Cyrus walked out of the study and went swiftly down the stairs. The need to find Sedona had become overwhelming in the short span of time that he had spent with Robert Snow.
Mentally he put the pieces together in his head. It was no secret on Rainshadow that Sedona had decided to attend the birthday reception. Blankenship and whoever was working for him had concluded that the easiest way to get to her was to find a way into the Snow clan. The one person on Rainshadow who might have had that kind of insider information was Brock Preston. Odds were that he had either wittingly or unwittingly provided Blankenship with the name of a weak spot in the Snow clan—Sedona’s aunt Ellen Snow, the wife of Robert’s younger brother.
When he reached the first-floor hall he started toward the ballroom. His intuition was flaring, rezzing all of his senses—which was why he became aware of the presence in the corridor behind him.
He swung around, telling himself that whoever was there probably had every right to be in the corridor. But the psychic side of his nature overrode the logical, reassuring explanation. He had not survived in the Underworld by ignoring his intuition.
The seriously bulked-up man who emerged from a darkened doorway was dressed in the black uniform of the catering staff. He had short, razor-cut hair and an amber stud in one ear. He had an empty serving tray under one arm. He came quickly toward Cyrus.
“Can I help you, sir?” he asked.
Energy shifted in the hallway. Heat burned in the waiter’s eyes. Psi-light sparked in the narrow space. A split second later a hot ghost flashed into existence behind Cyrus, blocking any retreat.
The waiter produced the mag-rez that had been concealed behind the serving tray.
“Looking for the Snow woman?” he asked. His voice was harsh with a dark excitement that bordered on lust. “Forget it. She’s long gone.”
The intense, violent energy flaring around the waiter was echoed in the green fire that burned at Cyrus’s back.
“Where is she?” he asked quietly.
“By now she’s down in the tunnels. Won’t be long before she’s back in Dr. Blankenship’s lab where she can continue making her contribution to science, as Blankenship likes to say. Me, I was never much for science classes in school but I’ve got to admit Blankenship’s wonder drug has made a new man out of me.”
“How long have you been on the formula?” Cyrus asked.
“Couple of months now.” The waiter paused. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “You know about Blankenship’s formula?”
“More than you will ever know about it,” Cyrus said. “Out of curiosity, what are the side effects with this new version? The usual instability and addiction problems, I assume? You do know that if you don’t get regular doses you’ll go insane and die, don’t you?”
Rage laced with panic flashed across the waiter’s face. “How do you know about all that shit?”
“Long story,” Cyrus said. “We don’t have time for it now. You’re probably due for another dose soon and I’ve got a feeling you’re not going to get it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more of the antidote so I need answers from you before you start to go crazy.”
“You’re wrong, you son-of-a-bitch. I’ve got enough of the drug to last me for a month.”
“You’ve probably got a supply of something,” Cyrus said. “But I wouldn’t count on it being Blankenship’s formula. See, the thing is, whoever left you here to deal with me is just using you as a distraction to buy time for your associate to escape with Sedona.”
“You’re lying, you SOB.”
“You can bet your Guild pension that your associate spiked your next dose of the formula with something lethal. Hell, she wouldn’t have needed to use poison. A shot of tap water will be more than enough to make sure you don’t survive.”
“Shut your damned mouth. Never mind, I’ll shut it for you. I hear they call you Dead Zone Jones. Well, now you’re going to be dead for good.”
The energy ghost started to close in on Cyrus.
Cyrus jacked up his talent, neutralizing most of the energy in the corridor. The ghost winked out of existence. The shock of having his talent iced transformed the waiter’s face into a mask of terror. He dropped the mag-rez. Clutching his chest, he sank to his knees and then sprawled, unconscious, on the floor.
Cyrus shut down the dead zone, collected the gun, and then crouched beside the waiter to do a quick search. He found a small plastic case containing a syringe filled with a clear liquid and a Guild ID in one of the man’s pockets.
Cyrus went to the doorway where the waiter had been concealed and rezzed a light. A woman was sprawled unconscious on the floor. Bits of amber jewelry glittered on the floor.
Robert appeared in the doorway. He took in the scene in a glance.
“What’s going on?” he demanded. “What happened to Ellen?”
“Somebody tied up some loose ends,” Cyrus said.
Robert picked up Sedona’s amber earrings and bracelet and the clutch bag.
“They stripped her of her amber,” he said. He stared at Cyrus, stricken. “How will we ever find her?”
Cyrus reached down to collect the blue amber pendant.
“I’m going to need a fast car,” he said.
“I’ve got one. Where are we going?”
“To find Sedona.”