Owl and the Tiger Thieves Page 10

  My relief that I hadn’t been caught doing something worse was short lived as I looked back up at Lady Siyu. A fang now protruded from underneath her curled and sneering lip. “I am curious what excuses you have for your egregious misstep in Peru.”

  Egregious misstep? I handed her back the tablet and, negotiating past a growling Captain, reached into my leather jacket and removed the cheaply wrapped Incan idol. “I have your treasure for you, right here.”

  “That is not the point,” Lady Siyu hissed.

  I nodded at the tablet, sincerely at a loss. “Then what is? My picture? Is that what you’re pissed about?”

  She tucked the tablet back under her arm with a violent flourish of her wrist. “The point is you were caught. While working for Mr. Kurosawa.”

  Oh, for the love of— “As I said, I got out—with the idol. Are you worried about the photo being on record? That my alias got out? This isn’t my first rodeo. I can scrub the photo, and there’s a drawer full of aliases I haven’t touched.”

  If anything, that only made Lady Siyu angrier. Her eyes narrowed into slits. I got the distinct impression she was about to explode, all the way from the ornate hair piled on top of her head down to the tips of her red patent heels. “You were caught retrieving items for Mr. Kurosawa. Do you have any idea how that looks to the supernatural community?”

  Oh, for fuck’s sake. I so did not have time for this . . . “That’s what you’re upset about? That I was caught? What is this, a supernatural pissing match?” I sighed. “Look, just take me to Mr. Kurosawa.” He was usually more reasonable about these kinds of problems. Usually.

  “Mr. Kurosawa has sent me to deal with you. He has other, more pressing concerns.”

  Great. Fantastic. But I’d learned the hard way not to press when the Dragon did not deign to see me. I took a breath and went for reasonable. “I’m a thief, a specialized one, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. It’s not like I have security watching my back anymore,” I added. I’d noted over the last two months that Mr. Kurosawa and Lady Siyu had said disconcertingly little over the elves’ fuckup that had gotten Rynn possessed by a suit of armor and running around playing warlord . . . and not a damn peep about a solution.

  “Clearly.” Lady Siyu’s fingernails had extended into long lacquered claws that now poked between the fingers of her clenched fists.

  I held up the gossip rag–wrapped idol again. “And as I already said, I got what you wanted. Contract complete.”

  Still fuming, Lady Siyu snatched it out of my hand like a cobra striking prey. Surprised at the flash of movement, I couldn’t help but jump back. Captain redoubled his hissing efforts, hackles on end.

  Oddly enough, my show of fear seemed to mollify her a fraction. The fangs rescinded back into her jaw, and the claws receded.

  “Which is the only reason you are still alive. I am here to pass on a message from Mr. Kurosawa: if you dishonor this house again, regardless of whether you retrieve the artifact, I strongly suggest you run.”

  “I can’t. Contract, remember?” I said.

  But Lady Siyu had already turned on her heels. Thick smoke that smelled of cedar billowed out of the maze and engulfed her. She did offer me a glance, every ounce of hate seeping into her smile. “Oh, not for you, little thief. I prefer my victims to offer chase.”

  Oh, for— Thank you for coming, Owl, now go get more useless artifacts while we try to bandage the problem of having a supernatural war spill into the human world.

  The smart thing would be to keep my mouth shut. She’d already retreated into the smoke-filled maze.

  Goddamn it, I couldn’t leave it. “You realize this arsenal you’re accumulating isn’t going to do a damn thing? Not when both you and the Monsters Who Voted to Come Out of the Closet are doing the exact same damn thing, and that’s not counting Rynn and his deranged band of mercenaries.”

  I heard rather than saw Lady Siyu stop her retreat. A moment later the quick click of heels striking the tiles sounded and yellow snake eyes burned through the smoke.

  I went cold despite the sweat collecting on my skin. But I was right this time. I raced to make my case. Lady Siyu wasn’t completely above reason. “Look, I’m not suggesting I abandon Mr. Kurosawa’s list of weapons. I’m just saying there might be other ways, other avenues than chasing after ancient, dangerous magic weapons—shit.” I stumbled back as Lady Siyu exited the smoke and came to stand a short foot away from me.

  Her lips curled, exposing her fangs, as she gripped the front of my jacket with red-clawed hands and pulled me in. Captain hissed. I gulped. I’d never realized her venom had an acrid smell.

  “Are you suggesting I’m in error?” she demanded, her voice laced with the threat of bodily harm.

  I chose my next words very carefully. There was a dangerous edge to her voice, and considering I was as close to revolt as I’d ever been . . .

  “What I’m suggesting is that a weapons race with Rynn and the Monsters Who Voted to Come Out of the Closet is the obvious path and the one of least resistance. Everyone is chasing after magic trinkets, including Rynn and his dark minions. It’s sheer dumb luck I haven’t run into any of them yet.”

  For a long, tense moment I thought Lady Siyu would kill me right there and then. Instead, she let me go.

  “Dumb. That is an apt description for the luck that keeps your head attached to your neck. And as much as it pains me to admit it, for once, thief, we are in agreement,” Lady Siyu said.

  With my open mouth I must have looked like an indignant goldfish. She continued, “The others will be searching for many of the same artifacts. We are in a proverbial arms race, meaning we either increase the pace of acquisition—”

  “That was not what I meant—” I stopped in midsentence as she turned her head inquisitively—not an entirely human gesture but cold, calculating.

  “Or we alter the playing field. Possibly by reclaiming our mutual associate, the incubus? Isn’t that right, Hiboux?” She smiled wide and venomously.

  I clenched my fists and forced myself to keep silent. She knew I’d been up to something in Peru besides looking for the Incan idol, but if she had any idea just how much time I’d spent trying to find a way to get Rynn out of the suit . . .

  As it was, the way her fangs were extended, venom glistening off the tips . . .

  “However, as Mr. Kurosawa has pointed out, having two birds in the hand is useless if it equals an individual head and tail, and I do not care to press the issue of the incubus at the moment.”

  I held my tongue, wondering just how expensive this olive branch was going to be.

  “I want our arsenal insurmountable, thief. If you please me, I will plead with Mr. Kurosawa on your behalf to investigate avenues to free the incubus.” The corner of Lady Siyu’s mouth turned up. “I recommend you try to acquire the Vatican artifacts. They’re localized in one place and, as such, are an obvious target.”

  I snorted. It was piecemeal. “That’s like telling Cinderella she can go to the ball if she can come up with a dress. I could find every artifact on this list and it still won’t be enough—”

  “Silence!”

  I shut up. When faced with a furious Naga, options are limited.

  “The pure impudence—you cannot fathom the gift I am giving you.” She came in close, her face almost pressed against mine and her voice low, the scent of venom and floral perfume unifying in a terrifying mix. “You think I don’t know all about your antics in Peru? I could have killed you the moment you walked in and been in my right. Listen well, thief. I’m allowing you to live because Mr. Kurosawa cannot see that being better armed will not win a battle on two fronts. Once we’ve defeated one side, the other will destroy us, but we still need an arsenal. That is the reason I do not carve you up into pieces and devour your heart.”

  I would have gulped, but I was afraid that even the slightest movement might entice her to bite me anyway and just get it the hell over with.

  “Now do as you’re t
old,” she hissed. “And mark my words, if I catch you straying from your duties again, the day I kill you will be imminent.”

  With that last uncryptic statement, she disappeared into the maze of slot machines, which whirred and chimed in her wake.

  A moment later, the cedar smoke retreated and once again I was standing at the entrance of a deserted casino, with only a warm breeze and a touch of smoke to remind me where I really was: in a dragon’s lair—and that my presence was no longer requested. A hotter breeze with something less pleasant, like sulfur mixed in with the cedar, blew my way.

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Neither did Captain, who let out a quiet, forlorn mew and tugged on his leash in the direction of the exit. “I’m with you, Captain, there’s just no pleasing the monsters.”

  We made a beeline for the elevator, which thankfully was waiting open for me. I didn’t question why, not even after I was safely—or relatively safely—inside. I was just happy to be done. I pressed the main floor and waited as the elevator slid down to where the rest of humanity was corralled. It took me until the tenth floor to realize my hands were shaking and another long three seconds for it to set in that I’d be prudent to hide that. I shoved them back into my pockets.

  I stared at myself in the mirrored artwork that Lady Siyu had installed in all the elevators: nature prints overlaid on the glass done with a modern Japanese aesthetic that she changed with the seasons. This one was a series of fruit trees that sprawled over the glass with the faintest trace of pastel colors. Each elevator had a slightly different version, though they all followed the same theme: late summer. I often wondered when the casino staff had time to change them since the elevators were in constant use. Another trick of management, or once again putting the supernatural talents of the casino’s inhuman employees to use?

  I was surprised by the gaunt face that stared back at me in the mirror’s reflection. I didn’t think it had been there before Peru. Or maybe it had and this was just the first time I’d decided to pull my head out of the Shangri-La hangover daze and look.

  Well, if there was a bright side to all this, it was that Lady Siyu only suspected I was trying to save Rynn. If she’d had any idea I was working with Oricho . . .

  Let’s say I don’t think I’d have left her presence.

  The elevator reached the bottom floor, and the doors slid open. Captain strolled out into the crowd waiting for the elevators, earning me more than a few curious glances. My guess was that it wasn’t due to Captain; when people got over the initial shock of seeing a cat wandering around the casino, one who was polite enough to bleat at them to get the fuck out of his way, they usually reacted to him like everyone did to cute animals—by cooing and trying to pet him. Little did they know.

  No. Despite Captain’s gregarious nature, I figured my own disarray was the reason for the curiosity. Old leather jacket, hair tied in a messy ponytail out of convenience, and a pair of dirty, partially tied boots might be functional but didn’t look nearly as cool in person as it did on the pages of a fashion magazine. A woman dressed like Lady Siyu in an expensive suit and well-coiffed hair? She could do whatever she wanted, but me? An explanation was demanded for not meeting enough ticks on a boxed-in checklist.

  “Assistant pet,” I said, and suffered another round of sidelong glances. Discreet ones this time, wondering what I needed an emotional support animal for.

  The answer was vampires. Long story, worth the ten grand I’d had to bribe someone . . . a rip-off, really, considering that vampires was as good a reason as any for an anxiety disorder.

  I ignored the glances and headed straight to the bar. The bartender would refresh my beer supply, even if only to get rid of me faster. I had earned myself a reputation amongst the supernaturals who worked the casino; half of it was deserved, but the other half was mostly speculation and my professional reputation.

  The bartender on duty was a radish demon who gave me a surreptitious look as I approached. When I asked for the case of beer, he retrieved it and deposited it on the counter without the barest attempt at pleasantries.

  On most days I cared, but lately I couldn’t be bothered. I had more important things to deal with than starting petty squabbles with supernaturals who slighted me.

  As an afterthought, I decided to swing by the front desk and see if there were any messages or mail for me.

  Halfway across the mezzanine by the central fountain I stopped in my tracks. There near the entrance was a blond man wearing a jacket I recognized. One of Rynn’s.

  I grabbed onto the fountain’s edge and steadied myself. There were two things that raced through my mind as the shock coursing through me settled: that I didn’t think I’d been this happy to see anyone before and then fear. I knew what Rynn was now. He or the armor must know I was getting closer.

  I stood perfectly still as he turned around . . .

  But it wasn’t Rynn.

  It was Artemis, dressed as Rynn, standing in the Japanese Circus casino lobby talking to the front desk. He smiled and winked at me before going back to speaking to the supernatural personnel.

  I fumed. How dare he show up here, dressed as Rynn, of all things? Because he certainly wasn’t dressed in his own clothes—not nearly tacky and flashy enough.

  “Come on, Captain,” I said, and with the case of beer in hand stalked back to the elevator. I could call down to the front desk. Later.

  I wasn’t fast enough.

  “Owl,” came Artemis’s voice, much closer behind me than made me comfortable.

  I ignored the dirty looks I was getting from the casino patrons as I mowed past them on my way to the elevator. Damn it. And here I thought I’d ditched Artemis on that flight out of Lima . . .

  “Owl,” Artemis called louder this time, though no one around me bothered to look. They were all fixated on me, the angry cat lady who didn’t belong in a casino and was furiously bulldozing her way to the elevator. I picked up my pace, Captain in tow on his leash, grumbling and fighting me now that he’d picked up the scent of an incubus—one he recognized.

  Of course it had been Artemis. I chided myself for letting my guard down—again.

  The elevator doors opened and for once no one wanted to get in with me and my cat.

  Except Artemis, who darted in just as the doors were sliding closed. Captain let out a wary mew at him, part warning, part curiosity.

  “Why, fancy running into you here, Alix,” Artemis said as the elevator started its ascent. “How have you been since we parted ways?”

  If I ignored him, he’d only keep coming back—and come up with more overt ways to mock me. I crossed my arms and let Captain’s leash go so he could sniff out the incubus. “Fine,” I said. “Never better. Busy, though.”

  He gave me a terse smile, deciding that pretending we were friends was too much, even for him. He held up a rolled gossip magazine. “I’m not in here,” he said, unrolling the cover for me to see. “Leave town for a week and they forget I exist.” He tsked and tucked the gossip rag back inside his jacket, the one that bore an uncanny resemblance to one Rynn owned. “That’s the gratitude I get for selling millions of their shoddy magazines over the last decade—for one measly week.”

  He made a show of examining his outfit in the mirror. “Like the outfit? Personally I prefer something a bit flashier, more metallic, but I decided to try something new.”

  Captain let out a low growl from where he was sniffing Artemis’s pant leg.

  If ignoring Artemis would egg him on, so would outright blowing up at him, though I clenched my fists. “Cheap impression,” I said.

  Artemis laughed, apparently more amused than offended. “And here I expected you to give me the third degree on my reasons for being here.”

  “Fine. What brings you lurking around the Japanese Circus?”

  He leaned against the mirror and made a show of smoothing his hair. He gave me a conspiratorial look. “Did you know incubi have fantastic hearing?”

  I went cold. There wa
s no way he could have been upstairs listening. For one, he wasn’t that stupid.

  “The walls have ears, and people talk.” He went on to examine his nails. “Besides, I had to report in to Lady Siyu in person.” The corner of his mouth twitched, a hint of his own frustrations when dealing with the Naga. “So you failed to mention to the Dragon and his pet snake that you’re after the Tiger Thieves.”

  Fuck . . .

  I shook my head, and Captain let out a low growl. “Now, it would be a shame for those murderous two to find out what you were really doing in that prison. Though I suppose I have some obligation to tell them.” The friendly sham of a smile he’d kept fixed to his face vanished, leaving the cold, calculating eyes I remembered from the last time I’d seen him. The ones I’d caught a glimpse of in Peru. “So what is it worth to you to keep your little Tiger Thief quest secret?”

  I wondered how much of a push it’d take to break the elevator glass. I mean, he wasn’t human, so chances were it wouldn’t kill him, just get my point across. There were only so many supernaturals whose eyes I could pull the wool over, and Lady Siyu and Mr. Kurosawa were already a dangerous handful. I did not need to be watching over my shoulder for Artemis. “Let me assure you, talking to anyone about my little side trip into Albino would be very bad,” I said.

  He clicked his tongue. “Depends on your perspective, really.”

  “Perspective? You have no—”

  “I wonder how many other thieves would be willing to get their hands dirty for an outcast supernatural? Who’d be willing to get themselves locked up in an infamous Peruvian prison?” Artemis had been keeping to his side of the elevator, but that changed as he closed the distance in a step to menace over me. I remembered just how terrifying Artemis could be. “One, say, who’s hiding out in Tokyo with one of your known accomplices? Taking that logic a step further, I wonder how many thieves the Dragon could find to replace you.”

  I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but he knew about Oricho. Son of a bitch. It should have terrified me. All it did was strengthen my resolve. “Trust me, I’m a real bitch to replace,” I said, each word clear and just as biting.