Hecate rolls her eyes. I notice she mutes the whole computer so Chuck can’t unmute himself. Smart.
Waring turns back to me. “Although you so helpfully got rid of one demon, he must have had an accomplice, because the grimoire is missing.”
The trick to not looking surprised is to keep your muscles relaxed. It’s hard with the amount of pain I’m in, but I think I manage it. This new information means either that there was, in fact, a second demon, or that the others got away with the book without being seen.
Good for them. With Ezra having already escaped, it probably wasn’t easy finding a way out once the original plan was no longer an option. But they managed it. Because you have to be able to problem-solve on a job, even and especially when the leader gets taken out of play.
Rule #36: Always know your exits.
Am I a little irked that they all got free while I’m strapped to a table under the watchful eyes of leaders from all five syndicates? Sure. But we go into every job knowing we might need to leave someone behind. Or be the one left.
“So,” I say, “you put the codex on display even though you knew there was a horde of demons trying to steal it?”
“The collective noun for demons is ‘legion,’ ” Thea says distractedly.
“My bad.”
Thea’s eyes are glazed over. I’m sure CJ’s family has intel on them, knows they lived with my family through their teenage years. But if Thea knows who I am, she doesn’t show it.
I look back at Waring. “If you didn’t want Hades to be resurrected, then why not destroy the book? You apparently have demons working for you. All it takes is a little of their hellfire.”
There’s a weighted silence after that. Finally, Waring says, “It’s not so easy.”
I hold back a smirk. There’s only one reason people don’t destroy dangerous objects, and that’s because they want to use them. The syndicates have kept the grimoire safe all these years hoping someone would eventually be able to translate it. So they could use the spells themselves.
“We want to hire you,” Waring forces out haltingly, like he regrets the words even as he’s saying them. “Find the grimoire, steal it back, and then work with us to keep it away from the Cult of Hades.”
I laugh. Because that’s what you do in the face of absurdity.
“I mean, sure, yeah. Just let me go, pay me up front, and I’ll have the book right back to you.”
Waring purses his lips, impatient. “I know you want to resurrect your brother.”
That kills my laughter pretty quick. I’d forgotten he’d mentioned my brother in Boston.
His gaze doesn’t waver. “I can tell you where he is.”
“I know where he is,” I snap.
Waring gives me a patronizing smile. “Of course, but Tartarus is a big place.”
That knocks the wind out of me. It’s one thing to have a theory that your brother’s soul is in hell. It’s another thing entirely to have it confirmed. I take a deep breath and count to five.
This is good, I tell myself. This is confirmation. I was right. And if I stay on the current path, I can get him back. Just as planned.
“I don’t need your help,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady.
Hecate lets out what can only be called a growl. “This is a waste of time. Kill her. We’ll get someone else.”
“There is no one else.” Waring bites out the words, but when he turns back to me, his face is a polite mask. “Help us and we’ll help you resurrect your brother. You’ll need us, Elle. You’re out of your depth.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Trust me,” Waring says softly. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”
Remember, kids: If someone tells you to trust them, it’s because you can’t trust them.
He stands, towering over me, staring at me with those uncanny unblinking eyes. “Take the job. You’ll get your brother back. You’ll be duly compensated. And most importantly, it’s your only way out of this room alive.”
