Page 84 of The Aether

“I’m going to teach her to be a pickpocket and appreciate umbrella drinks. See if I don’t.”

Ignoring them, Damian lifted his hands and conjured hurricane-force winds to blow the door from its hinges. “Honey, I’m home!”

“Look at him, being all Jack Nicholson and shit.”

Alastair chuckled.

“He’s missing the axe.”He removed his suit jacket and hung it on the doorknob of the apartment opposite 1C.“I’m ready.”

“Is this how you three always conduct a mission?”Creed snapped through their link.

Mackenzie’s winsome laugh floated through the connection.“Always. Alastair doesn’t do stodgy or predictable.”

“Exactly right, child. Where’s the fun in that?”

CHAPTER29

Roach-like, the two henchmen scurried to hide from Damian, but he held up a hand and smiled. His jovial appearance confused them into freezing.

“I’m not here for you, fellas. You’re free to go.”

They shared a wary look.

“If you fear me, you feed Morcant, and we can’t have that, can we?” Damian said cheerfully. “I want that bastard to starve.”

Only the one with the angry yellow eyes looked like he’d object. The other darted for the exit as fast as his skinny legs could carry him.

“When he gets outside, kill him,”Damian ordered the others with no change of his expression.

“What’s your name?” he asked Yellow Eyes. Not that he cared, but he needed to get a feel for the man’s intentions. Keeping him talking would do that.

“Morgan Black,” came the surly reply.

“Seriously? Morcant borrowed your name when he went after the Stephens sisters?” With a harsh laugh, Damian shook his head. “You do realize, had all that gone sideways, you’d be a hunted man right now, yes?”

Black cast a frowning glance at the trapdoor ten feet away.

“Well, now I know where he’s holding my daughter. Open it, please.”

“Wait, what? No.” The man backed away, visibly worried.

Damian sighed. Fisting his hand, he broke the man’s neck.

“Hopefully, his unease didn’t reach Morcant,” he said aloud, not caring if anyone responded. Closing his eyes, Damian felt for booby traps.

“Don’t,”he warned Alex when he would’ve reached for the handle.“It’s spelled from the underside. Morcant put explosives in place after these two left the tunnel.”

“How do we get down there?”

“We mine our way down, Castor.”After Alastair delivered that juicy tidbit, he began to roll up his sleeves, much to their amusement. He paused on the second sleeve.“Why the stunned disbelief?”

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen your forearms before,”Damian replied with a shake of his head.“You’ve got muscles. Will wonders never cease?”

“Don’t flirt with me now, Aether. You’ve had your chance.”

If he’d taken his eyes out and threw them like dice, Damian couldn’t have rolled them any harder.

Grinning, Alastair said,“I’ve been known to get dirty.”

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