host show us around?” I asked as I got a grip of the ropes holding our prisoner. “We could start with the storage rooms.”
“ Sounds fascinating,” Pele nodded with smug satisfaction and took Acan from me. “Where are the drugs?”
“ The tower,” he grimaced.
Pele almost looked disappointed that she didn't have to torture the information out of him. She contented herself with shoving him out of the room though. We followed them down a long, airy corridor, marble floor echoing with the thumping of our boots and the sweet scent of jungle flowers flowing in on the breeze. The place looked like a resort. I half expected to see a waiter walk in carrying a tray laden with margaritas.
Pele pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and shoved Acan through. By the sound of the muffled grunt, he didn't catch himself in time. Sure enough, when I made my way into the room, it was to find him rolling ignominiously on the ground. Pele hadn't thought to pick him up, she was too busy staring at the hundreds of crates taking up most of the floor.
I walked past her and lifted the lid on one of them. Inside were white blocks wrapped in plastic and tape. A second crate yielded a similar product but the third one held shimmering blocks of blue. I could see sparkles glowing through the outer wrapping. I picked one up and held it in a ray of sunlight. The little shimmers caught the light like jewels.
“You mother fucker!” Trevor pulled the still struggling Acan to his feet and slammed him into a wall. Plaster rained down around them and Acan seemed to become a part of the masonry for a second. Trevor pulled him out and revealed a drug lord shaped dent. Then he punched Acan and the much smaller man went flying into a crate.
“ What am I missing?” I asked Odin, who was standing near me, looking like he was waiting his turn at the guy.
“ That's Net,” he said before pressing his lips together in a grim line.
“ Net?” I frowned. “Like the god-drug Balder used on me?”
“ The very same,” Odin smiled grimly and I looked over to see Trevor's hand around Acan's throat. The Mayan's face was turning blue.
“ Do not kill him,” Pele interrupted and Trevor looked at her like she'd lost her damn mind. “That is my right. Tell him, Godhunter.”
“ She did say that all we needed to do was clear the way,” I shrugged. “She said she would handle Acan.”
“ Drop him,” she demanded. When Trevor looked as if he would argue, she raised a hand. “He will be punished but first I would know if this is his only cache.”
“ She's got a point,” Pan piped up.
Trevor dropped him and all that was heard for the next few minutes was the sound of Acan gasping for breath. He stared up at Trevor with pure hatred and Trevor gave it right back. When Acan finally caught his breath, Pele calmly walked up and put a hand on Trevor's arm, gently edging him aside. She crouched down in front of the prone man.
“How many?”
“ This is all,” he looked way too smug for that to be the truth.
Pele held up a hand, closing all fingers except her pointer, which began to glow. Like molten lava. She slowly lowered it to Acan's face, leaving it half an inch away from his skin as he shrank back into the side of the broken crate he was propped against. She regarded him steadily, as one would regard a hedge you were about to trim. Just a job that needed to be done with the minimum amount of effort possible but the maximum effect.
“I have dreamed of listening to you scream,” she said in a bored voice. “So please know that I have no problem burning every inch of skin from your body, asking the healer to do his work, and then starting all over again. In fact, I relish the thought.”
“ This is it,” Acan's voice was shaky and sweat was pouring down his forehead.
“ You are going to die this day,” she continued as if he hadn't said anything. “It's only a question of how long you shall suffer. This is the only choice you
“ Sounds fascinating,” Pele nodded with smug satisfaction and took Acan from me. “Where are the drugs?”
“ The tower,” he grimaced.
Pele almost looked disappointed that she didn't have to torture the information out of him. She contented herself with shoving him out of the room though. We followed them down a long, airy corridor, marble floor echoing with the thumping of our boots and the sweet scent of jungle flowers flowing in on the breeze. The place looked like a resort. I half expected to see a waiter walk in carrying a tray laden with margaritas.
Pele pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and shoved Acan through. By the sound of the muffled grunt, he didn't catch himself in time. Sure enough, when I made my way into the room, it was to find him rolling ignominiously on the ground. Pele hadn't thought to pick him up, she was too busy staring at the hundreds of crates taking up most of the floor.
I walked past her and lifted the lid on one of them. Inside were white blocks wrapped in plastic and tape. A second crate yielded a similar product but the third one held shimmering blocks of blue. I could see sparkles glowing through the outer wrapping. I picked one up and held it in a ray of sunlight. The little shimmers caught the light like jewels.
“You mother fucker!” Trevor pulled the still struggling Acan to his feet and slammed him into a wall. Plaster rained down around them and Acan seemed to become a part of the masonry for a second. Trevor pulled him out and revealed a drug lord shaped dent. Then he punched Acan and the much smaller man went flying into a crate.
“ What am I missing?” I asked Odin, who was standing near me, looking like he was waiting his turn at the guy.
“ That's Net,” he said before pressing his lips together in a grim line.
“ Net?” I frowned. “Like the god-drug Balder used on me?”
“ The very same,” Odin smiled grimly and I looked over to see Trevor's hand around Acan's throat. The Mayan's face was turning blue.
“ Do not kill him,” Pele interrupted and Trevor looked at her like she'd lost her damn mind. “That is my right. Tell him, Godhunter.”
“ She did say that all we needed to do was clear the way,” I shrugged. “She said she would handle Acan.”
“ Drop him,” she demanded. When Trevor looked as if he would argue, she raised a hand. “He will be punished but first I would know if this is his only cache.”
“ She's got a point,” Pan piped up.
Trevor dropped him and all that was heard for the next few minutes was the sound of Acan gasping for breath. He stared up at Trevor with pure hatred and Trevor gave it right back. When Acan finally caught his breath, Pele calmly walked up and put a hand on Trevor's arm, gently edging him aside. She crouched down in front of the prone man.
“How many?”
“ This is all,” he looked way too smug for that to be the truth.
Pele held up a hand, closing all fingers except her pointer, which began to glow. Like molten lava. She slowly lowered it to Acan's face, leaving it half an inch away from his skin as he shrank back into the side of the broken crate he was propped against. She regarded him steadily, as one would regard a hedge you were about to trim. Just a job that needed to be done with the minimum amount of effort possible but the maximum effect.
“I have dreamed of listening to you scream,” she said in a bored voice. “So please know that I have no problem burning every inch of skin from your body, asking the healer to do his work, and then starting all over again. In fact, I relish the thought.”
“ This is it,” Acan's voice was shaky and sweat was pouring down his forehead.
“ You are going to die this day,” she continued as if he hadn't said anything. “It's only a question of how long you shall suffer. This is the only choice you
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