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"That’s the one"

"Yeah, she’s already upstairs We got her out ASAP She wasn’t any too happy about it Said she wanted to see you kick some ass" He sentabilities Sucker

I smiled sweetly "Not in these shoes They’re rentals"

The elevator lurched and cauard came to alert, I held out a hand and launchedfor trouble A Sentinel was in the ork, trying to short-circuit the brakes and snap the cable Nice I didn’t even have to act; the Wardens and the Djinn swar the unfortunate eneuard, who looked tense and prone to frowns, and leaned against the polished wood of the elevator wall "So," I said, as the lift tre Stones, eh? Crazy?"

"Hard to believe, I know" - he shrugged - "but I gotta say, lady, in the crazy sweepstakes, you and your wedding are coainst us"

The doors dinged at the penthouse level, and I strolled ri I wasn’t asked for ID; apparently, the dress was a big tip-off

I went into the suite, walked straight to the bar, and poured ered shot of tequila No lis This was about serious alcohol, delivered in its purest forave cactus; I gasped and bent over the bar, tingling all over

"Wow," Cherise said, watching me "It’s like Brides Gone Wild Impressive"

I held out ed "Glad you’re okay," she whispered "I was so scared"

"I wasn’t," Kevin said He was stretched out on ood tuxedo and getting his nicely polished shoes all over the fabric Unlike Lewis and David, he wasn’t iged a groo you’d be barbecued"

"Asshole," Cherise said It sounded like she htened a little "Her wedding just got blown all to hell You could at least not be a total wad about it For once"

He sat up completely, brushed the hair out of his eyes, and looked a little less s "Sorry," he said, and al to come out the way you wanted it to You wanted to draw the Sentinels out; you did it Most of theht?"

"I don’t know," I said "The plan was to force them out in the open so we could identify the pretty well"

"It wasn’t just the wedding," Kevin said "All the shiny pieces were here, right? Ashan? The Oracles?"

Yeah, as if I’d actually planned that part "Sure The better to get theot hiuy" He lass of tequila and downed it

"You ht want to leave," I said "Because this isn’t over"

Both Kevin and Cherise looked taken aback, looking around at the calm, orderly luxury of the penthouse Out at sea, the stor; there was still tension in the tectonic plates, but it was being bled off in harmless ways by the Earth Wardens The Ma’at were all over the whole balancing problem It all lookedcallasses and put the bottle aside "Go now"

Kevin grabbed Cherise’s hand and dragged her, still protesting, toward the door I didn’t raise litter of the alcohol in crystal, and when I heard the door click shut, I said, "You ht as well show yourself I know you’re here" I could feel his presence now I couldn’t believe how it felt - how cold, how empty

I heard the chuckle, and it was so familiar, so damned familiar it burned I tried hard not to shudder, tried to keep ht "Tequila, " Bad Bob said "Always thought you were a scotch girl, Jo"

"I am," I said "But I relass and turned, holding it out

Sure enough, on the other side of the roo a tuxedo, too, or half of one, anyway; the pants were formal, the shirt untucked, the tie loosened No coat His suspenders were in a garish rainbow that brought to mind the early oeuvre of Robin Williams

"Like it?" He snapped the suspenders with his thuht I’d help you celebrate the happy day And it’s a happy day, isn’t it? You and David, all cozy and bound up together, till death do you part" Bad Bob grinned, all teeth and crazy blue eyes "I’ll take that drink now"

I levitated it across to hihed and snatched it out of the air, threw it back, and blew the shot glass into powder in midair with a random burst of power

"You knohat I arin, relentless as a shark, and as at rando you"

"I know," I said "I’ve killed three of you so far"

That snapped his head around fast, and the grin turned bloody in its intensity "Don’t flatter yourself," he said "You used our own against us twice That doesn’t even count Any fool Warden could have done it But the last - ah, the last one was special She was mine"

"I didn’t think the Demons had family"

"I didn’t say she was family; I said she was mine I created her; I cultivated her I set her on you And you stood there and watched her die" His smile twitched insanely "Poetic justice, I suppose, your Djinn pouring poison down her throat the way I did it to you in the first place Never been much for poetry, myself" He stretched out a hand The bottle of tequila left the bar and arrowed across the room to smack into his palm He sed one mouthful, then two, and licked his lips "Down to us, isn’t it?"