Empire of Bones Read Online Free Page A

unseen corners.
    A classic limo-long black car fishtailed around a corner and into view. Smoke rose behind its tires as it again accelerated. Cyrus had ridden in that car before, and he knew it couldn’t have been any faster if it had been part rocket. But speed didn’t help on corners.
    The car whipped around, nearly kissing the Archer’s pole with a chrome fender, and then entered the parking lot sideways, dragging smoking stripes of black rubber behind it.
    As it rocked to a stop, Diana Boone leapt from a rear door. Her strawberry hair was cinched back in a tight braid. She was wearing a long safari shirt belted with a caramel leather double holster. One gun was missing. One shirtsleeve was black and smoking.
    “Jeb’s hurt!” she shouted. “Rupe, it’s bad. And we lost Dennis. Some monk …” Her green eyes landed on Niffy, and then darted to Dennis.
    Rupert was already running toward the car. Gunner, Horace’s tall Texan nephew, rose out of the driver’s side. He was in a black suit minus the jacket, and twin revolver butts peeked out from under his arms.
    “Mr. Greeves,” Gunner drawled. “There ain’t no time, sir. Two minutes tops. We need to move on out and now. They’re hot after us. Two dozen, at least, loaded for bear.”
    Rupert stopped at Diana’s door and looked insidethe car. Cyrus watched the big man’s face fall and his chin drop to his chest. But the sadness was only there for a moment. Rupert tugged a small card and a pen from his pocket. He began scrawling on it while he spoke, his voice as calm as it was quick.
    “Daniel Smith, get Dennis into this car now.” He looked up and bellowed, “Arachne!” Cyrus turned back to the diner and saw his mother and Horace standing at the window, watching. Arachne hurried out the front door, cradling her heavy spider bag like an infant, but it sagged like a sack of mud.
    Rupert handed Diana the card. “That’s where you’re going. Do not relocate again before we arrive unless there’s an emergency—your secondary location is on there as well. Cyrus flies tonight. You’re too shook, but keep him sharp. Nolan”—Rupert turned and pointed at Niffy—“if he gives you any heartache, deal with him. You listening, Irish? I want you as proper as the pope.”
    Daniel had gotten Dennis into the front seat. He shut the door and stepped away from the car. Arachne slid into the back, and Cyrus saw her ice-blue eyes widen as she looked at the floor.
    Diana shook her head. “Rupe, I have to stay with him.” She grabbed at Rupert’s shirt as he climbed into the car. “Please.”
    Rupert put a big hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.No discussion. We’ll get him help.” He looked around at the little crowd. “Go!”
    With that, Rupert ducked into the back of Horace Lawney’s modified limousine. The engine throbbed, Gunner spun the car around, and it bounced out onto the little road.
    Diana Boone’s shoulders shook.
    Cyrus looked at Antigone, at Dan, and then at Nolan. Pat the cook rested the shotgun on his shoulder and turned back toward his diner.
    “I know I’m new to the club,” Niffy said. “But it seems we’d best be off.”
    Cyrus nodded. The sirens were growing louder, and the people they really needed to worry about would be even closer than the cops.
    “Dan,” Cyrus said. “Get Mom. Leave the wheelchair. Do you think you can carry her?”
    Dan was already jogging away.
    “Di?” Cyrus said.
    Diana Boone spun on her heel. She dragged her hands quickly down her cheeks, streaking soot over her freckles. She looked from Antigone to Cyrus with wet wide eyes.
    “We need to go,” she said. “Right now.”

    Cyrus led the way, ducking through the old tunnels beneath the overgrown plum trees and holding back branches for Dan, with their mother in his arms. Antigone and Diana followed. Horace, Niffy, and Nolan brought up the rear.
    Cyrus was still wearing flip-flops, and he’d almost forgotten to snatch his canvas pack out of Room