AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s mine,” he said, moving over and taking it from me. “But if you want one, I can have one made especially for you. I can take some measurements before you leave.”
“That’s not the original then?” I enquired as West passed me two semi-automatic pistols and a harness. I slipped it on and checked the safety before slipping them inside.
“No, I still have the original. I managed to stash it before we moved on last time, and as soon as I remembered where I’d hidden it, I went back and got it. No, the original was iron. This beauty is chrome-vanadium alloy steel. Nothing is going to break this baby.”
“Yeah, okay, I’m jealous, you got me,” I replied, sleeping on my lightweight jacket to conceal the weapons. “West, can I have a custom-made, chrome-vanadium khopesh if I’m a good boy?”
West grinned. “Only if our sugar daddy Zayn is paying. You and I don’t earn that kind of coin.”
I looked back at Zayn and fluttered my eyelashes. “Please? I’ll pay you back.”
Zayn rolled his eyes. “Not a chance. You still owe me for that casino night in Monte Carlo.”
“That was in 1883, are you still sore about that?”
Zayn opened his mouth to reply, but West cut in. “Not that it’s not great to be back together, but may I remind you that Lady Victoria is heading to Zagazig as we speak, and the moment she steps inside that temple complex, she’s going to be a flame to a moth? A lot of moths?”
My smile faded, and I nodded. I turned and grabbed a utility knife and sheath from the counter, attaching it to my belt. “Sniper?” I asked West, my hand hovering over the weapon.
West shook his head. “I want this to be a quick in and out, whether she likes it or not. I don’t really want to be setting up shop with a sniper in case we have to make a hasty exit.”
Zayn reached past me and took an Uzi off the rack, stashing it and a few magazines into a dark-coloured kit bag along with the khopesh. I caught his eye.
“You coming along too?”
Zayn shrugged. “West says she’s headed to Bubastis. If she gets in trouble, or if you’re too late to stop her from reaching the shrine, then you’re going to need all the help you can get.”
I nodded, slightly relieved. Whatever he was now, Zayn had always been very handy in a fight.
“I believe Sebastien is somewhere in the region too,” West commented, donning his own harness.
Zayn and I looked at each other, identical grins spreading across our faces. West looked up and caught us. “He can still be useful,” West told us, though I could tell he was fighting a smile as well.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “If we come across an army of hatay, he can throw his scrolls at them.”
“Sebastien came in very handy several times last time we knew him,” West reasoned, adding several clips to his own rucksack. “But as for throwing things, I think I’ll take my own projectiles.” He leaned over and grabbed a couple of grenades, checking the pins before slipping them into his inside jacket pockets.
“Now what?” I asked, picking up my bag.
West looked over at Zayn. “Do you have a car?”
Zayn gave a quick nod. “Let me change and grab some spare things, and we’ll get going.”
We followed him up into the backroom of the shop, stopping to help him replace the boxes in front of the armoury door, and then hung about for a few minutes waiting for him.
“You think Sebastien will show?” I asked. As much as I liked to take the piss, I was quite fond of the guy, and West was right. His incredible knowledge had helped us out of some sticky situations in the past.
West nodded. “I’m fairly sure he’s in the area, closer to her than us as well, but I don’t think he’s awoken yet.”
“Will you call him to us?”
West shook his head. “Like you said, there are some situations where he can be incredibly useful. This isn’t really one of them, and the longer he sleeps, the longer he’ll stay safe—assuming we can keep her from awakening, that is. If we can’t, he’ll be drawn to her immediately, and we’ll all be sitting targets out there.”
I swallowed, looking down to adjust my knife so West wouldn’t see the concern on my face. Last time, it had only been a few of us up against the hatay, and it hadn’t ended well. A memory of choking darkness stretched across my mind, and I shoved it away.
“How long have you been calling Lady Victoria by her nickname?”
I looked up at him. “Since this morning. She asked me to.”
