Page 89 of Protector Unmatched

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Pearce rubbed his neck. It was getting warmer and warmer in the convention hall. Despite the large air-conditioning ducts that ran along the high ceiling and blasted cool air into the space, he felt the heat under his heavy costume. He’d already shucked the cape that came with his outfit and tossed it behind a display. He didn’t care if he ever found it again. He could only imagine how Zane had to feel inside the Stormtrooper costume.

At least Daphne was dressed properly for the temperature in the hall. Her skimpy outfit exposed more than just a little bit of skin. Her arms were bare except for the brass-colored braces around her forearms. Her knee-high boots were sexy as hell, and her upper body was encased in a figure-hugging bustier that left little to the imagination. She was carrying a round shield, and inside it, Pearce had taped a Stealth Guardian dagger—just in case she needed to defend herself.

He trusted in her love for him that she wouldn’t kill him with it, despite the fact that she looked exactly how Winter had seen her in her vision. He could have told Daphne about that particular detail, but what purpose would it have served? He’d done everything in his power to change the vision. Now it was up to higher powers to decide his fate.

His earpiece suddenly crackled. “Damn it, the connection is so bad in here,” he said to Zane and Daphne.

“Depends on where in the hall you are,” Zane said, his voice muffled behind the mask. “I heard Gabriel come in loud and clear earlier.”

“Hey, guys, it’s Manus,” Pearce finally heard through the communications device.

“I can hear you now, Manus. What’s up? Any sightings?”

“I’m afraid so,” Manus said.

Daphne shot Pearce a concerned look. She, too, wore a communications device in her ear and was listening in on the conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Pearce asked.

“Ryder and I found a body. Indiana Jones.”

“Oh fuck!” Pearce cursed. “And the dagger? Is it gone?”

“Yeah, but it couldn’t have been the source dagger,” Manus reported. “The dead guy isn’t James Harcott, although he’s of similar height, same hair color, you know. But I found his driver’s license. It’s definitely not him.”

Pearce let out a sigh of relief, even though he felt guilty doing so. An innocent had died. “How was he killed? Could it have been an accident?”

“No way. Stabbed in the heart. Probably died instantly.”

“Demons?”

“That’s my guess.”

“Shit,” Pearce said, and more curses from the rest of the team filtered through his earpiece, some louder and clearer than others.

“What now?” Daphne asked, a fearful look on her face. “Are they gonna kill every guy dressed as Indiana Jones?”

Pearce looked at her, but had no comforting words. “Listen, everybody. We’ve gotta step up our efforts. We’ve gotta find this guy before the demons do.”

“We’re doing what we can,” Gabriel said through the earpiece. Then something crackled again, and Gabriel said, “I can’t hear myself think over that fucking music.”

“You and me both, bro,” Thomas replied. “We’re heading for the Indiana Jones exhibit in sector green again. Maybe he’s hanging out there. They’re having a mock fight scheduled in a few minutes. Perhaps Harcott will be watching it. We’ll report back shortly.”

“Thanks, Thomas,” Pearce said, and motioned to Daphne and Zane. “Okay, then, let’s comb through the sector again. He has to be somewhere.”

This was the third round they’d made in their assigned sector. They’d spotted everybody, from the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the Incredibles, to Iron Man, a whole throng of Klingons, and various anime characters. They’d even encountered a few men dressed as Indiana Jones, but one of them had been black, and they knew Harcott was Caucasian, and the other two had been Japanese.

“Oh shit!” Zane said, and pointed to a spot in the crowd.

Pearce’s gaze shot to it. “Fuck!”

There, at the edge of an exhibit displaying bobbleheads of characters from Star Trek, two men were fighting. One of them was Indiana Jones, the other Chewbacca.

“Mock fight?” Daphne asked.

“If it is, it looks a little too real,” Zane said, already heading that way.