Page 25 of Dead Heat

“Yep.”

“That can’t be a coincidence. They were here for you. Do you think they want you dead?”

“They were aggressive, but one of them had the chance to scar me for life, and she didn’t take it. It’s possible their orders were only to track me. Once they identified me, they left.” But if that were true, then why did the middle one lunge at me? As usual, I had more questions than answers.

“Okay, then who sent them to find you? Hades?”

“No, definitely not. He isn’t available. Neither is Persephone.” My original father was … well, I had no clue where he was, only that The Corporation murdered his avatar, my human father. It was unclear whether Hades was obliterated then or currently existing in a void somewhere until he gained the strength to return. My inner goddess hoped for the latter, although a family reunion seemed too much to hope for given everything I’d learned the past couple months.

“Who’s in charge of the underworld if your parents aren’t there?” West asked.

“Good question. No clue.”

“There must be somebody, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t chaos have broken out? I’d expect us to have underworld escapees through the crossroads.”

My mind immediately conjured an image of Apep and his followers. It seemed there was more than one underworld under the threat of chaos right now, which only increased the likelihood that The Corporation was involved in the disappearance of Anubis.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I told West. “Just because I’m Melinoe doesn’t mean I’ve retained a connection to my birthplace. I’ve only had snippets of memories and emotions.” And those only began after my fleeting and unexpected visit to the throne room of Hades and Persephone via an abandoned church in New York City.

“Well, aren’t you a font of useful knowledge?” He sighed. “When do you want to do this?”

I couldn’t help but smile at the phone. I knew by ‘this,’ he meant the conversation with Chief Garcia. “Have we progressed this far in our relationship that we speak in shorthand now?”

“I appreciate your directness, Clay. If I’m being honest, it’s one of your best qualities.”

“Right back at you.” I contemplated our next move. If we were going to rip off the chief’s rose-colored glasses, it seemed best to do it before the creatures returned. “I think sooner rather than later.”

“Agreed. Should we start with the chief only and let her decide how to proceed?”

“I think we should include Leo. He’s more astute than helets on. He knows something strange is going on, even though he didn’t see anything.” If he had, they’d feature in his nightmares, that much was guaranteed.

“Yeah, I like Leo. He’s sharper than Lindley was. Might just save his life one day.”

His comment pushed me over the hump of reluctance. I’d been more worried about losing my credibility with the police than protecting their lives. If this knowledge helped empower Leo and the chief to protect themselves against future threats, then I was all in favor.

I felt relieved when West offered to take charge of the meeting. I didn’t look forward to shattering their world as they knew it, especially Leo’s. It would be like telling a Labrador that he was, in fact, a dog and not an extra hairy human.

“I’ll let you know when and where,” West said. “Anyone else we should invite?”

“Depends on how forthcoming we want to be. I don’t think we should tell them about the Assassins Guild.”

“What about Sullivan?”

I mulled it over. “Let’s stick to the immediate situation. I don’t think it’s our place to reveal more than ourselves and any immediate threats.”

“Good to be back on the same page, Clay.”

I didn’t think we were ever truly off the same page, but I saw no need to contradict him. “Talk soon.”

I slid the phone in my pocket and turned to see Ray and Nana Pratt hovering on the front porch.

“Was that your werewolf friend on the phone?” Nana Pratt asked.

“That was West, yes.”

“I’m pleased you two are getting along now. I like him.”

“Glad to hear it. Did either of you see the flying hounds?” I asked.

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