[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

that held the knife twitched against the hollow of Mina's throat, and she remained very still. Her head
lolled forward, obscuring her face. Her hair fell into disarray.
In the frozen standoff, the young imposter lowered his Winchester. Nemo remained tense, but took a
step backward to a safer, nonthreatening distance. Quatermain lowered his revolver with an angry sigh.
"I told you from the beginning she'd be trouble."
The cornered marksman fairly crowed with triumph. "I guessed as much! They'd do anything to protect
you." He cinched his muscular arm tight around her narrow waist.
"That's your biggest mistake., sir," Mina said in a quiet, threatening voice. "Thinking I need the likes of
them to protect me." She turned on him, her eyes demonic red and pulsing now with an unearthly glow.
She opened her mouth to show the long, ivory sabers of vampire fangs. Then she was upon him.
Though still holding the knife, the marksman gasped in terror and tried to squirm away, but she easily
sank her extended fangs into his throat. He struggled, beating futilely at her. She bit deeper. Arterial
blood sprayed.
Then, with a savage twist of her jaw, she ripped out his windpipe. His dagger slid harmlessly away from
her throat, then clattered to the library floor.
At the drink cart, Skinner gulped down another Scotch.
As if she were discarding a dirty handkerchief, Mina let the dead marksman drop to the ground.
Quatermain looked at Nemo, stunned. "Extraordinary," the captain said.
Mina's features rapidly returned to her cold pale beauty. Dorian Gray watched her without surprise. She
flicked open her vanity mirror, withdrew a soft white cloth from her pocket, and calmly dabbed blood
from her mouth.
"Boy, they told me European women had funny ways," said the handsome young imposter, propping his
modified Winchester at his side. "There, Ma'am, you missed a spot." In a gentlemanly fashion, he
pointed out a drop of blood on her ivory-pale cheek.
"Excuse me& and you are?" Mina regarded him with piercing green eyes now. Quatermain also turned
to the unexpected ally, waiting for the young mans answer.
"I'm Special Agent Tom Sawyer, Ma'am," he said proudly, "of the American Secret Service."
TEN
Dorian Gray's Residence
While the others in the library stared at the young man in surprised silence, a chuckle came from the
invisible man. "So you're a& spy?" Skinner sounded slightly drunk. "I thought spies get shot."
"Not if they shoot first. Which I did," Sawyer said with exaggerated pride. "I followed you all. Knocked
out a straggler and took his place." He rapped on his wide-brimmed metal helmet, then took it off.
"Darned silly outfits."
Despite his frenetic exertions in the fight, Captain Nemo had not broken into a sweat. He adjusted his
blue turban, seating it on his head, then looked in barely veiled dismay at the countless books that had
been ruined in the recent battle. Paper and bindings lay scattered and mangled on the floor. When he
noticed the subject matter of many of the volumes, however detailed analyses of the Marquis de Sade,
drawings and daguerrotypes of numerous people in bizarre and painful-looking sexual positions he
turned away with a frown, reassessing the magnitude of the loss.
Gauging Sawyer, Quatermain said, "So Americas aware of the situation?"
Sawyer gave an emphatic nod. "War starts in Europe, how long until it's crossed the Adantic? We
already lost one good man trying to nail this maniac. The man who fell victim to the Fantom was
another agent and a darned good one, too. A close friend of mine. He believed in what he was doing."
The young man seemed amazingly earnest, and optimistic. "And now I'm going to finish the job." His
customized Winchester seemed to be all he needed.
Gray noticed Mina sizing up the handsome young American and clearly wasn't happy about it. He
sniffed. "Very noble. But this is a private party. You're not invited."
Sawyer stubbornly squared his shoulders. "I intend to find the Fantom. So do you all."
Mina came closer to the young spy, smiling seductively. "Actually, since Dorian has already declined to
join our little effort, we are one shy of a full deck."
Remembering the incident moments earlier in which she had used her fangs to rip out the throat of the
last hapless marksman, Sawyer swallowed hard and flinched from her close attention. "Uh, Ma'am& "
Gray took up the challenge. "On the contrary, that unexpected battle was just the spur I needed. Very
exciting, for a change, with the promise of more to come. And the thrill of an old, sweet friendship
renewed."
Mina rolled her eyes.
Gray plucked at his smoking jacket, frowned again at all the bullet holes. "I will have to change my
attire, however." He turned to Sawyer and made a shooing gesture. "So, as you can see, young man,
you're not needed here."
While Sawyer glared at him, Quatermain came forward to inspect the American agents customized rifle.
"Winchester?"
"Modified, American style," Sawyer confirmed, proud to show off his piece and purposerully ignoring
Dorian Gray.
Quatermain took it and sighted on the narrow spine of a book on a high shelf. "American style of
shooting, too."
"Whatever it takes." Sawyer grinned at the old adventurer, nodded toward the Winchester. "Like it? I
brought two of'em."
"He's in," Quatermain said.
ELEVEN
The Thames, London
Night
Leaving the bodies and wreckage behind, the League exited from Grays opulent residence into the
foggy streets. Dark river water lapped against the nearby docks, but a thick mist hid the Thames from
view.
Tom Sawyer looked behind him. "I sure hate to leave such a mess in there. My Aunt Polly would give
me a tongue-lashing I'd never forget."
"Leave it." Gray was not concerned. "My private staff has had considerable experience in dealing with
messes that were far worse." He didn't explain further.
"We don't have time for house cleaning." Nemo led the way toward the unseen docks, striding ahead in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]