The Ghosts

Chapter Six, Part Two

“So let me get this straight,” Lena said calmly. “The drug dealing Tigers were really Underworlders?”

“Yes,” both Gregori and I said together.

“And they came up with this elaborate plan so they could just…kidnap you?” She pointed at me.

I grimaced and then looked down at my hands. “Yes.”

“Well then…”

She started tapping her pen on the desk. I got the sudden feeling that she was about to kick me to the curb. She couldn’t continue to put her people in danger because of me and I was more trouble than I was worth.

“Lena, I’m…”

“It’s not her fault,” Gregori cut me off. “I let the bouncer lead us into a trap. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me. She didn’t do anything wrong. Just followed my lead like I told her.”

Lena stopped tapping the pen and studied the two of us. Her bright eyes looked from one of us to the next, her face completely neutral.

“When the clean up crew went back, they discovered seven dead and two wounded.” She opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out my knife I’d stabbed the guy with. “As usual, the Underworlders left their dead and wounded and fled the scene, leaving no trace of their whereabouts behind.”

She handed me the knife handle first and I took it.

“Now, I’m inclined to let this…mishap slide as long as the two of you promise me she’ll stay out of the field for a few days in case these Underworlders resurface.”

“Ok,” we both said.

She nodded. “Good. Gregori, the coroner pulled all seven slugs out of the bodies and identified them as yours. Once you confirm the kills, you’ll get your marks…”

“That’s not really the point…”

“I know that,” she snapped at him. He stopped talking and covered his mouth with his hand. “I placed her with you for a reason. If I wasn’t getting reports from your underlings that reflect how well her training is going, I would revoke your mentoring duties and place her with someone else.”

“But…”

She shot me a look and I stopped talking.

“However, because of her particular…situation, I’m forced not to. But I’m warning you both now. If something like this happens again, I will place her with someone else. Understood?”

We both nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Gregori, Ashley has the confirmation papers, make sure you sign them before leaving. Georgiana, I need to speak with you alone, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gregori got up from his chair and left, without looking at me or even acknowledging me. I had a feeling he was mad at me for some reason and I didn’t know why. The fact that he was mad didn’t make me feel all that great. My stomach did a flip and I got a little depressed. Not ‘black mood’ depressed but normal depressed.

“Georgiana?”

The door closed and I looked at her. “Ma’am?”

“I got…an interesting report that correlates with last night.” I waited for her to say something else, not really sure if I was supposed to respond to that or not. “Apparently, one of the eyewitnesses said they saw what they thought was a angel surrounded in white light, come down from the ceiling and scoop a man and a woman out of the club.” She came out from around her desk and sat in the chair Gregori vacated. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”