War-N-Wit, Inc. – MeanStreet, LLC by Gail Roughton Page B

from Spike’s. Tentacles and tentacle parts gushing that fish-smelling slime waved around in place of Damien’s other hand. Damien howled.
    “Told you I was good at multi-tasking. But thanks for the extra cover, little brother.”
    “Yeah, I’m good at multi-tasking, too. Un-huh-huh, sweetheart,” Spike warned Irene. “Gun was only off you a split second. It’s right back on target now.”
    Chad hit the phone screen. One ring and the call went straight to voice mail.
    “Yo, whut up? Outta pocket right now, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”
    “ Shit, damn, hell, fuck! ” Chad fumed as the automated answer program wound its way to the requisite beep . “G, you son-of-a-bitch! You set us up! You knew damn well this thing wasn’t some low-level magic con! They’ve got the girls, G! They’re in some damn demon dimension! Now you get your ass in gear and answer this!” He shoved the phone back onto its clip and turned back to Damien.
    “Okay. N ow you get your ass in gear and send us through! ”
     
    * * *
     
    Gabriel and Michael moved through darkness, backlit by a reddish glow that erupted now and then into full-blown flame.
    “Where the hell’s Rafael? Stupid idea, him splitting off like that! Why does he think he can find the back way in if I can’t?”
    “You’re so damn full of yourself it’s a miracle you got room to breathe, Mike, you know that? Rafael’s in the same hell we’re in. And he might find the back way in when you can’t because you’ve got no damn patience! For you, it’s full battle attack mode or nothing. Shit! ” Gabriel came to a full stop and grabbed at his shirt pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and groaned. “ Damn! I didn’t feel it vibrate till it’d already gone to voicemail!”
    “We’re on a freakin’ stealth mission and you’re gonna stop and listen to a voicemail?! ”
    “I am this one. Damn straight. Deal with it.”
    Gabriel held the phone to his ear. Chad’s voice blasted into his eardrum.
    “Oh, hell! ” Gabriel’s face paled. He hit the call-back button and muttered impatiently as he waited. “ C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!! ”
    “G! ‘Bout damn time, you double-crossing son-of-a—”
    “ Squawk… wasting time, mate, get to it!” Harold’s voice cut in. Chad obviously had the phone on speaker.
    “I never intended the girls to go through alone! I can’t believe you actually let that happen!”
    “Wouldn’t have if you’d played straight with me, G. I should’ve known better but it’s a mistake I’ll never make again. Can’t even trust the Guardian Council. We deserve better than that.”
    “ Yeah, you do. I’m sorry. So the first thing is to get to them. Ari and Stacy went through?”
    “And Grace. You know, Mom.”
    “Their mother? ”
    “Ah, the light dawns!”
    “Oh, crap! Well, that might work out better’n you think. Grace’s been in denial her whole life. The three of ‘em might be more than the Razkaal demons banked on. ‘Cause if there’s one sure-fire way to bring a person of power out of the closet, it’s a threat to somebody they love. Look at Spike. He didn’t surface till he met Stacy. And the girls are Grace’s babies. Oh, yeah, she might kick ass.”
    “Grace? What does she do?”
    “Grace. She’s a very powerful telekinetic. She can move things with her mind. She just don’t know it. Ari’s mind control’s a variation of that, I’m hoping to hell Stacy got some variance of it hidden in there somewhere. Harold, you know where Micah and Mia are?”
    “ Go Jim Dandy…squawk! Oh, yeah, they jumped straight in that magic box with ‘em right ‘afore it slammed shut.”
    “First good news I’ve heard all day.”
    “Micah?” Spike cut in. “The cat ?”
    “ That cat’s not an ordinary cat. Pretty sure Ari knows more about that than she’s been ready to tell me yet. Personally, I got a suspicion he’s not always a cat.”
    “Everybody needs to stop talking over there and give me a