Wicked Business (Lizzy and Diesel 2)

“How bad are you bleeding?”

“Not bad, but it hurts. And he says he’ll cut me more if you don’t bring the key.”

“Is Wulf there?”

“He was, but he left. And now I’m alone with Hatchet.”

“Where are we supposed to bring the key?”

“Hatchet is going to text you the address.”

She sucked in a sob, and the connection was broken.

I felt all the blood leave my brain, and bells started to clang in my head. I felt Diesel’s hand at the back of my neck, pushing my head down between my knees.

“Breathe,” Diesel said.

I got it together and sat up. “Sorry, that was a horrible phone call. They have Glo, and they want the key.”

“Is it a serious threat?”

“It sounded serious. She was crying, and she said Hatchet cut her.” I watched my phone for a text message. “He’s going to text me the address for the drop.”

Diesel had his hand on my shoulder. “She’ll be fine. We’ll do whatever we have to to get her back.” He was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. “It’s interesting that they want the key,” Diesel said. “We used the key to get the clue in the State House. It didn’t occur to me that the key might have another purpose.”

“Maybe they’re two steps behind us.”

Diesel shook his head. “I think Wulf has always been two steps ahead of us. He’s using Hatchet as a dupe to slow us down.”

“Do you think Hatchet knows he’s a dupe?”

Diesel shrugged. “Hatchet sees his job as serving his liege lord in whatever capacity. His role is to do or die and not question why.”

“Jeez.”

“Yeah,” Diesel said. “You’d suck at it.”

My phone chirped and the address came up in my text messages.

“I’ve got it,” I said. “They want the key brought to Carter Street in Salem, and they’ll swap the key for Glo.”

Diesel was on his feet. “Let’s go.”

We locked the house, and in minutes we were leaving Marblehead and crossing into Salem. I was trying to stay calm, but I was shaking from anger and adrenaline. And I was heartsick. I was supposed to be saving the world, but my two best

friends were hurt because of me.

Carter Street was in a residential part of North Salem. Most of the houses had been converted to multifamily or apartments and were in various stages of renovation, some showing obvious effects of a bad economy. I counted off numbers and had Diesel stop at a gray Georgian Colonial. Even at night I could see that paint was peeling from window frames and the roof was in disrepair. There were no lights shining from windows. The houses on either side were dark as well.

“Wulf’s here,” Diesel said. “His car is parked in the driveway.”

We walked to the door and Hatchet opened it just as Diesel was about to knock. Hatchet stepped back, and I could sense Wulf more than see him. He was lost in the dark room, with only his pale face visible.

“I want to see her,” Diesel said.

“The emotional drama isn’t necessary,” Wulf said. “This is a simple transaction.”

He snapped his fingers at Hatchet, and Hatchet scurried into another room and returned with Glo. Glo looked disheveled and disoriented, and she had a bandage on her forearm.