Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(69)

Red barely paused. “The Defalcator is wondering when he might tutor his new pupil.”

Kieran heard a sniff.

“That guy has taken residence in this office since he showed up,” Zorn said, annoyance in his voice. “He was told we’d get in contact. Yet…”

It was clear Zorn thought Nester was snooping. Given what had happened last night, there was no doubt he was right.

“Show him in.” Kieran took a couple of steps to clear himself of the desk. A kaleidoscope of emotions pulsed through the soul link. The clearest was pain.

The slight man with bony shoulders stepped into the room. Medium height, bland face, no discerning characteristics whatsoever. The eye wanted to slide right past him. That alone set him up to be an excellent pickpocket. Good thing they had nothing of value around the office.

“Sir, yes.” Nester bowed slightly before pulling his hands behind his back. “I was just wondering when I might be of use.”

“Thank you, Nester, yes. It was good of Demigod Nancy to recommend you. At present, Alexis is exploring other avenues. Just as soon as she is ready, she’d be happy to entertain you. Until then, please enjoy the city, on me. San Francisco is an absolutely lovely place to visit. I’ll set you up with a driver and an itinerary.”

Nester opened his mouth to argue.

“And of course I’ll make sure Nancy knows the delay is at my discretion,” Kieran said.

The Defalcator closed his mouth. Kieran had stolen his only defense. Nester nodded briskly. “Of course, yes. How good of you.”

“Red, see that he’s taken care of,” Kieran said, clearing his throat when sadness and then fierce determination radiated through the link.

Henry turned sideways, slipping in past the exiting Nester. He closed the door behind him, drawing attention to the papers in his hand.

“You’re sure she’s still in the trance?” Kieran asked Zorn, staring out the window. Zorn had probably hoped the news would drive Kieran from the building. Zorn was more useful in the field.

“When Bria called, yes.” Zorn tapped his phone then lifted it to his ear. “I’ll double-check.”

“Sir.” Henry dropped the papers onto Kieran’s desk. “I have information. We have the car narrowed down.”

Zorn turned back, his eyes hungry.

Henry spread the half-dozen pictures out on the desk, all different colors and makes. “We’re still trying to hack into the satellite owned by the Chester government, but this is what we have so far. Each of these were seen leaving the area in the correct window of time. In addition, most had an entry time stamp that would make sense with the battle. Now, this might not be all of them. We are relying on a few traffic cameras and a couple of gas station cameras that look out on the street. If the perpetrator knew to watch out for these cameras, there are two ways to get around them. But this is a start. We are working on getting the various records and checking out the drivers.”

“She’s still out, sir,” Zorn called from the back of the room. “Lying still as a stone. Jack has disappeared from the area too. Bria felt his soul take off. She has no idea where, obviously.”

Kieran nodded to Zorn, forcing himself not to react to the gut punch, as Henry continued.

“I researched the types of magics that can control another person’s actions. Most of them are more persuasive. The magical user convinces the victim what to do. Almost always, the victim remembers what happened, but there are a couple of instances where the magic causes a blackout, like Jack experienced. One is dark fae magic, and the other, which makes more sense, stems from Hades. I checked them both out, of course.”

“Hades,” Kieran said, knowing it was rare for dark fae to work for Demigods or anyone else. They had their own lands and their own established royalty. Their lineage didn’t stem from the Olympian gods, nor did they believe in the various human gods. They were an independent people, embroiled in their own cutthroat society. Their magic was potent and dangerous, and Kieran was glad this didn’t seem like something they’d be interested in.

“That’s the conclusion I’ve come to,” Henry said. “A Possessor. Someone that can take over a person for an hour or two. He grabbed Daisy using Jack. But here is where it gets fuzzy: why grab Daisy in the house instead of Alexis in the battlefield?”

“Alexis would’ve ripped the soul right out of him,” Zorn said, back to staring out the window. “It would be asinine for anyone to try grabbing her without drugging her first.”

“Unless they underestimate her. Everyone knows she’s untrained,” Henry replied.

Zorn shrugged. “So he grabbed Daisy, fine. Handed her off like a baton. What now? It’s been nearly twenty-four hours and no ransom call. No offer to trade. No gloating from Aaron or anyone. Something isn’t adding up.”

“No, it isn’t,” Kieran said, staring at his computer, thinking beyond it. “Does Aaron have a Possessor?”

“No,” Henry said. “His databases barely have a firewall, they are so open. He has no secrets from us. As for who does… Well, we’re checking.”

“Check the other Hades Demigods first.”

“Already on it. They both have their systems locked up tight, but it’s nothing we can’t get through. One thing of note—Possessors can hop small distances. Very small. Like from Jack to the woman he ran into.”