Erik fervently agreed. He had never been very religious, but he sent up any prayers he remembered to whoever might be listening to protect them and help them get Ben home safely.
“I also brought deflection amulets for us.” Alessia handed out chains with charms to Erik and Haley, who slipped them on. “Works the same way as the car spell. We won’t be invisible, but we’ll be easy to ignore.”
He hoped the heavy rain would keep spotters to a minimum. Erik turned off the headlights two blocks from the warehouse and found a curbside spot to park.
“Ready? Still time to change your mind,” he told Alessia and Haley.
“Born ready. Let’s go get Ben,” Alessia said.
They were soaked minutes after they left the car, but they had feared the crinkle and shuffle of raincoats more than the chill of the rain. Erik had night-vision goggles from his work with Interpol, and Alessia had a spell that sharpened her vision. Erik sensed that ghosts were nearby and wondered if they helped guide Haley through the gloom.
Just behind the warehouse, they stepped into an alley, and Haley concentrated on the ghosts.
“We’d sure appreciate any help from the ghosts in the warehouse,” she whispered. “If you’ve wanted to kick ass, now’s the time.” She paused a moment. “The ghost Ben sent is here. He says the back door is unlocked and the other spirits are ready to rumble.”
“Will the ‘shit spell’ that’s on the store’s front door work?” Erik asked, looking for a potent distraction and a way to disable the goons while minimizing gunfire.
Alessia concentrated for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I’m picking up flickers of magic. I think they’re wearing protections against that sort of small-scale curse. But what they have won’t be enough to stop what I’ve got in mind.”
“Wait for us to get inside, and then give ’em hell,” Erik murmured.
“There’s no warding on the building, and I’m not picking up on anyone with magic inside,” Alessia reported.
“But there are dozens of ghosts,” Haley added.
Erik wondered whether the spirits were all from people who died in the warehouse or if their ghostly guide had recruited from the whole port area. He suspected a long history of dangerous conditions, injuries, and deaths led to the haunting and gave the ghosts good reason to be angry. Now they had a target and a mission and the power to make someone pay.
No matter where the ghosts came from, he was grateful for their help.
“Let’s go.” Erik gestured and together they headed inside. To his relief, the warehouse wasn’t completely dark. A few portable lights illuminated a circle in the main area with the mobsters and their prisoner, leaving the sides of the massive, barn-like building in shadow.
Six men dressed like Bratva operatives sat around a small table. Nearby, Ben sat tied securely to a metal chair.
Alessia looked at Erik and nodded, confirming that she saw Ben.
Haley closed her eyes. “Go get ’em,” she mouthed silently to the ghosts as Alessia began to work her magic to strengthen the spirits and weaken the mobsters’ protections.
Erik, Haley, and Alessia positioned themselves out of sight behind pallets of boxes. They could still see between the pallets, and Erik hoped it would be sufficient protection from bullets and any retaliatory magic the thugs might muster.
A freezing cold wind rose out of nowhere and swept toward where the mobsters were playing cards, howling like the hounds of hell. The gusts came from all corners, echoing from steel and concrete.
“Jesus, what the fuck is going on?” The mobsters jumped to their feet, weapons drawn, looking around in a panic.
Haley chanted in a whisper, and the ghosts grew stronger. Alessia spoke words of power causing the shipping containers to tremble and make a terrible racket. Erik clenched his fists, ready to move. The spirits swept toward the Mob goons, gaping maws and grasping hands, screaming and screeching like the damned.
The Bratva boys raised their guns to shoot at the apparitions, but Alessia’s magic jammed the weapons, making them useless.
Praying and swearing, the mobsters held up their protective amulets like shields against the ghosts, to no avail. Erik didn’t understand all the Russian words the men yelled at the attackers, but he got enough to know they were alternately trying to banish the spirits and beg for their lives.
Meanwhile, Erik saw Ben hitching his chair away from the mobsters, putting distance between himself and them.
Summoned by Haley and empowered by Alessia’s magic, the ghosts channeled their fury like a whirlwind. They buffeted the enforcers, shoving them so hard they stumbled, and upended their table, sending cards and dice flying.
Gray shapes with hollow-eyed faces stalked the mobsters. Bony hands grabbed and held those who tried to run.
Creaks, groans, and rattles sounded from the shadows as more ghosts gathered. Erik kept his eyes on Ben as he willed him to be okay.
Ben’s chair tipped over, and he fell onto his side. Erik held his breath as he watched Ben push himself along, heading into the shadows. His captors were too overwhelmed by their ghostly tormentors to notice.
