The hall was clean, but dark as a shed, with brick walls held together by ancient, sloppy mortar and a wooden plank floor finished in old-age wear and tear. Down to the left, there was a metal door on the scale of the elevator with an EXIT sign over it. All the way to the right, there was another door—this one made of nickel-plated steel panels.

Jim unholstered his gun and took the safety off. “She likely to live with anyone?”

“Solo operator, generally speaking. Although she has been known to take pets from time to time.”

“Rottweilers?”

“Spitting cobras. Copperheads. She likes snakes—but then maybe it’s a recycle, reuse thing for her shoes and handbags. Who the fuck knows.”

As they walked over to the nickel-plated door, Jim whistled softly. Stacked up one on top of another, the seven dead bolts gleamed like honor medals on the chest of a soldier. “Jesus, check out the locks on this thing.”

“Even the paranoid have enemies, son,” Adrian murmured.

“Yeah, you can lose the ‘son’ shit.”

“How old are you? Forty? I’m four hundred if I’m a day.”

“Okay, fine.” Jim glared over his shoulder. “Can you work your magic on this, Gramps?”

Adrian flipped his middle finger, put his hand on the knob, and…got nowhere. “Fuck. She’s blocked this.”

“What do you mean?”

“The worst kind of spell.” Adrian nodded grimly at Eddie. “You’re up.”

As the silent man stepped forward, Adrian grabbed onto Jim’s arm and pulled back. “You’re going to want to give him some space.”

Eddie lifted his palm and closed his eyes and went statue still. His strong face with its prominent lips and square jaw assumed a calm determination, and after a moment, soft chanting emanated from him—except as far as Jim knew, the man’s…angel’s…whatever…lips were not moving.

Oh, wait…it wasn’t singing.

Waves of energy pulsed out of the angel’s palm, like heat rising on asphalt in the summer, and making a rythmic sound as they rippled through the air.

One by one there were a series of shifts as the dead bolts released, and then there was a final click and the door wafted open as if the space beyond had let out a breath.

“Nice,” Jim murmured as Eddie’s hooded lids lifted.

The guy took a deep breath and moved his shoulders around as if they were stiff. “Let’s be quick about this. We don’t know how long she’s going to be out for.”

Adrian went in first, a vicious kind of hatred burning in his expression, and Eddie was right on his tail.

“What…the…fuck…” Jim said as he entered.

“Always with the collecting,” Adrian spat. “The bitch.”