Page 74 of Bad Moon Rising
“No, I mean the last bit you did with the wind.” Flynn looked around as if expected another mysterious wind gust but remained in place.
“I punished the stupid witch who cast this to begin with.” She met Flynn’s double eyebrow raise. “What? I never said I was a nice magical person. If someone messes with the people I care about, I’ll mess right back.” She gasped and grabbed her left forearm. She rolled up her sleeve and a triangular raised tattoo now marked it. The sigil of powerful magic.
As if exhausted she lolled her head back to support it against the wall with eyes shut.
“You revenge casting must be why the Council forbids lycans from practicing hard-core magic. Guaranteed, if I had the kind of power you do, there’s a 100 percent chance I’d abuse it.” Flynn’s mouth split into a small smile, but then he sobered. “How are you, Roman?”
She caressed Roman’s cheek, leaned in, and kissed him gently on the lips. “You’re welcome. I hope your regenerative ability kicks in soon so you can fly us out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Nova tugged her car seat belt into a more comfortable position over her shoulder as Roman drove through the flurrying snow to the east side of Brussels. No stars in the darkening sky at dusk, which came early in December here.
He said, “You should’ve stayed at the plane, Nova.”
Maybe she should’ve. Vertigo hit her at random since she her big spell cast. When standing, the ground constantly shifted as if on a stopping elevator car. Sitting was good. But she refused to miss this. “We’re not going to argue about it again. I want to see if anything here triggers a memory. Also, I make good backup. You’re weak and Flynn…well, he’s Flynn.” She watched Roman’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. His rugged face remained stoic, his gaze concentrated, and his body on full alert.
“I’m right here,” Flynn said from the back seat. “Iam his back up. You here means we have to look after you.”
She rotated to give him a squinty glare.
Flynn threw up his hands. “All right. You can probably handle yourself.”
They’d flown into a private airstrip miles outside of Belgium. The flight had been quiet despite Nova’s desire to quiz Roman on his status every few minutes. She hadn’t asked. Because he was alive and no longer leaked blood from his nose. Upon landing, Flynn announced there were no rental cars possible. Then he disappeared for a half hour and returned with this sedan that smelled of cigarettes and cinnamon air freshener. No one asked questions, but they’d driven with the windows cracked for miles. Until her nose and toes turned into Popsicles. She hadn’t complained but did roll up her window. The car still reeked of stale smoke.
Flynn said, “Brussels is an interesting city.” Was he trying to lighten the mood? “Did you know many famous comics were drawn by artists who’re from here, like Smurfs?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Roman said. “Smurfs?Not exactly a page turner.”
“They made just as much as the Watchmenstuff you read.”
“That’s bullcrap.”
“The Smurf movie alone grossed…537 million dollars.” Flynn clicked through a few screens on his laptop while Roman drove. “Watchmenonly made 185 on its movie.”
“You’re going to side with blue elf-like creatures that live in a village with one girl over history-altering superheroes?” Roman elicited a quick, disgusted snort. “Why don’t you do something useful like look up architectural plans for this address we’re about to visit?”
“Already did that. Come on, give me a little credit. The place is a shoe factory renovated into an office building. Based on the website, there are at least fifteen companies with offices there. Looks good on paper. But I watched midday surveillance camera footage, and there’s not enough movement into or out of the building for it to be a real place with that many businesses.”
“It’s a front.” Roman sucked air through his teeth.
“Left at this light, and it’s on the right.” Flynn leaned between the seats as if desperate for a first look. “God, I hope Ky is here. I don’t understand why he’d be out in the middle of nowhere in an abandoned building.”
Roman parked outside the brick building. “Before we go inside…” He removed a pistol from the inside pocket of his heavy coat and handed it to her. Next, he gave her a burner phone. “We have no idea what we’ll find in there.”
“Thanks.” She chambered a round and stored the weapon inside her coat. The home screen on the phone opened without a password. Basic, with only a few apps.
“Let’s go see why Ky led us here.” He moved around the car to open her door before Flynn even had his computer in his backpack. Roman held out his hand for her. She took it without hesitation. On her feet, the ground shifted as her brain wobbled. She stumbled into him.
His brow furrowed. “Is this from you putting a stay on the curse?”
“I’m fine.”
Inside, the building was stone cold, which confirmed it as unoccupied. The walls were brick and recently painted white, as were the hallways that led to various office spaces. What could be seen through the glass of each door was modern office furniture and a distinct lack of clutter. There weren’t even pens or sticky notes at the reception desks.
“What does your gut say?” Flynn asked Roman.
“Down. We go downstairs.”
