Page 70 of Arresting the Warlord

Jake dug his heels in. “That’s the sweat lodge?”

“It is.”

“It’s too small, I won’t fit,” Jake protested.

“You fit in the back of my patrol car, didn’t you?”

Jake gave me the stink eye. “With my knees up under my chin.”

“If you sit crossed-legged and hunch, you’ll fit,” I said and crawled inside the sweat lodge.

“Fuck. I’m stuck,” Jake groused as he tried to follow me.

“Lose the armor or teleport inside.”

Jake’s armor folded away, exposing his well-muscled body. “This better be worth it.”

“I don’t want to look at his junk,” Uncle Jesse griped.

Giving him the one finger salute, Jake squeezed through the opening and hit his head on the ceiling. “Fuck!”

“Hunch,” I instructed.

“I’m hunching. I’m hunching.”

Uncle Jesse wriggled in, took his place near the firepit, and poured peyote laced water on the rocks. Steam filled the sweat lodge. “Ancient Mother awaits us.”

I let the flap close and darkness engulfed us.

“It’s like being buried alive,” Jake grumbled.

I rolled my eyes. What had happened to the fearless warlord? “This is supposed to simulate a mother’s womb and your rebirth.”

“If you say so.”

Jesse beat on a drum and chanted, “Ancient Mother, we hear your call. Ancient Mother, we hear your song. Ancient Mother, we hear your laughter. Ancient Mother, we taste your tears.”

“Mitayuve, oyas, lecham, welo omakiya yo,” I intoned repeatedly.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”

I exhaled a long breath. “What’s wrong now?”

“I’ve got a Charley horse,” Jake answered.

“Uncle Jesse can you fix it, please.”

“If I must.” Uncle Jesse threw more water on the stones. “Hozhq sitsiji shivaagi.”

“Sonovabitch! It stopped,” Jake exclaimed.

“Good. Now open your mind to the Ancient Mother.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Mitayuve, oyas, lecham, welo omakiya yo,” I recited and concentrated on finding Jia Stanka. A blue Italian road sign appeared in my mind. It read San Gagliano 8 and had a white arrow pointing west. Good. Jia was still in Italy. I frowned as my vision shifted to a fancy restaurant. Our drop-dead gorgeous assassin was wearing a slinky black dress and could put that super model Cindy whatever to shame. Oh, my God. Fate was a twisted bitch. Her date was none other than my cousin Giovanni Dragos. He had the evil scientist vibe going with the wild, white hair, thick bushy eyebrows and a spiffy white suit that could double as a lab coat. A shudder shook me. He was studying Jia as if she were an interesting but odd specimen he wanted to dissect in his lab.

Jake exhaled sharply. “I think I’m hallucinating.”

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