It was better than nothing, and they didn’t have time to argue. “All right, fine.”
“Hang on.” Nick opened the Charger’s door and pulled the pistol out of the glove box. He checked it, then held it out to Sam, who held up his hands and backed away. There was no way he was steady enough to carry that safely.
Nick swiveled to offer it to Marley. She hesitated, then shook her head. “Where am I going to hide that?”
Nick swore and went around to the trunk. He rummaged in it a minute, then came back and gave Marley a switchblade that she slid into her front jeans pocket. He tried to hand Sam a combat knife that would probably be more dangerous to himself than anyone he came up against.
“They haven’t used weapons yet,” Sam told him. “We’re just scoping out an apartment building right now. I’ll be fine.”
He and Marley left a very disgruntled Nick and walked together toward the stairwell.
“Keep us posted,” Nick called. Sam waved acknowledgment and pushed through the fire door. They went down one flight and into a long, narrow extension of the lobby that ran along the side of the building, an access hall connecting the garage and main entrance. It was very white, freshly painted with a gleaming floor.
Sam cleared his throat as they walked toward the front of the building. So much had happened, the few days since he last talked to Marley felt like a lot longer than the year before it. What he wanted to ask her was full of awkward references and emotional minefields.
“Did you, um, back when you still…you know…could you tell the difference between regular people and goddesses?” He braced himself, but Marley only nodded, watching her feet as she walked.
Maybe he could actually do this. “What’s it like? To sense someone? I thought I could feel the life in the ocean, but it was like pulses. I had no idea what each pulse was.”
“That part is different for everyone. It was almost like lights for me. Glittery, like the crystals.”
Crystals had been her power source. Since the ocean was the dominant source for the power in Sam right now, and the other part—if there was any left—was the river, he’d guess there was something watery about identifying goddesses. But without having one nearby, he had no guide. And he was no longer close to the power source, so whatever he’d seen in Riley before, he wasn’t sure it would be there now.
He blew out a breath as they neared the end of the hall. “I have no idea how to do this.”
“Try it on me.”
Sam frowned at her and held up a hand as they reached the corner. He listened and heard nothing, so he leaned to check the lobby. Empty. Not even a security desk. The front door had a keycard slide to unlock it, but they hadn’t needed one from the garage.
“Something’s off here,” he murmured.
“What?” Marley stepped up next to him and looked around at the nondescript lobby and glass front door. “Looks normal to me.”
Sam huffed a laugh. “Of course it does. But these guys have money. I knew the building didn’t have much security, but…”
“How do you know they have money?”
He looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“John told me about Numina, and your theory that this is a splinter group. He and Jeannine have been meeting with a few members of the leadership. It’s been slow going, since Numina haven’t revealed themselves to us in centuries, but he thinks they reached out now because of that splintering. So maybe these are the kids of those disgraced men, and they don’t have money.”
“Maybe. Puts a new spin on the ‘luxury’ of those top-floor apartments, too.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Marley didn’t have the abilities of a goddess anymore, but maybe she still had a signature. It was worth trying.
He focused on each of his senses in turn. He smelled floor wax, a hint of car exhaust, and something sweet that was probably Marley’s perfume or lotion or something. He heard traffic outside, a distant horn, and in here…humming in the walls. Wiring, AC and heating equipment maybe. Metallic clanking in the nearby elevator shaft. He stretched his arm out to press a hand to the wall, and the hum vibrated into his fingers. The wall itself was smooth, glossy enough for his fingers to stick when he tried to slide them along the surface.
Normal senses catalogued, he tried to expand his mind, to “see” something extra. The power in his body surged. He mentally caught on to it, as if grabbing a tendril of smoke, and everything suddenly heightened. He focused outward, and there she was.
But instead of a buzz or golden light like Riley described, or even the shimmery, illusion-type thing he’d imagined, Marley was more of a smudge on his subconscious. Something dark and heavy. Not malevolent, but absent of life or purpose. Null.
He blinked and found Marley smiling sadly at him. “Don’t tell me what you saw.”
He nodded and turned away to hide the expression he knew would only show sadness and pity. He took a deep breath and as they entered the first-floor hallway lined with apartment doors, tried not to think of all the ways this could fail.
Chapter Eighteen
Uncle Martin came for a visit yesterday. He brought friends, which always upsets Mama. She made them sleep in the barn, but they still look at me at mealtimes. I know what they want. It’s not what other girls are afraid of from boys. But those men won’t get it. My power is mine, and I won’t give it to anyone.
Riley and Quinn had powered down the phone and flashlight, so Riley had no idea how long they sat in the dark, planning in whispers in case the room was being monitored. They could hear noise from outside, occasional horns and sirens, so it wasn’t soundproof.
“Can you sense anyone nearby?” Quinn asked. Her voice was weaker than it had been when Riley first got here.
“No, but I still haven’t determined my range.” So they might be alone in the apartment, or there might be a dozen hired goons waiting somewhere close. “How are you doing?” she asked Quinn.
“Not good.” A moan escaped when she shifted position.
“You won’t be able to fight.”
Quinn sighed. “No. The power that’s left, as little as it is relative to the mass I originally held, is draining me. Fighting would be an epic fail.”
Riley got to her knees and ran her hands along the bed frame. “I need metal. I want to be prepared when they come in here.” The room was empty except for the bed, so she found what pieces she could detach from the frame and worked them loose, stuffing curled-up springs, screws, and nuts into her pockets. Digging under the mattress, she jerked on the support posts. One of them rattled.
“Yes! Can you shift down the bed a little so I can work this free?”
Quinn complied, and Riley shoved the mattress up to work at the bolts attaching the post with L-braces. “Ow, fuck,” she muttered. The edge of the bolt hole was jagged, and a couple of nails caught and ripped at the quick, but she kept going until she held a three-foot-long metal club. She hefted it, drawing a little energy, slowly increasing it until the metal warmed under her hand. By shifting her grip to a cooler spot, she could avoid the burns she’d suffered with the chains.
“I’m going to try breaking down the door,” she told Quinn, walking over. “The hinges and deadbolt have got to be metal, so maybe I can—” She touched the doorknob and yelped, yanking her hand away as a shock ran up her arm. “Crap. They’ve got it wired somehow.” She reached again, trying to imagine a shield of energy over her hand. It worked, to an extent. When she neared the doorknob there was resistance—which meant she couldn’t get close enough to touch it.