“Hey, asshole!”
It was a voice she recognized. The voice of an angel. Or in this case, a fallen acting as her guardian angel.
It was Kinzer.
A sound, like a punch, filled the air, and the pressure at her ass ceased.
She looked over her shoulder.
One Eye was gone, and upon closer inspection, he lay on the floor at Kinzer’s feet.
Kinzer and another man attacked her assailants. Kinzer stabbed one in the gut with a dagger while the other man slit the one she’d choked across the throat.
Her wrists shivered in the cuffs as Kinzer unfastened them.
Her other hero picked her clothes up off the floor and handed them to her.
***
Kinzer was relieved he and Hayde had reached Maggie before something terrible had happened. Luckily, retracing their path had taken them right to her.
“Now, who the fuck are you guys?” Hayde asked.
“Who the fuck are you?” Kinzer asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” Hayde said. “But I’m clearly not with these guys and neither are you, so what are you doing here?”
“I’m lookin’ for a guy named Marc. Marc Branson. He knows some immortals I’m trying to find.”
“Who?”
“Veylo.”
“Why?”
“What is this? An interrogation?”
As Maggie buttoned her blouse, she glanced between the two, looking as dumbfounded by their discussion as she had the first time Kinzer had spoken to her about all of this.
“Do you want my help or not?” Hayde asked.
“I’m not sure I can trust your help.”
“You can. I was sent here to spy on these guys’ operation. The Leader is auditing his various liaisons… checking for their loyalty. I’m here to see if this place has been compromised by the Almighty.”
“So you know where this Marc Branson is?”
“His name’s not really Marc Branson. That’s his cover. It’s Kryler. He’s a higherling.”
“Can you take me to him?”
Hayde nodded.
***
Kinzer and Maggie followed Hayde to a room on the fourth floor.
He stepped back and jumped at the door, breaking it open.
