The Prof Croft Series: Books 0-4 (Prof Croft Box Sets Book 1) by Brad Magnarella (best business books of all time txt) 📕

“Croft!” Hoffman shouted in rage.

I ran forward, pushing more light through my staff, hoping to blind the creature from seeing the meal I had just shoved in front of it. Hoffman rolled to a flopping rest on his back, his silver-bullet-loaded pistol glistening in the shallow creek a good twenty feet behind him. He lifted his head, his breath choking off as the creature’s nightmare face rose into his view.

“Vega!” Hoffman wheezed.

Striated cords popped from the creature’s shoulders as it reared to pounce.

“Protezione!” I shouted.

The creature slammed into the shield of light I threw in front of Hoffman. But before I could shape it into a protective dome, the creature darted a clawed hand around the barrier and seized Hoffman’s leg.

“Leggo!” Hoffman cried, kicking at it with his free foot.

I sprinted forward, the movement jostling my ability to hold the shield together, but I needed to get close enough to attack the creature without inflicting collateral damage on Hoffman. Explosions went off behind me and rang down the tunnel. Blood burst from the creature’s shoulder.

Vega!

The creature threw its head back in a furious cry and released Hoffman. I wasted no time grabbing his pant cuff with a Word and dragging him from the creature. Water slewed up around him as I pulled him behind us.

“Its heart!” I called to Vega. “Aim for the heart!”

By the time I looked back, the creature had lowered itself to all fours and was bounding toward us in a rapid zigzag. Smoke rose from the spot where it had been struck. Vega’s pistol banged out another series of shots, bullets caroming off walls. But the creature wasn’t slowing.

I stepped forward and raised my glowing staff. “Protezione!” I shouted.

A plate of light spread over the tunnel. I staggered as the creature rammed into it head first, breaking through in a bright shower of sparks. But I had slowed it down, enabling me to close it in a second light shield. Snapping its protuberant jaw, the creature rammed against the barrier again and again.

“What in the hell is that thing?” Vega asked, coming up beside me.

“Don’t know,” I said, between strained grunts. “But its a she.” The light from my invocation showed that much. “Some sort of vampire, but she’s damned powerful. I can’t crush her, and I’m not sure how long I can hold her like this. Going to give you a shot at her heart.”

“Okay, but I need to reload.”

Dipping into my power reserves, I flattened the shield until the creature’s arms and legs were pinned. I then lifted her into a standing position. She snarled and snapped, muscles leaping from her bone-white skin. I’d been telling Vega the truth. I had no idea what the creature was, how she had come to be. I opened a hole in the shield over the creature’s sternum.

“Don’t know how you’re doing this, Merlin,” Hoffman said, circling the creature in a limp to retrieve his pistol. “But I’ll be happy to do the honors.”

“Fine,” I grunted, “but hurry.”

The creamy white light that heralded a Thelonious visit had begun to wisp around my vision. I was only vaguely aware that Grandpa’s ring was squeezing my finger in pulsating beats.

Something solid struck my head. I splashed into the slimy drainage but managed to keep my staff aloft. Dark-suited figures flashed past. Gunshots banged around me. In the confusion, I strained to hold the invocation, to keep the creature entrapped. Until a leather shoe flashed in and kicked my staff away.

The light shield around the creature wobbled and then broke apart.

20

Hands seized the lapels of my coat and slammed me against a wall.

“Did you really think you could deceive me?” Though Blondie’s mouth moved, I heard Arnaud’s hissing voice.

Sounds of struggle echoed up and down the tunnel. I turned my head to find another blood slave pinning Vega’s arms behind her. Her headlamp jostled as she swore and kicked at his shins. Down the tunnel to my left, Hoffman was on his back, a third blood slave stepping on his throat.

Blondie shook me. “I gave you two simple directives. One, stay away from the Towers. Two, follow my leads.”

“Wh-what happened to the creature?” I gasped, peering around. She should have ripped us all apart. She still could.

“Your only concern right now should be for the consequences of your insolence. But first things first.”

Blondie seized Grandpa’s pulsating ring and twisted. I shouted out in pain as bone crunched, and the ring, abrading the length of my finger in an attempt to hold on, finally popped free. He tossed the enchanted ring to a blood slave, who splashed off, no doubt rushing it to Arnaud.

I gritted my teeth. “Goddamn you.”

“That’s for violating our earlier agreement that you remain outside of the Financial District. As for our present agreement, you now have a choice to make.” He clamped the top of my head with his fingers and twisted until I was looking at Hoffman, still down. “The detective?” He swiveled my head the other way, where Vega continued to kick and swear. “Or the detective?”

“What are you asking?”

“One lives, one dies,” Blondie said. “The decision is yours.”

“And if I don’t play your stupid game?” My throbbing finger was making me nauseas.

“Then you are condemning them both.”

The easy choice was Hoffman, but I wasn’t going to be an accomplice to murder.

“Fine, kill me. Spare them.”

“Oh, no.” Blondie laughed. “That would be letting you off too easy.” His lips straightened. “Now choose.”

With Vega struggling and Hoffman down for the count, neither could hear our exchange, neither knew that their lives rested in the hands of a wizard in entirely over his head.

“First tell me what the creature is to you,” I said.

“You’re stalling for time, Mr. Croft.”

“Why are you protecting her?”

“That’s the shame of it,” he said. “Had you listened to me, who knows what you might have discovered?”

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

“We’ve wasted enough time,” Blondie said. “My men are getting restless. If you do not choose within the next ten seconds, your