Invincible (A Centennial City Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page B

do,” I said without a modicum of sarcasm. “Thank you for warning me in advance.”
    The wind picked up then, ruffling the bottom of her coat up, up enough so I could see she wasn’t wearing pants. Nor anything else, for that matter.
    “You’ll want to stay away from him,” she said. “He’s a dangerous man to be around. Just like you. So, how about you stay alive and then he does too? Do you have any questions?”
    I shook my head slowly, wisps of hair tickling my jawline. “No. You’ve made everything very clear.”
    “Good. Very good,” she said with a satisfied grin. It reminded me of Sylvester the Cat when he thinks up an idea to eat Tweedy.
    The only problem: Sylvester’s plans never worked.
    “Is that all then?”
    “Indeed, it is.”
    She turned on one heel and walked into the shadows, one hand held up in farewell. “Remember what I said, Hunter. Stay away from the man if you want to live.”
    I hated vampires.
    So why should I listen to this one?
     
     

4
     
    I unlocked the front door and walked into the sound of the phone ringing shrilly in the darkness.
    No point in checking the number. “Yes, Elder Chang.”
    “You have not killed him.”
    Of course he would know. The Fellowship had eyes everywhere and I am not so naive to think I’m spared of such actions. “No, I did not, Elder Chang.”
    I imagined him sitting at his desk, one hand stroking his mustache, eyes faraway and distant. “Might I inquire as to why the boy is still alive?”
    Jason seemed a bit too old to be considered a boy, but who knew how old Elder Chang was? I certainly wasn’t going to take guesses. “You did not give me a deadline, Elder Chang. The boy offered me a deal. I will help him with something and he will help me. Everything is under control.”
    Elder Chang let out a sigh. “This is about his fiance?”
    “Yes.”
    I fancied I could hear his long, lacquered nails tapping in the background. “Do not think we were derelict in our promise to the boy. We have done what we could. Unfortunately, it seems the girl is under a great deal of protection than should be warranted for someone so recently turned. We could find very little information as to her whereabouts.”
    “I see.” Mika meowed loudly, brushing against my shins and I patted her on the head. She rewarded me with another meow and didn’t bite my fingers. Perhaps we were progressing past general disdain to something quite possibly approaching tolerance. The tiger could change her stripes. “May I ask you a question, Elder Chang?”
    “That would depend.” He sounded reluctant, almost cautious. “What is it?”
    “Why Jason?”
    He didn’t have to ask me to clarify.
    Why was Jason chosen?
    “Hm,” he began slowly. “That…that is not a question I think I can answer.”
    To have expected something different was foolish. “I see.”
    Elder Chang harrumphed loudly. “I’ve observed you from the very beginning, Hwang. You have never failed me, never failed the Fellowship. So I will wait. We shall see.”
    “Thank you, Elder Chang,” I said, somewhat relieved. Had he told me I was to exterminate Jason immediately, I would have done it, but reluctantly. There was a mystery around the young man, one I found myself want to solve. “I will not let you down.”
    “See to it that you don’t. I must admit, I too am curious about this whole affair. When he informed us about his purpose in joining our ranks, I thought it would easy to find his fiance and their child. That we could not was most curious and there was something else…”
    His voice trailed away. “Well, never mind. See to it that you keep me updated. I am most curious to see how this plays out.”
    “Elder Chang, I don’t--”
    The dial tone echoed in my ears and I set the phone down on the receiver, letting my hand linger for a moment on the warm plastic exterior.
    How odd. That Elder Chang had gone to such lengths as to hang up on me so he didn’t want to speak to me…I’d