It would be worse than a nightmare. The subway system transported over a million riders every single day. If the wards broke down and what monsters lived in the fringe of the veil found their way through, every single subway rider would be at risk, not to mention everyone else who called the five boroughs home.
All told, the dead would be sacrificed to Santa Muerte by Tezcatlipoca, and Patrick would prefer that never came to pass.
Casale’s gaze dropped down to the box and his expression hardened. “It’ll mean overtime, but I’ll make it happen. After June, I haven’t gotten as much pushback from the commissioner as I used to.”
“Nothing like a terrorist organization and human sacrifice to get you what you need.” Patrick nudged the containment box over to Casale with his foot. “I’m leaving this with you. It should be added to the rest of the evidence back at the PCB.”
Casale scowled down at it, as if the idol within was the last thing he wanted to deal with. That was a mood Patrick could get behind; he just didn’t have the luxury of succumbing to it.
Since he wasn’t overseeing the crime scene and his statement had been taken, Patrick left without saying goodbye. Digging out his phone on the walk to the adjacent parking garage, Patrick scrolled through his contacts—a list that had grown over the past couple of months—and highlighted Nadine Mulroney’s name for a call. He wasn’t sure if she was in the field or not, but it never hurt to try. She’d answer if she could.
One ring in and she answered.
“Special Agent Mulroney, line and location are not secure,” his best friend said in a crisp voice.
“Makes two of us. Can you talk?” Patrick said.
“Give me a minute.” Patrick waited two before she came back on the line. By that time, he was unlocking his car and getting behind the steering wheel. “Okay, I’m warded. What do you need?”
Patrick slapped his hand against the roof of the Mustang and set a silence ward around the vehicle. It wouldn’t interfere with the phone call, but he was taking no chances with anything else. “I’m chasing after some gods I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting before now.”
“No one finds pleasure in gods, least of all you.”
“They’re Aztec, and another is a folk deity and goddess of death. Hermes showed up as well. I think he missed me.”
“Did you shoot him?”
“Thought about it.”
Nadine hummed, the sound coming through the line like static. “My agency will want a formal request from yours if you need me this time.”
“I can handle it. Half the problem is Lucien’s anyways, and I’m just helping him out. But the gods fucked with the wards in the subway system. I need to patch them or at least contain them before I can bring anyone else down there.”
“You can’t shield something like that. You’ve never had that affinity.”
“I know, which is why I requested an artifact with a barrier ward from the SOA. When shit goes FUBAR, think it’ll work?”
“I can’t make that call, Collins.”
“Ballpark it for me, Mulroney.”
“Subway wards areold. They always are. If the gods have already broken some of them, you have a bigger problem because that’s damage which has already weakened the whole spellcasting.”
“I know that. But I can’t fix it until the gods are taken care of and Lucien kills his rat problem.”
“It’ll be a stopgap if you’re planning on using it how I think you are. It won’t last long,” she warned.
“I’ll have SOA agents standing by to access the area once it’s safe.”
“Then tie it to the broken edges of the spellcasting. I’ll email you sigils I would use. It should buy you some time, I just can’t tell you how much.”
Patrick let out a breath and shoved the key into the ignition. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
“Probably badly, knowing my luck.”
Nadine snorted. “Murphy’s Law has a hard-on for you.”
