Tricks and Traps (Gray Spear Society Book 7) (3 page)

"That's right." He nodded. "They'll piss in their pants rather than walk away. It's sick."

Marina and Aaron exchanged looks of concern.

"Where do these machines come from?" he said. "Who makes them?"

The group shook their heads and shrugged.

He furrowed his brow. "It's a simple question. These damned things don't just pop out of the air."

"It's top secret," a waitress finally said. "Nobody ever talks about them. We're not even supposed to look at them. I think they suck. I see lives ruined every night. People blow their life savings and end up flat broke. The casino doesn't care as long as the cash keeps pouring in."

Aaron narrowed his eyes. He didn't like secrets that ruined lives.

"Thank you for your time." Marina gave a hundred dollar bill to everybody. "I think that's all the questions."

The two of them turned and went back across the street. Their car was parked in the garage.

"We'll continue this investigation tomorrow," he said. "I'll get the whole team involved."

She frowned. "I came all the way from California to be with you, and I'm staying for just a few days. I don't want these stupid monkey machines screwing up our time together."

He kissed her on the cheek. "We'll make some time just for us. I promise."

She sighed.

* * *

Tawni opened her eyes. She was lying on her bed, and she wasn't alone.

A slender man was staring down at her. He wore a black ninja outfit over his whole body, and a black cloth mask covered his face. Only his green eyes were visible.

The ninja raised a knife with a black, serrated blade and brought it down towards Tawni's chest. She barely rolled away in time. She heard fabric ripping as the knife penetrated the mattress.

Tawni got to her feet. She realized her enemy was a woman.

Tawni's gun and phone were on her nightstand, but she was on the wrong side of the bed. Her weapon was out of reach.

The ninja performed a standing leap onto the bed, demonstrating impressive leg strength and balance. She attacked. Tawni jerked backwards to avoid having her throat slashed.

She tried to grab her enemy's outstretched arm. With the skill of a gymnast, the ninja flipped through the air and landed softly. Tawni barely avoided another swift knife attack.

She threw herself across the bed, slid forward, and hit the floor on the far side. She grabbed her gun and tried to shoot at an awkward angle. The weapon clicked uselessly. The ninja reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of bullets. She dropped them onto the floor.

Fuck,
Tawni thought.

She sprinted out of the bedroom. She needed another weapon
fast.

She pulled up short when she saw Aaron sitting at her white kitchen table. He was sipping a cup of coffee.

"Sir?" she said in confusion.

"Pay attention to your enemy," he replied without looking up from his cup.

Tawni turned around. The female ninja kicked Tawni's chest, driving the air from her lungs. She staggered backwards and her eyes bulged. She twisted to avoid another violent knife thrust.

Tawni didn't understand what was happening, but clearly, Aaron wasn't going to save her.

She dashed towards a closet where she kept a sword within easy reach. The ninja was two steps back. Tawni grabbed a vase and threw it backwards, but the ninja evaded it. Still, it was enough of a distraction to allow Tawni to reach the closet. She was grabbing the door handle when a thrown knife struck the door two inches from her hand. The blade went deep into the wood.

Tawni opened the closet and dived inside. She heard another knife hit the outside of the door. She grabbed her sword from a high shelf. It was an authentic Japanese katana in a wooden scabbard, and the blade was very sharp.

Tawni was pulling out the sword when the closet door flew open. The ninja was standing there with two more knives in her hands.

When she saw the sword, she backed away. "Do you know how to use that?"

Tawni furrowed her brow. It was a strange question to ask in the middle of a fight. "Yes."

"Let's see," the ninja said. "Try to cut me."

Tawni noticed the ninja had black pointed fingernails. Tawni suddenly understood.

"You're Marina! This is a test, isn't it?"

The ninja pulled off her mask. Beautiful red hair flowed down her back. Freckles on her nose made her seem girlish.

"I thought it would be a fun way to introduce myself."

Tawni took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. "Fun for you, maybe."

"I was very careful not to hurt you," Marina said. "I'm serious though. I want to see you use that sword."

"It's razor sharp."

"I would hope so."

Aaron looked over from the kitchen table with an interested expression.

Tawni stepped into a fighting stance with the sword held in front. Marina gripped her knives tightly. It seemed she intended to block with them.

Tawni lunged forward. Marina slid underneath the attack and kicked upwards. The sword was knocked out of Tawni's hands. Marina tripped Tawni while she was still watching it fly in a high arc. Marina rolled to her feet and grabbed the sword before it hit the ground.

"Keep practicing," Marina said.

Her face warm with embarrassment, Tawni stood up. Marina returned the sword to her.

"What do you think of my recruit?" Aaron said.

"Talented." Marina nodded. "A natural warrior. I approve."

Tawni smiled a little despite the circumstances. Compliments from commanders were a precious thing in the Gray Spear Society.

Aaron stood up. "Let's go back to headquarters. It's going to be a busy day."

"Can I get dressed first, sir?" Tawni said. "I'm still in my pajamas."

"Hurry."

Chapter Two

Aaron followed Tawni and Marina as they walked towards the Rosemont Tower Hotel. Marina still wore her black ninja outfit, which he didn't find attractive. It was too mannish. Tawni wore a puffy, yellow shirt and a long, brown skirt. The loose clothing wasn't attention grabbing and allowed plenty of room for hiding weapons.

Even though the women had just met, they were already chatting like a couple of school girls. Tawni wanted to hear all about Marina's past exploits. Marina was happy to tell the stories, and some of them were new to Aaron. She had been a member of the Society much longer than him.

Some of the tales included explicit descriptions of sex. He knew female
legionnaires
sometimes used sex to get information. Fortunately, that situation had never happened while he and Marina had been lovers, but before they had met, she had slept with many bad men. Aaron didn't like to think about it. He drifted back so he wouldn't have to listen to the lewd accounts.

It was a beautiful morning for a walk. The sun had just risen, so the air was still cool. This part of Rosemont contained a mix of office space, retail shopping, and condominiums. The streets were wide and clean. At this time of day, there was hardly any traffic to disturb the quiet.

The Rosemont Tower Hotel was taller than all the buildings around it. The sides were sheathed in broad sheets of glass the color of a new penny. The windows fit so tightly together the seams were invisible. There was nothing that could offer the slightest grip for a climber. Tiny grooves prevented even suction cups from sticking. The tinted glass appeared opaque from the outside, making it impossible to tell how many stories the building had. Most people believed there were twenty, when in fact, there were twenty-two.

After crossing the huge parking lot, they entered the front lobby. Aaron's eyes needed a moment to adjust to the low lighting. The carpeting was black with interlocking golden hexagons. Stone tiles covered the walls and sparkled with golden flecks. A huge sculpture made of glass and flowing water hung from the ceiling. It looked like an upside-down water fountain.

Aaron noticed Mr. Rosenblum was manning the front desk. He was the manager of the hotel and normally stayed in his office. He was a middle-aged man with sparse white hair forming a ring around his skull. His black business suit and golden tie matched the carpet. A folded handkerchief poked out of his front pocket.

Aaron walked over. "You're working in the trenches this morning?"

"Yes, sir." Rosenblum stood at attention. "A couple of people called in sick, and I had to fill in. I don't mind. I like greeting our guests."

He looked over at Marina and raised his eyebrows. He knew better than to inquire about her strange attire. Aaron had trained Rosenblum not to ask questions.

"Anything going on that I should know about?" Aaron said.

"We had a small incident last night. A guest had a medical condition and needed to be taken to the hospital."

"Were the circumstances suspicious?"

"No, sir," Rosenblum said, "or I would've called you."

Aaron nodded. "Good."

"Did you see the monthly statement from the accountant?"

"Of course."

"It was alarming," Rosenblum said. "This hotel lost money last month despite being fully booked. Our costs are too high."

"We've talked about this before. It's not your money. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry, but I feel it's my obligation to keep an eye on the bottom line. It's normally considered part of the job of general manager."

Aaron sighed. "Fine. You've officially done your job. I'll see you later."

He walked towards a side corridor. Marina and Tawni followed close behind.

"Management issues?" Marina whispered.

He shrugged. "Putting my headquarters on top of a hotel may not be the smartest decision I ever made, but I'll make it work."

They entered a long, narrow corridor with doors on both sides. A huge mirror at the end allowed him to see if anybody was following, and nobody was. He glanced over his shoulder just to be sure.

The group opened a door and entered a small conference room. Six brass chairs were arranged around a black hexagonal table. The walls were covered with golden wallpaper with blue vertical lines.

He grabbed a remote from the table and punched in a special code. A computer monitor on the wall turned on, and it showed live feeds from surveillance cameras in the area. He watched the video for a minute to confirm again that nobody had tailed them.

Finally, he waved to a piece of abstract sculpture standing in the corner. It was made of lacquered wood and full of tiny holes.

The whole room began to rise up like an elevator. It emerged into a concrete chamber with a dome ceiling. Aaron, Marina, and Tawni stepped onto a bare floor. The conference room descended to its original position behind them.

They proceeded into another elevator. After Aaron typed a code into a keypad, the elevator rose swiftly.

"What do you think of your headquarters?" Marina asked Tawni.

"It's great!" Tawni said. "I never want to leave."

"I'm jealous. We're still living in a temporary facility in San Francisco. It could be another year before we move into a permanent headquarters. It takes forever to get these things built no matter how much money we spend."

"What sort of headquarters are you planning, ma'am?"

Marina shook her head. "I can't tell you. We don't share those secrets between teams."

Tawni frowned.

They reached the secret twenty-second floor, and the elevator doors opened. They walked into another concrete chamber. The walls were painted white, and the only furniture was a small, white couch. Intense illumination made Aaron squint.

Nancy was sitting in the security booth behind a window that was six inches thick. As usual, her thick lips were curved in a pleasant smile. Her brown, frizzy hair stuck out at odd angles. Aaron couldn't see what she was wearing because the booth was dark, but he expected it was baggy and had stains.

"Hello, Marina," Nancy said. "I didn't know you were in town, ma'am. It's good to see you."

"I got in last night," Marina said.

"Is everybody else here?" Aaron said.

Nancy looked at him. "Smythe and Kamal are eating breakfast, sir. Norbert and the twins are running a little late."

He furrowed his brow. "That's unfortunate. I need the twins to do some research for me. We're starting a new investigation."

"I'll let them know."

A side door buzzed.

Aaron led his female companions through the door and down a gray corridor. Metallic tiles with a granular texture covered the ceiling and floor. They were one of several layers of armor that protected headquarters.

The group entered the kitchen. There were two sinks in a long, stainless steel counter that ran along an entire wall. On the other side of the room, a pair of massive industrial refrigerators hummed quietly. Two dishwashers were beside them. An abundance of wooden cabinets provided plenty of storage space. Copper pots and cooking utensils hung from ceiling hooks. A big, circular table made of smoky glass occupied the center of the room.

Smythe and Kamal were sitting at the table, eating bowls of cereal.

Smythe stood up with a smile. "Marina! I didn't know you were coming. This is a pleasant surprise." He gave Marina a friendly hug.

His short hair was the color of rust. A big, square jaw was his most striking feature, but his blue eyes were a close second. The color was so light they looked watery. A gray T-shirt was stretched across his huge chest and shoulders.

"I didn't want to announce my travel schedule," Marina said. "It would be unfortunate if the legate heard I was here."

"I understand."

"You and Odelia are still seeing each other?"

"She's been here twice," he said, "and I've been to Los Angeles three times."

"I wish I could see Aaron that much. It's so hard for commanders to get away, and my team is still missing pieces thanks to Xavier's betrayal. I already feel guilty about abandoning my responsibilities."

"Your team can survive without you for a couple of days."

"I wish I was sure about that," Marina said.

Kamal shook her hand. "Hello, ma'am. Welcome back."

His blue slacks had creases so sharp they looked dangerous. A white shirt was buttoned all the way to the top, and it fit his slender frame well. He wore a black bowtie which somehow looked proper and elegant on him. His parents had come from southern India, and his skin was very dark.