Rafa swings the weapons bag around and offers me the same sword Zak gave me back in Pan Beach the night we went up the mountain. I take the katana, wrap my fingers around its familiar hilt. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t offer any reassurance.
Rafa stays in front as we walk past dirty windows with drawn blinds. The air conditioners in the building are on and the metal boxes hum above every doorway we pass, dripping water. At the fifth door, Rafa rests his fingers on the handle. The fighting is on the other side but I can’t work out how that’s possible given the room we came from was barely big enough to swing a sword in. I slide my katana out of its cover and wait. My palms are sweaty.
Rafa pauses, as if he’s going to say something, but then the door is yanked open. I duck sideways, slamming into the wall. Rafa doesn’t flinch.
‘Sloppy, Rafa.’ Zak fills the doorway—in every direction. ‘A dead hellion would have felt you arrive. Where’d you come in, two doors down?’
Rafa resheaths his katana. ‘Just keeping you on your toes.’ He grins at Zak and it’s as if the argument between us didn’t happened. I catch my breath.
Zak looks down at me and shakes his head. I’m not sure if he’s surprised I’ve actually shown up or if it feels wrong to him too. He steps back. ‘Come on, before you let all the cool air out.’
I falter when I see how many Outcasts are here. There must be twenty men and women scattered around the room, sparring with swords or bare fists. My heart gives a panicked thump. God, what
am
I doing here?
This part of the building has been completely gutted—no furniture, no light fittings and no walls to separate what were once apartments. Just the air conditioners, bare bulbs overhead and exercise mats on the concrete floor.
‘Is this place structurally sound?’
Rafa’s laugh is brittle. ‘That’s what you’re worried about? The roof falling in?’
The sparring is frenetic. If I hadn’t seen the Rephaim in a serious fight, I’d think these clashes were the real deal.
On the far side of the room, Jones holds up a hand in greeting. I’m pretty sure it’s for Rafa so I don’t wave back.
Ez is training with Mya, blocking sword strikes and occasionally landing a kick. I’ve seen enough of Ez in action to know she’s going easy on her. They trade a few more blows before Mya signals for a break. She knows we’re here but she takes her time acknowledging us, and even then doesn’t act like it’s a big deal.
But it’s a big deal for everyone else. By the time Mya and Ez walk over to us, the rest of the Outcasts are facing me, tensed, ready. Like I’m the threat. I try to steady my breathing. Fail.
Rafa still won’t look at me.
I only saw Ez a few hours ago in Iowa, but already it feels like days. How can these people keep changing time zones so easily? How do they keep track of what day it is? What season it is?
‘Welcome to the Outcasts,’ Ez says.
I resist the urge to point out I’m not actually joining them. It’s possibly not the best time for that bit of news, given the number of weapons in the room.
‘Everyone here’s been told what you do and don’t remember,’ she says and gives my sword a meaningful look.
Shit. I’ve walked in here armed. No wonder they’re so hostile.
I should hand the sword to Rafa. Instead, I force myself to look each and every one of them in the eye. It’s a genetic melting pot: blonde hair and blue eyes, olive skin and brown hair, redheads, shaved heads, bearded and clean-shaven. Everyone toned and fit. Nobody welcoming.
Do they blame me for Jude’s death too? Or have I done things over the years to make them despise me the way Rafa despises Daniel? Either way, there’s no love here. Which begs the question: do I really want to go into a fight alongside people who don’t trust me? Who look like they’d be happy to see me get hurt? Especially with Rafa in the mood he’s in.
‘Yeah, she can still fight,’ Rafa says, stepping between them and me. ‘So I’d think twice about taking her on. And if you still think it’s a good idea, you’ll have me to deal with as well.’
There’s a bit of muttering and shuffling, but nobody makes a move. I let my breath out a little.
‘Good.’ Rafa keeps his back to me. ‘So, what, nobody’s happy to see me?’
‘It’s been so long I forgot what you looked like.’ The comment comes from a tall blond guy at the edge of the group.
‘Only if you lost that photo you keep of me in your wallet.’
‘Fuck you.’
‘Not in this lifetime, Seth.’
They laugh. And then they’re man-hugging and backslapping. A few seconds later there’s a queue lined up to welcome Rafa home. Ez takes my arm and leads me to the back of the room. It doesn’t stop the glares, but at least I’m not the centre of attention.
‘They’ll work out you’re not the enemy—’
‘I was the enemy?’
‘Not really.’ Ez thinks for a few seconds. ‘After the split, you were critical of everything we did. And in the early days, there were a few emotionally charged run-ins between your crew and ours. You didn’t go easy on any of us.’
I feel my mouth drop. ‘Did I…Did we…?’
‘I was smart enough to stay out of your way.’
‘What about Jude?’ I glance down at my katana. Did I attack my brother with a sword? Did he try to hurt me?
The thought makes my chest ache.
‘Never.’ Ez touches my arm. ‘You both managed to avoid it. But you and Rafa…that’s another story.’
‘All right.’ Mya claps her hands. ‘Let’s do this.’
It’s not so much that everyone snaps to attention, but they stop talking and move to where she’s holding a cardboard tube. I drift closer. Rafa comes over to me but refuses to catch my eye. I notice Ez look quickly at him and then me.
Mya shakes a roll of paper out of the tube and flattens it on the floor. A map of an inner city, maybe. She points to the middle of a grid. ‘A nest of Immundi is running a child sex racket in the basement of this building. We’re going in to kill the pit scum, grab the kids, and round up any humans involved.’
Rafa leans forward. ‘Tell me that’s not LA.’ His face hardens. ‘Tell me that’s not the Rhythm Palace.’ A murmur spreads through the group.
‘It’s called the Angels’ Den these days. I assume it’s meant to be ironic—’
‘Are you fucking insane? The last time we were there, thirteen humans were torn apart—’
‘And we saved twenty-three girls.’
‘It was a massacre, Mya. It was a disaster from start to finish and if Jude and I hadn’t turned up when we did, we would have lost Rephaim as well as humans.’
Mya stands, and the map at her feet rolls up on itself.
‘That’s why we’re going in at full strength.’
‘No.’
‘It’s a paying job, Rafa.’
‘I don’t give a shit. You swore to Jude there’d never be another cock-up like that.’
‘It won’t be a cock-up. That’s why I want you along.’ A glance in my direction. ‘And she may not be full-strength, but from what I’ve heard she’ll still be useful.’
I’m trying to follow their argument, but my brain is stuck on Rhythm Palace. Rhythm Palace…
‘Crap.’
‘What?’ Rafa’s glance is annoyed.
‘That’s the nightclub with the hellions.’ The one my short story was based on. The memory of Jude’s that I now somehow have. The bloody nightmare of gutted bodies and decapitated hellions.
‘The one and only. The biggest screw-up of our mercenary career.’
‘Only because we didn’t know Bel had half a dozen hell-spawn guarding the place,’ Mya says. ‘And Bel’s not involved this time.’
Rafa is taller than Mya and he’s taking advantage of that now, standing over her. ‘How do you know that?’
‘Because I’ve got Jess on the inside and she says Immundi are running the trafficking ring.’
‘You think it’s a coincidence they’re in that building?’
Mya waves away the comment. ‘The place would still reek of demon from the last infestation. You know they love the smell of their own kind.’
‘Who’s Jess?’ I whisper to Ez.
She answers without taking her eyes off Mya. ‘An undercover detective.’
I frown. How did an undercover LA cop get involved with the Rephaim?
‘How many Immundi?’ Zak asks.
‘About a dozen.’
Someone lets out a low whistle.
Mya nods. ‘The bottom-feeders are turning up in bigger numbers.’
There’s more murmuring and I lean in to Ez again. ‘Who are the Immundi?’
‘Demons. Lower on the food chain than Gatekeepers, and not as strong. They manipulate humans, drive them to destruction. It’s sport for them and they’re very good at it.’
Rafa turns to Zak. ‘Did you know about this?’
‘No, I did not.’ Zak doesn’t look happy about it. Nobody does.
‘Look.’ Mya waits until she has everyone’s attention again. ‘There are kids no older than ten being used and abused and then sold to the highest bidder. You want to walk away from that?’
Silence.
‘I know we have history with that place. That we made mistakes there—but this is our chance to make up for it.’
Jones picks up the map and speaks over the muttering around the group. ‘How are we going in?’
Mya lays out her plan. Everyone is slightly less tense by the time she finishes.
‘Right. Any questions?’
I’ve got at least twenty, but I’m not drawing any more attention to myself.
‘Good. We’ll move out at midnight, local time. Do what you want until then but stay close.’
The group drifts apart. Rafa stands with his hands on his hips for a few seconds. Then, without a glance at me, he crosses the room towards the door. For a second I forget to breathe. He wouldn’t leave me here…would he?
‘Give him a minute,’ Zak says. ‘Let him blow off steam.’ I nod and then see Mya follow Rafa and close the door behind them. I pretend the sight of her disappearing with him doesn’t burn.
‘Are you ready?’ Ez asks me.
I drag my eyes from the door. ‘Is there any chance this thing in LA is a trap?’
‘There’s always that chance, but the risk is no bigger than usual.’
‘You don’t seem sold on the idea.’
‘I’m as sold as I ever am these days.’ Ez’s smile is tired. I check the door. Still closed.
‘What happened there last time?’
Zak catches my eye, shakes his head.
‘It’s all right.’ Ez puts her hand on his wrist. ‘The job was to rescue girls downstairs. We didn’t know Bel and Leon were upstairs. They let five hellions loose and then locked the doors. By the time we worked out what was going on it was a bloodbath.’ Her fingers absently trace the scars on her face.
‘Is that when…?’
Zak reaches for her hand, lifting her fingers from her cheek and kissing them. She gives him a reassuring smile.
‘Jude was hurt too,’ she says. ‘None of us saw it coming. It almost tore us apart.’
Jones calls out to Ez and Zak. ‘We’ll be back in a moment,’ Ez says, and I open my duffel bag and try to look busy, rummaging around. I need to keep occupied until Rafa comes back inside and tells me what I’m supposed to do next. He better come back. I glance up at the sound of footsteps. Mya. She must have shifted back in. I look behind her. Rafa is walking towards Ez, Zak and Jones, his shoulders tight.
I get to my feet—no way is Mya looking down on me.
‘What now?’
She folds her arms. ‘You have no questions. None at all?’ Rafa looks across at us but makes no move towards me. The room falls silent.
‘I may have one or two.’
‘Hit me.’
Don’t tempt me.
‘What’s this job got to do with finding the Fallen?’
‘Absolutely nothing.’
‘Then why—’
‘Typical! You don’t remember being part of the Sanctuary but you still think like them.’
‘Don’t give me that crap. Finding the Fallen is all any of you care about.’
‘So why would we bother saving a few kids? Is that what you’re asking?’
Blood rushes up my neck. ‘Don’t twist my words. And don’t act so self-righteous. Kids are being abused and exploited all over the world. You’re only saving this lot because someone’s paying.’
‘And how many are Nathaniel and his acolytes saving? That’s right. None.’ Her eyes are piercing. ‘And at least we earn our way—we’re not taking hand-outs from a disgraced angel.’
‘So, everyone here takes hand-outs from you?’
‘No, Gabe. Everyone gets an equal share of whatever job we do. Does that surprise you?’
Well, yes, as a matter of fact it does, but I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing she’s exceeded my expectations.
‘So the Fallen aren’t a priority?’
‘Of course they are, but why not slaughter a few demons in between? We’ve got a window of time right now and I’m not wasting it.’
What she means is they have no leads on the Fallen. But the Sanctuary must or Malachi would have been in Pan Beach with Taya.
‘We serve a purpose,’ she says. ‘We don’t fight the enemy only when there’s a vested interest.’
She can’t seriously think I’m buying her Joan of Arc routine. ‘How did you come by this place?’ I ask.
Her eyes track around the walls. ‘A few years ago we took down a pack of desert jinn stirring up the workers here.’
‘Desert what?’
‘Jinn…demons.’ She narrows her eyes as if she’s not sure whether I’m playing her. ‘The client wanted us to come back regularly, keep the place clean. This building was still empty, so Jude did a deal to turn it into a quasi dojo.’
My heart squeezes at his name.
‘As long as we keep our heads down, there’s not much chance Nathaniel or the Five will track us here and give us another sermon about our duty to our kind and how imperative it is we rejoin the fold.’
I nod, but I’m not really listening. I’m imagining Jude in this room, laughing and training with these strangers, being closer to them than me.
‘What’s the story with Jason?’ Mya asks.
That snaps me out of it. ‘Exactly what he told you.’
‘If he’s never been to the Sanctuary, how’d he hook up with Taya?’
I could tell her the truth. I go with half.
‘They met in Pan Beach. She doesn’t know what he is. ’
She stares at me, dubious. ‘How is that possible?’
‘Because I didn’t tell her.’
‘But—’
‘I keep telling you,’ Rafa says, walking over. ‘She’s not Gabe. Deal with it.’ He faces me and I can still feel his anger. ‘We should get in some training.’