Phoenix13: Redemption (Phoenix13 Book 2)

Part #11: The Truth's Girl: Chapter Two

Chapter Two

TTCHHUUT! The soft sound of a bullet slicing through the air brought Jason's head up so fast he almost smacked his head on the steel beam above him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His heart flew immediately into overdrive. He had his gun raised and steadied within a fraction of a second; his finger brushed the side of the trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice. "Who the fuck was that?" he said after a beat of silence. "It's not fuckin' funny, whoever the hell that was! You want me to blow your fucking head off? Huh?"

"Prince McKinley." A familiar—and unwelcome—voice sounded from the shooting booth next to his. "Eloquent and observant as ever. Do I have your attention now?"

"Caleb Ashwood," Jason said. "You've got a whole hellavu a lot more than that, coming in here. Now get the fuck outta my shooting range before I break down this wall between us and beat your traitorous ass to death."

The police chief of Nathandra was quiet for some time. If it weren't for the sound of the other man's loud breathing only feet away, Jason would have thought that Ashwood had beaten a hasty retreat.

"You just gonna stand there all day?" Jason sneered. "Or are you gonna shoot?"

"I'm not here to shoot," Ashwood said. He sounded uncomfortable. Nervous. In his mind's eyes, Jason could see the beads of sweat forming on the chief's pale brow.

"Well I am." Jason removed his gun's safety and turned back toward the front of the range. He had cut out a picture of Alexx Sullivan's face and pasted it over his target's blank paper head; the bounty-hunter's dark eyes stared back at him tauntingly. He emptied his clip into the cardboard-and-paper torso. Every squeeze of the trigger sent a powerful shock of adrenaline directly into his bloodstream. When his clip was empty, he ejected it, tossing it aside. "So, Asswood. Unless you wanna replace Sullivan out there," he snarled, "I suggest you shut your goddamn pie hole." He loaded a new clip into his weapon with a sharp click.

"Prince McKinley." Ashwood tried again. "The Lady Rosetta Callista sent me to find you. She's calling some kind of meeting in the Council Hall. She said it was urgent. I don't know why she thought you'd react well to me showing up, but..."

"Shut it." Jason was out of the booth in an instant. He strapped his handgun to his thigh, pulling down his white jacket to cover the grip. Without bothering to seal the booth behind him, he marched up the stairwell and emerged into a wide gold-carpeted hallway. He didn't pause once as he made his way through the citadel toward the Council Hall, dodging the attentions of the guards and Defense Agents patrolling the corridors with graceful ease.

"Ah, Prince McKinley." Rosetta rose from the queen's throne as Jason entered the hall. The lady's white gown clung to her body and rippled against her booted ankles as she walked forward to greet the young prince. Behind her, Parrion Faye stood watchful and silent beside the king's throne, his glimmering green eyes fixed on Jason. Rosetta smiled. A coldly courteous gesture. "The others have already arrived. There is an urgent matter I wish to speak of."

Jason moved toward the elevated thrones, his boots leaving smears of dark gunpowder on the gold and red carpet. As he looked into the two opposing rows of staggered seats facing each other across the aisle, he saw three familiar and one unfamiliar faces looking back at him. Bree Redd was there, along with Ariel Winters and Sterling Cole. The other was an adult woman who appeared to be of mixed Japanese and Northern European heritage, with light hazel skin and long, sleek hair dyed smoky purple. She had eyes like a fox, dark and keen. Those eyes followed Jason as he passed her.

"Hey, Captain," Bree said, waving. "Glad you're here. What's this about, anyway?"

Jason shrugged. "Dunno." Jumping the short flight of stairs leading up to the throne platform, he landed next to Rosetta. "Lady Rosetta, you mind clearing up that one for me?"