By Paths Coincident

Chapter 11

Lamia drifted into the lit room as though she were made of the shadows out of which she stepped. Her serpent tattoo seemed to writhe upon her arm.

While Lamia carried only her katana strapped to her back, the three henchmen flanking her spread out to cover the room with semi-automatics. The Serpent Brotherhood was stepping up its game. Everyone in the room ceased moving. Eve took one step forward, but as the cold muzzle of a pistol targeted her, she froze.

Lamia ignored the Guardian, her focus on Eliot Spencer. Eve realized that the assassin had no idea that the man who leaned nonchalantly against a table, his arms folded and one leg crossed over the other, an appreciative smile on his face, was not Jacob Stone, and she had to resist the incongruous urge to laugh.

Spencer looked Lamia up and down in the most insulting manner possible, tilted his head in a sideways nod, and said, "The Serpent Brotherhood. It's been awhile. My compliments to the recruiters."

Wait just one damn minute. How did Spencer know about Dulaque's cult? Was it possible by any stretch of the imagination that Lamia was expecting Spencer instead of Stone?

"So, cowboy." Lamia's voice was a caress. "Are you going to come with me without a fight?"

"Darlin', you know I never go anywhere without a fight." Spencer straightened up, still not obviously prepared to attack her, but no longer relaxed. "As temptin' as you make that offer, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to decline."

Eliot Spencer had the reputation to back up the utter confidence in his voice, but Eve could not imagine how an unarmed man, even one such as he, could hope to best a swordswoman of Lamia's caliber when he had no element of surprise on his side. Whatever victory he hoped to gain, he must surely know the price would be paid in blood.

The ceiling above the man who had his gun trained on Eve rattled, drawing everyone's eyes. Eve seized the opportunity and dropped, rolling for cover, and incidentally, giving herself a better location from which to attack the second gunman.

As the first gunman took aim at the grating, it broke loose, hitting him on the head and knocking him to the ground. In the opening above him appeared a blond ponytail followed by the demented upside down smile of Martha.

"Eliot! Sword!" she called, as she thrust a scabbard through the vent.

Spencer did not glance her direction, but he caught the weapon over his shoulder when she threw it to him.

Martha disappeared up the vent, then swung down feet first like a gymnast on parallel bars, driving her boots directly into the face of Lamia's henchman as he was staggering to his feet. Dropping first to the table top, she leapt to the floor and finished her man with a stomp to his head.

Whirling around, Martha pulled a Taser off her belt, flourishing it with a shrill war cry. The Taser accounted for the third gunman.

Eve used the distraction to launch herself at the man she was stalking. For a moment they wrestled for control of his weapon, but the heel of her hand, striking his jaw with all of her force knocked his head back and allowed her to throw him to the ground. The pistol skittered across the floor.

She had her opponent face down, his arms pinned and her knee in his back when she found a dark hand holding something out to her.

"Zip tie?" Colin asked, as though offering her sugar with her tea.

Who were these crazy people Spencer worked with? Nevertheless, Eve took the strip of plastic and secured her captive. Then, just to be sure he did not get up and interfere again, she coldcocked him. That was cathartic.