Living With the Dead (Otherworld 9)

He straightened, a sudden shift to cover his reaction - the one that said he'd hoped they hand't gotten as far as a name.

"Yes, that's what they call her," Rhys said. "I can handle Adele. She won't bother you again." Robin noticed he did't mention getting her off L.A.'s Most Wanted list. "What I need is for you to - "

"Back off and let you handle it," Hope said. "A clairvoyant. The father of Adele's partner in crime - "

"Colm was not Adele's - " He took off his ball cap again, holding it on his lap, finger tracing the bill. "I haven't been a part of my son's life for thirteen years. So, no, I don't know what he was doing, and I should't defend him. But I'm going to ask you to give me twenty-four hours to handle the situation."

"To get Adele and anyone else involved out of town, and out of reach of the council."

"I'm not - "

A crack from the bathroom. Robyn leapt up, brain screaming "gun!" But it only took a second to realize that was't it at all. A metallic clang, not a bang. Then another.

"Down!" Karl shouted.

A hiss from the bathroom, like a broken pipe. Karl dove for Hope, knocking her to the floor as Rhys plunged from his chair.

"It's okay!" Robyn yelled. "It's not a - "

Karl kicked her feet from under her as the room filled with smoke.

* * *

HOPE

Karl knocked Hope to the floor as gas filled the room. She yanked her shirt collar over her mouth, then looked to make sure he was doing the same, but he'd flipped around, grabbing Rhys's legs as the man dove for the floor.

Smoke swirled around them, thick as Maine fog. The men disappeared into it, a leg or arm appearing for a second, then gone with a crack and a grunt as they fought. Her eyes stung, watering. She blinked hard and peered into the fog, smacking the floor as she searched for her gun.

"Get Robyn!" Karl shouted, knowing she'd be trying to come to his rescue instead.

"Rob?" Hope yelled.

A cough answered.

"Cover your mouth," Hope called, choking back her own cough as the gas burned her throat. "Close your eyes. I'll find you."

She crawled, hunching along on one hand, the other holding her shirt over her mouth. She closed her eyes - she couldn't see anyway. Chaos eddied through the gas, steady waves tickling over her skin like a lover's touch, making her shiver.

Robyn coughed again, to her left now.

"Stay where you are!" Hope called.

A grunt of pain and a curse from Rhys. Chaos shuddered through Hope, the demon begging her to stop and enjoy it. She gritted her teeth and told the demon this wasn't the time. It ignored her until another crack, this one followed by a hissing growl that the demon recognized as Karl in pain. That shut it up.

"Robyn?"

A hacking cough, to the right now.

"Stay put! I can't - "

Booted footfalls clomped into the room. Shadowy figures appeared in the fog. Hope scuttled to the side and flattened up against the bed. The figures passed.

The room had gone quiet now.

Another cough. Robyn must have mistaken the men for cops. But a murder suspect didn't warrant a riot squad takedown. Gas and SWAT teams were the Nast's trademark. Hope knew now who Rhys worked for.

Hope slithered across the floor, toward Robyn. She couldn't be more than a few yards away - the room wasn't that big. The footsteps stopped. Hope did, too, lifting her head to listen.