sai this morning. Well enough that you should keep them on you.”
”I have them.” I opened my long coat and showed them to her. Today I wore black skinny jeans that I'd dressed up with a silky blue top and high heeled boots in deference to a possible meeting with the Emersons. The outfit wasn't as conducive to battle as my catwoman suit, but any weapons I couldn't hide in the boots, my pockets, or under my blouse, were stuffed into inner pouches of my leather coat. That included the sai in their special pockets.
”They're fun,” I told Stella. ”I thought the dull tips would make them useless, but I took away Dimitri's staff every time.”
”Too bad I missed it, but I was doing more research on the Emersons for you. I've forwarded everything you need to know about them to your phone.”
”Thanks.” I started to close my coat when Stella reached out to touch one of the sai.
”These remind me of the sai Ritter has. We haven't trained with them lately, but that leather wrapping is similar.”
”He gave these to me, so maybe that's why they look familiar.”
Stella blinked and glanced over her shoulder at the others who were chatting near the dining table. ”He gave them to you? When?”
”Last night. They're Chinese. Said I needed to train on something new. I think he's tired of my machete.” I grinned but Stella didn't return the smile.
”I see.”