Chapter 157

Dexter's POV

The panic coming from his friend was almost physical – that is, Dexter was sure it was some parasite that had latched onto Ghastly's entire body making his hands shake, sweat all over, either talk very fast or not at all. All his movements were barely visible, although that might have been the boxer in him.

How could anyone blame him though? His baby girl had been kidnapped by a sex-trafficking drug lord. They were all panicking a bit.

The house they had been given the address of seemed to be the one. Saracen was talking a lot and being quiet a lot too. Not having Erskine, Anton and Valkyrie was really throwing him off. He could work alone and in small groups, even with people other than the Dead Men, but the longer he lived and worked with his brothers the harder it was to be away. That was just how he was.

Dexter shook his head of the thoughts. He couldn't keep distracting himself. He was the driver after all. Just a few streets away and he'd have brought them to their destination.

"Are we sneaking in or being direct?" Fletcher asked in a lull in the conversation.

"Being direct," Ghastly said firmly, commandingly. "If we keep Griever's distracted Tanith might get free. At the least, we need information from him."

Fletcher hesitated. "Don't you usually just punch the bad guys and make them talk? Why aren't we doing that?"

Ghastly hesitated this time.

"I like Fletcher's plan better," Saracen seconded.

"Let's compromise," Dexter said, revving the engine and driving straight through the iron gates, sending the dog running away from the car. He didn't stop there though, even as his friends shouted at him to stop, he smashed into the side of the house, causing a scraping boom!

There was a split second of shock from them all and then there was the big scramble to go. They all had guns, although Dexter didn't trust Fletcher to use his, and Ghastly gave a good kick on the door and it burst open. There were two people in the front entrance, one with a gun and one without. Dexter jumped on the one without a gun and started punching, twisting and choking the guy out. Ghastly flicked his wrist and the other one crumpled as his neck was snapped by the speed of the air.

His friends moved through the house and he took up the back, keeping it clear. Saracen led them directly to a living area that Ghastly opened using his magic to snap the lock.

Nadia was balled up on a sofa in a fancy looking living room, tears on her face.

"Nadia!" He whispered loudly.

She practically shot into the air. "Oh my god!"

"Fletcher, get her out of here," Ghastly told him.

"Wait!" She almost shouted, then slapped hands over her mouth. Fletcher popped beside her but didn't take her away. "Where's Val?"

"Looking for Laila and Myra," Dexter told her as Ghastly and Saracen left to move onto more enemies. "Do you know anything?"

"You know who kidnapped us, right? Tanith is here, but I think in a more secure place. I don't know where Laila is, but Myra's bringing her here," Nadia told him quickly.

"Good to know. You need to get out of here," Dexter told her and barely a second later, she was gone and Fletcher was back.

They caught up to the other two in the kitchen and the fight started to become more of a battle for the second time that day. The house – or mansion rather – was crawling with armed mages. Dexter was almost surprised because he realised they, the enemy, had planned for this eventuality, and they still hadn't found Tanith. Fletcher was picking people off and sending them god-knows-where which helped massively, but for everyone they shot down or got teleported away, another rounded the corner. Dexter gritted his teeth.

.*****.

Valkyrie's POV

It was beginning to sprinkle with rain, and Valkyrie's frustrations, worry and anger were being maximised by the rapidly cooling temperature. Laila was seven weeks old, she needed to be fed, a place to sleep without interruption and warmth. She could die without those things.

Valkyrie had an idea of where Myra may be, however. She was parked across from a bus stop in a multi-story parking lot, or whatever it was called in America, and looking out steadily. If her phone was right, this was the only bus stop that would come out near to Griever's private property. That was still a twenty-minute walk on foot, according to the phone, but she should have gotten here before Myra. It was all based on if she took the thirty-minute mark bus, or the one after it, or if there were delays that meant she was held up for some time at one bus stop or another. The buses here came every ten minutes and although a lot of women with children had come and gone in this nice area, she hadn't seen Myra.

This was assuming she hadn't gotten a taxi. Which Valkyrie had no way of knowing.

Still, she had to hope. She knew her family had to be at Griever's home by now, so if Myra was ahead of them hopefully Saracen would pick up on it and get to Laila without her. But… her gut kept her still. She always had to trust her gut feeling.

Valkyrie was on the bottom floor and pacing like a lunatic when the correct bus turned up. She caught sight of Myra through one of the windows and ducked behind a car. Some moments later the bus came to a high-pitched screech of a stop and Valkyrie watched carefully as Myra got off. Knowing she was no longer able to keep travelling by public vehicle, and sure of her destination now, Valkyrie went around the car, jumped the barrier and began carefully stalking the girl.

Myra didn't seem to notice anything at first. Valkyrie ran across the road and joined a small group consisting of maybe six adults and ten children and followed behind their protection. Eventually the parents of the children started looking at her oddly and she had to cross to the opposite side of the street. That was when Myra caught sight of her.

They locked eyes.

Myra ran, jostling Laila terribly, who had already been crying. Valkyrie put on the speed and ran into a car, jumped over it, and tried to catch up to the girl. Myra turned a corner and just as Valkyrie followed her around, Myra was standing there. Holding a gun level to Valkyrie's nose.

"Myra," Valkyrie said, pouring magic into her voice. "Drop the gun."

"That's not my real name," Myra informed her viciously. "Get on the floor or I'll shoot you."

"That's not going to happen," Valkyrie said, although she did put her hands up. Two men came around the corner, attempted to grab Valkyrie – she didn't so much as look away from Myra's eyes – and came to a skidding halt when they realised what they had involved themselves in. They were gasping and gaping. "If you give me the baby I'll let you go. I won't tell anyone what happened, I'll even help you get to Australia again if you want. But you know I'm not leaving without that baby."

"My whole mission was to report on you and keep you on the right track here," Myra told her, spittle flying from her mouth. "Now you know I'm a spy, it won't be long until everyone does. I have to complete my mission or they'll kill me."

"I'll kill you if you don't give me the child. I'm a certainty, the others are only small chances if you help me help you. It's your best shot," Valkyrie told her, keeping her voice measured. Some of the rest of the family turned around the corner, wondering why it was all so quiet. They stopped dead and then most of them ran back behind the corner, although a handful of children and one of the women seemed to fall over at the sight of the gun and didn't move. Again, Valkyrie didn't look at them.

Myra laughed. "I'm better off killing the kid and then getting killed by you than giving you the kid and waiting for them to torture me to death, you do realise that, you bitch? At least if I kill her, and you while I'm at it, I can get some satisfaction out of all this. I didn't spend the last year and a half dating a dumb boy for nothing, you know. I have plans, deadlines, expectations. If I kill you and the kid, I'll get protection, and they'll use me to get to the rest of the Dead Men. I'll get my rewards!"

"Or no one dies and no one gets hurt. Bear in mind, Myra, Griever's and his little army are being busted right this moment, and the Spiders are going to lose each ally and each bit of support piece by piece. You're on the wrong side."

"No, I don't think I am," Myra smiled.

"You do know the Spiders want to kill all mortals and you are a mortal? You understand this?"

"Don't patronise me, whore!" Myra snarled, shaking the gun and taking a step closer. Laila was still crying but was weaker, more tired. "I'm older than you, and I've had a lot more training than you. I was picked out from birth to help take down the Dead Men! It's my purpose!"

Police sirens in the distance. "I don't want to fight you, Myra. The Dead Men don't want to fight you, you were welcome in our home. No one has ever done anything hurtful towards you."

"Do you think I care?" Myra asked.

"Yes, I do. Else you would have shot me by now. Let me help you. I can get you away from all this, to somewhere safe," Valkyrie pressed.

"You can't reason with me," Myra grinned and took the gun away. She held it towards Laila's head and Valkyrie almost fell to her knees. "But why don't you try. Tell me, Valkyrie Cain, how much are you willing to bargain for her measly life?"

"Whatever you want," Valkyrie said immediately, staring at the tip of Laila's head that was visible from behind the carrier. "What do you want, I'll get it!"

"Hmm, how about killing Meritorious?"

Valkyrie swallowed. "Yes."

"Would you give me your brothers?"

"Yes."

"You'd let them die for the kid?"

"They'd rather die than her," Valkyrie said with certainty.

Myra pretended to consider the offer. "I know what I want!" She suddenly said. "If you kill all these mortals, I'll let you have the baby. You'll have to let me go too of course, with immunity and protection, but the baby won't get hurt."

Frighteningly, Valkyrie thought about it for a moment. But no, she couldn't even consider murdering those innocent crying children. "I can't do that," she whispered. "You know that."

She grinned. "Of course I do, silly," Myra grinned. "Well, if there's nothing better you can–"

Valkyrie struck before Myra could finish her sentence – using her magic, she pulled the gun firstly up, making it both fire and break Myra's finger, and then pulled it again and it flew into the air. Before the second was up, she was in Myra's face and punched her harder than she'd ever punched another person before, grabbing her limp body before it fell.

Carefully, Valkyrie let Myra fall to the ground, not letting her jolt the baby. She abandoned the carrier and just pulled Laila straight from it and held her in her arms, heart beating erratically. A moment later the gun fell out of the sky and skidded into the road and the mortals started screaming and crying, and then a police vehicle came around the corner from the opposite end of the street.

Valkyrie was in a lot of pain again now, whatever medication they had given her on-site at the job had worn out. Her arms were aching from the tense drive, she was tired from the pacing and stressing, and was just burnt out from all that had happened. She felt as if she were about to burst out crying. She had been horrifically tortured already that day.

But she had Laila. She held her goddaughter close, supported her head, and got the hell out of there before the police got a good look at her face.

I'm so glad this chapter is up. Not having Laila safe in your minds was very hard to live with.

Hello to everyone still reading, in real time and the future! I appreciate you all so much.

Demine Rim: I'm glad you're enjoying it, next chapter has lots of Tanith so keep holding! x

Lord Duck: I'm the same as you, I like the idea of Ghastly and Tanith, and having a baby in the book as necessary in order to replace Alice. Tanith was the nearest female and became a tribute, and I like to think the relationship, whilst failed, is also sort of natural and that they can be a representative of two friends raising a child in peace. I think a lot of children would have benefited from that so they became that couple I suppose, if we are labelling them. The longer we go with this story, the more it will divert from the books. Whilst there will be a war, it won't be the same as Erskine is not an evil little shit in this story, so a big player is out. No spoilers of course! But we will have a few chapters at least after the war, I'll direct their futures, and we'll have some epilogues. I'll continue with some one-shots too on the other story doc I have which will detail anything fun I think of. After that, I'll have to leave the story and move on. We'll get to see Laila grown up too, at least by a few years :)