Early to Death, Early to Rise - Kim Harrison [46]
Nakita was ashen. “I almost scythed him. I…would have.”
“It’s my fault,” I said. Everything was blue when I saw the virus being uploaded to the disc. It was Ace. I’d been in Ace while he made a duplicate of the virus in Shoe’s computer. Maybe the future wasn’t here yet. Why hadn’t I tried to get him to look in a mirror?
As if from a great distance, I heard Barnabas say, “We’re following the wrong person.”
“It’s Ace,” I said, as if it weren’t already crystal clear, and Shoe jerked back when I grabbed his hand, looking at his fingertips. “There’s no ink on your hands.”
“What is your problem?” he asked, pulling back out of my grip.
“My problem is that I’m stupid!” I exclaimed, taking a step forward and feeling faint. “I’m such a dunce! Shoe, I saw Ace in your room at your computer. I thought it was you. He downloaded the virus to a disc. We have to find Ace before Ron does.”
“You were spying on me?” Shoe said hotly, and I grimaced. He was worried about a little spying?
“Ace is trying to get even with you. I thought I was seeing you be mad at him. I never considered it might be him mad at you.” I had to find Ace. He was somewhere with that virus.
“He’s been mad at me for a long time,” Shoe said softly. “He knew I was doing this tonight, and now I bet he’s going to make it look like I downed the hospital, too. I ought to kill him.”
Nakita dissolved her sword in a flashy show of whirling. “No need. I’ll do it.”
Shoe’s face went pale. “I was kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“Life ended, a soul to save,” Grace said mournfully. “Decisions age-old are made. Is it choice? Is it fate? Forgiveness or hate? When love is what all of us crave.”
Shocked, I stared at her dim glow. It was…good.
Barnabas touched my arm, and I jerked. “Ace’s mother works at the hospital,” he reminded me, and I turned to the black windows.
Nakita leaned to look out at the sky, her long throat showing in the light. “He has a way to get in.”
Beside me, Shoe was clenching his teeth. “And he knows how to upload it. I showed him how. I’m such an idiot. I’m going to get blamed for this, not him.”
Stomach knotting, I looked at Barnabas. “We have to get to the hospital.”
At the window, Nakita made a muffled oath, then shouted, “Drop!”
I stared at the window, seeing the black shape coming at it. Barnabas reached up and yanked me down behind one of the lab stations. I hit Shoe on the way, and he fell under me. “Hey!” I yelped, then clapped my hands over my ears as something crashed through the window.
Glass flew, tinkling, and a faint bell began ringing. Swell. Just peachy keen.
“It’s Ron!” Grace chimed out, her hazy shadow darting over us.
I picked a piece of glass out of my hair and sat up, safe behind the tall lab bench. “No kidding.”
From inside the room came Ron’s harrumph, and I could almost see him standing with his feet spread wide and his eyes turning blue like they did when he was angry. At least he wasn’t trying to stop time. “Madison!” he said loudly, and I met Shoe’s eyes, mouthing for him to stay down. “It’s over. I’m putting a guardian angel on him.”
I peeked above the lab bench to find Ron at the front of the room before the whiteboard. A hazy glow above him had to be the guardian angel, as yet unassigned. Ron was wearing his usual off-white tunic and pants, and he looked satisfied. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut and let him believe that Shoe was the mark. Maybe I can pull this off after all.
“Go,” Barnabas said, hunched beside me. “Grace and I will keep him busy. If he wants to put an angel on Shoe, then Ace doesn’t have one yet.”
“Madison?” Ron called. “Show yourself.”
“But you can’t stand up to Ron!” I almost hissed. “He’ll just stop time or something.”
Grace drifted down to land on Barnabas’s shoulder, giggling. “I’m a guardian angel first, baby,” she said, her words cheerful. “I can keep Ron from messing with time.”
“We’ll be fine,” Barnabas said, gesturing with his eyes for me to leave. “Go.”
“What about the other guardian angel?” I asked.
“She doesn’t have free will,” Grace said. “No name, you see.