Doppelgangster - Laura Resnick [97]
Max drew in a sharp breath, too. Then he seized one of the swords on the table.
“Max, what are you doing?” I grabbed his arm and hung on. “Just reprimand her! You don’t have to kill her!”
Lucky reached into his pocket and shoved past the massive snarling dog. I heard the snap of metal, and I saw something glint beneath the overhead lights as Lucky made a slashing motion at Lopez’s face.
I cried out. Lopez moved just as fast. His fist shot out, his weight shifted, and the knife in Lucky’s hand flew past Nelli as the gangster went tumbling to the floor.
“Max,” Lucky rasped, sounding like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. “Now!”
Lopez had already picked up a chair and was using it to ward off Nelli, who was stalking him, her growls terrifyingly loud, her fangs dripping, her eyes glowing with feral aggression. “Call off your dog, Max, or I’ll shoot it!”
“Nelli, run!” Max cried, shaking off my slack grip. “It’s armed!”
I saw that the skin of Lopez’s cheek was gaping open from the wound Lucky had inflicted.
There was no blood.
“Oh, my God,” I said in a strangled voice. “Max! NO!”
The old mage rushed forward with his sword.
Still keeping the chair between himself and Nelli, Lopez reached for his gun. But dealing with three adversaries and surprised by Max’s attack, he wasn’t quite fast enough. He was still drawing his weapon when Max cut off his head.
18
I screamed so shrilly, my ears rang. Nelli barked. Lopez disappeared.
One moment he was there, his body falling as his head was separated violently from his shoulders by the mighty sweep of Max’s blade. And the next moment he was gone as feathers, chunks of soil, pale little sticks, leaves, and pebbles flew through the air and rolled around the floor.
I sank to my knees. I wanted to scream again, but my vocal cords wouldn’t work. All that came out was a strangled, squealing sound.
Lucky was trying to sit up, coughing as he brushed feathers and dust away from his face. “Eph . . . ephem . . . ephemeral substances,” he mumbled.
Nelli was busily sniffing at all the detritus and debris, scrambling around the room in furious haste as she examined the bits and pieces of what had been, only moments ago . . .
“Lopez?” I croaked.
Someone was screaming my name over the cell phone that sat next to me. I stared in numb shock at the ephemeral substances scattered all around me, while Max helped Lucky off the floor. Then I picked up the cell phone. Moving mechanically, I raised it to my face.
“Hello?”
“Esther? Esther!” Lopez shouted over the phone.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Are you all right?” He sounded frantic. “Esther? It’s me! Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Lucky looked at me. “You’re talkin’ on the phone? Now?”
I tried to say Lopez’s name. Instead, I slid sideways and hit the floor.
Drops of cold water sprinkled across my face. I groaned irritably and turned my head away.
A giant, warm, wet thing brushed my face. I gasped and opened my eyes—and immediately shut them as Nelli licked my face again.
“She’s coming around,” Lucky said.
Nelli made a little crooning whine of pleasure.
I remembered that I had just watched Max behead Lopez, and I sat bolt upright. “Nooooo!”
The sudden movement was too much for me, and I nearly blacked out again.
“Take it easy,” said Lucky, his arm supporting me so I could remain sitting.
“Lopez!” I wailed.
“That was not Detective Lopez,” Max said firmly. “That was a doppelgangster.”
I was panting with anxiety. “It’s not him? We’re sure it’s not him?”
“Yes,” Max said.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Lucky shifted position a little. “Take a good look, kid. No body. Just ephemeral substances.”
“No body?”
“No,” Lucky said. “Just feathers and dirt and bird bones and crap like that.”
I looked around the room. It was a chaotic mess. And there was indeed no corpse. “Bird bones . . .” I said vaguely. I remembered thinking that I had seen pale little