Liam lowered his gun, but only partially. “What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!”

Wolfe shook his head slightly, keeping his eye on Liam’s gun. “That’s not important. What are you doing still working for Damian? He’s kidnapping kids for the Divine’s sake!”

“He gave us the shirts,” Lucy said quietly from behind Wolfe.

“He still helped kidnap you,” Wolfe growled, staring Liam in his eyes.

There was a brief pause, and Liam’s eyes flickered to the corpse in the doorway behind Wolfe.

His gun dropped further, but he muttered, “We’re supposed to kill you.”

“No way you get both me and Shel,” Wolfe said. “And you’ll likely fail even one, as we’re both deckbearers. But you shouldn’t be working with Damian regardless, Liam. Remember when we worked for Big Man Grimm? This shit didn’t happen. How come you didn’t leave when Damian took over?”

Liam’s gun fell till it was almost facing the floor. At this distance, Wolfe was pretty sure he could get to Liam before Liam shot him, but he waited.

“I… I didn’t know what to do, after you killed most everyone,” Liam said. “I applied to a few jobs, but no one was hiring, and Damian and his people kept calling and telling me to do stuff. Eventually I just kinda… kept going.”

“Well, now’s a chance to stop,” Wolfe said. “What’s it gonna be?”

Wolfe tensed, ready to spring into action if Liam decided to fight.

Liam put his gun away and hung his head slightly before stepping away from the door. “Alright, get out of here. I won’t stop you.”

“Come with us,” Shel suddenly said. “Help us escape. Wolfe’s going to be a private investigator, maybe you can work with him.”

Wolfe turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

“If you don’t work with him, or if it takes a bit until Wolfe has jobs for you, we have enough money to put you up.”

Liam hesitated again, but his head rose and his face firmed. He glanced at Wolfe with near hero-worship. “Yeah, I will. I hated working for Damian anyway.”

“How do we get out if Damian sent his thugs to all the exits?” Wolfe asked. “Will others switch like you did?”

Liam shook his head. “One or two, maybe, but the vast majority don’t know you and were hired after you killed nearly everyone. Or they’re ex-Cobra guys that hate you. You’re damned lucky it was me that found you.”

“Then do you know an alternative way out?” Wolfe asked.

Liam thought, then smiled, an expression that sat a bit uneasily on his face. “Yeah, I do. We can go out the windows of the manager’s office on the upper floor of the cannery to the warehouse, and probably use the fire escape down from there. I doubt either will be guarded.”

“Let’s do it,” Wolfe said. “And let’s try and avoid any contact with the thugs. One gunshot will tell them almost exactly where we are.”

Unknown deckbearer has pulled their deck near you.

“What?” Wolfe and Shel asked at the same time.

Wolfe stepped over and glanced around the corner of the room into the hall. “In a place like this, that could be anywhere.”

“Should we pull our decks?” Shel asked.

Wolfe nodded. “Surprise is gone. It’ll give them some idea of where we are, but it won’t be perfect.”

Wolfe and Shel touched their chests and pulled their decks.

Shel touched one of her two golden cards floating beside her and Sorenia appeared. Wolfe touched one of the red cards floating next to him and Cereboo appeared.

Sorenia started to bow to Shel, but Cereboo gave a low woof and ran at her, jumping up and licking her with three heads as he always did.

Shel ignored that, as did Wolfe. He normally found his card-doggo’s antics amusing, but the situation was too serious.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Instead, he turned to Liam. “I assume you know who’s working for Damian that might have pulled a deck?”

“The only two deckbearers he has left that work for him are newly promoted to the status—Hans Rosario, who heavily favors Fire energy, and Zack Chang, who has a dragon deck. Neither fight like you but they aren’t slouches, either. But Caine Delacruz is also here with him, and that guy has some very strong cards if nothing else.”

He wasn’t that strong. “Which one just pulled their deck?”

“What?” Liam asked, his eyes wide. “How would I know that?”

“Which one is near us here?”

“Only Hans was down here—everyone else is in the Temple of Corruption.”

Wolfe stared, completely floored by the comment. “What?”

“The Temple of Corruption—Damian’s building card. He placed it inside the warehouse.”

The walkie-talkie sprang to life again, mirrored oddly from Liam’s pocket. “Wolfe is still in the cannery, nearer the middle or front. Everyone converge.”

“That’s Hans,” Liam stated.

Then Damian’s voice came. “He’s probably listening to us. Use your phones if you know who to call, even if it’s longer. And Wolfe, if you’re listening to me—I’m going to kill you for mucking my plans up. You have no idea how bad you fucked me, and I’m gonna have a gods’ damned gorilla fuck you back.”

Wolfe stepped over and took the walkie-talkie, pushing the talk button and bringing it to his mouth. It was time to play psychological games and try and trick Damian, since surprise was lost. “I’m coming for you, Damian. You’re a corpse that doesn’t know it’s dead yet. I’m almost to your little temple, and when I get there, you’ll die.”

He clicked it off.

“Hopefully that sends a few guards in the wrong direction,” Wolfe muttered.

Figuring the thirty seconds was up from when he brought Cereboo forth, Wolfe pulled Malviere.

At the same time, Shel pulled Liurenia.

“You’ve added one of my sisters to your deck!” Sorenia said, stepping forward and hugging Liurenia before the new lantern angel could say anything.

Then she stepped back. “Did you hurt someone to acquire her?”

Liurenia shook her head. “I was gifted to Wolfe in return for him saving my previous deckbearer’s life, and I assume he transferred me over since I see him here peaceably with my new deckbearer. Speaking of, it’s an honor to meet you, new deckbearer.”

Shel smiled. “Yes, you as well. But we need to go. Please, since both of you have lights, take up the rear. I’ll be in the middle with Shannon and Lucy, and Wolfe, I assume you’ll be scouting ahead?”

“Yeah. Cereboo, Malviere, with me.”

“For the pack,” Malviere whispered, taking a spot right behind Wolfe.

Wolfe looked at the old Grimm family enforcer. “Liam, lead us out. If you see anything, try and warn us away before we get caught.”

Liam nodded and headed out the door.

Wolfe followed, an entire train behind him—since he and Shel had entered, they had picked up two kids and four cards.

Wolfe reviewed his situation. Cereboo was enhanced by a mere plus one, but Malviere would also give him an additional attack each round. Beyond that, Wolfe could put two whole cards on the field directly, although power wouldn’t be a concern at all, since his highest card was a mere three power. Shel was a solid deckbearer with two cards out already, but in the same situation—only two more cards, assuming one was Mortal, would come into play. And they had Liam.

His kept his other four cards cycling.

Hardly an army, but it would have to do.

Liam led them out into the hall, and then down a side hall.

Immediately, he came rushing back. “Back up, back up,” he stage whispered.

Wolfe turned and bumped into Cereboo, only to see everyone rush back around the wall in shambolic chaos.

He half-tripped, half-hopped over to them, stepping on Cereboo’s paw once, eliciting a whine.

“Sorry, bud,” Wolfe said as he hit the wall around the corner.

A moment later, Liam came around the corner. “Okay, I think it’s safe to go.”

Wolfe started around the side, only to see Liam awkwardly running back to him and a thug coming around the corner of the hall, behind Liam.

I knew we wouldn’t sneak out of here with nine people.

Wolfe pointed over Liam’s shoulder and shot the thug in the face at the same time a second thug started his way around the corner. Thug one’s head was blown through, and thug two leapt around the corner, screaming, “Wolfe’s here, he’s here!”

Probably unnecessary given the sound of Wolfe’s pistol.

“Well, we’re well and truly fucked,” Wolfe muttered quietly.

“This way!” Liam screamed, running down the side hall away from the conflict.

“Cover us, buddy,” Wolfe said to Cereboo, whose three heads woofed in antiphonal chorus before he loped off after the thug.

“Let’s go!” Wolfe yelled.

He ran to catch up to Liam to provide any additional firepower that might be needed, but Liam reached an elevator.

Everyone slammed to a stop in front of it as Liam dinked the up button.

Shannon and Lucy clutched Shel, and all three of the adults pointed guns down the hall, but somehow, no one came.

The elevator opened with a chime, and everyone piled in, Wolfe last.

The elevator shut just as he got a Cereboo has died notification and red energy flew back into his chest.

The elevator lurched and began to slowly move upward, soft piano music playing.

Wolfe caught Shel’s eyes and almost laughed at the sudden, absurd sense of forced normalcy as the crowded elevator slowly reached the top, no one saying anything. After it settled, it dinged and then opened.

A plain, carpeted hallway faced him, with pictures of old-school Noimoire industrial buildings done in black and white. Doors to either side led into meeting rooms with glass windows looking into the hall.

Wolfe led the way out at a jog, not even trying to hide his presence. Rather than waiting for Cereboo, he saw that his mantle was up and put it on—the next five minutes might be crucial. Tiny horns appeared on his head, and red scales crossed his arms.

“You have an Infernal deck?” Shannon asked from behind Wolfe as they ran. “Are you a bad guy?”

“Well, if I am, I’m on your side. Besides, didn’t Cereboo clue you in?”

Before she could answer. Liam and Wolfe rounded a corner. Wolfe had the barest vision of a man in a red suit with a gun aimed at Liam.

Wolfe dived sideways as the gun fired.