They were on the wrong side of the Thames and the closest bridge to the Tate Modern was the Millenium Bridge which wasn't made for cars. So Robert stopped Marcus' Tesla next to the St Paul Cathedral, jumped out and started to run. He ran past the Cathedral, across the road, not even looking around. It was some time after midnight and the traffic was light. The cold air burned his lungs at every breath he took.

Another set of knocking on the cobblestones told Robert that Marcus was in his heel. They were now at the big school that stood directly on the bank of the river. The footbridge was close and Robert could see the gallery across the water. It looked normal from this distance. 

Robert reached the bridge, and the noise of his hurrying steps changed as he left the cobblestones and was running on metal now. He ran faster than ever, his grey coat was floating behind him in the cold air.   

Now Robert saw people around the entrance. They weren't fighting or escaping, that was good. They seemed to be police officers in tactical gears, but oddly they all were unarmed. 

As he got closer he saw that all the windows were missing. So there was a fight. He grabbed the handrail and ran down the stairs at the end of the bridge. He took the last ten stairs with one long jump and didn't care about the pain that stung his knees on landing. 

He startled the policemen nearby but fortunately, they had nothing to shoot with. 

'Where are they? Is everyone okay?' he didn't ask, he used his father's demanding voice.

'Sir, this is a police investigation, you need to…' Marcus caught up which was a good thing because Robert was about to get the information he needed by using violence. Once the officer saw Marcus, his face changed from tense to relieved: he was obviously happy that he wasn't in charge anymore. He started to give the full report but Robert just couldn't wait.

The first thing he noticed when he arrived in the big, open ground floor was the sand what covered the floor in a thick layer.

The next was Jenna. She was alive and she looked unharmed. She was standing and examining a huge concrete spike that was on the wall. Robert crossed the distance between them with three long steps and hugged the woman.

'I thought…' he said but his voice stifled. 

'I know,' Jenna said. 'But I'm okay,' she was gently stroking the man's back. 

Robert stepped back and looked around properly. Ayana was sitting on the sandy floor, with her back against the wall. Rose knelt beside her, looking at her blood-soaked shoulder. Agent Blake stood with his weapon ready a few metres away from a hooded figure who was also sitting on the ground. 

The Priest. In handcuffs. 

'How did you…?'

'Not exactly sure,' shook her head Jenna. 'I used one of the "Names". It was kinda cool, actually.'

Robert walked up to Blake. He seemed very tired.

'Are you sure you restrained him properly?' he asked the agent. 'This bastard can be very tricky.'

'I'm all right, thank you for asking, Mr Montgomery,' Blake answered with a sigh. 'And yes, I am sure. I put three different Signum on him, removed every weapon of his and the handcuffs also had a Signum carved in them. Plus I put a controlling spell on him: right now he cannot even breathe without my permission.'  

'About that,' said Marcus from behind Robert's back. 'Let's make sure he won't do that for long.'

Robert turned on his heels and managed to grab Marcus' wrist before he could aim with his wand. The golden Runes were already shining on the silver surface. 

'Marcus, no!' he said, stepping between him and The Priest. 'I know that you are angry, but…'

'Get out of my way Robert, or I will have you arrested.' he said.  

As an agent of MAGE, he had the jurisdiction for that and even for killing if he found it necessary, Robert knew that very well. 

'No,' he answered nevertheless. 'You can't do it.' 

'Get the fuck out of my way!' Marcus shouted and tore his wrist away from Robert's hand.

'Our orders are to bring him in alive if possible,' pitched in Blake in his calm, deep voice.

'What do you think, how long you can keep him locked up?' turned Jenna to Blake. 'He is the most dangerous man alive, right? Do you really wanna risk it?'

Robert looked at her shocked. 

'Jenna, we don't have the right to decide something like that,' he said. 

'He is a fucking psycho, Robert. If he escapes, and trust me, he will, everyone's blood he kills will be on our hands. Do you want to live with that? Because I don't.'

Robert shook his head.

'That's not how things work, Jenna. It's not an eye for an eye. We aren't vigilantes.'

'No, but we have a job to do. Now step aside,' said Marcus in an ordering voice Robert never heard before. He raised his wand and pointed it at Robert. 'Last warning.'  

They gazed into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds.  

'You are the primary agent on the case, Marcus, it is your call,' said Blake slowly. 'But I will write the truth in my report, whatever happens next.'

'Fair enough,' nodded Marcus then he turned back to Robert. 'Jenna is right. We can't let him live. He is too dangerous. Just let me finish the job.' 

'We are talking about murdering a human being, for God's sake!' bursted out Robert. 'We are supposed to be the good guys, remember? You are an agent of the MAGE! We are only here so we can protect people!'

'We are protecting people if we are making sure he won't kill anyone else ever! He isn't a human being, he is a fucking monster!' Jenna lifted her voice too. She got out a wand. 'I'm sorry but it's two against one. If you don't want to see it, go take a walk,' she looked at Marcus. 'Together?'

The man nodded. Robert looked from Jenna to Marcus then back again. He couldn't believe it. It felt like he saw them for the first time. The woman he loved and his best friend, and they were ready to kill someone. To end the life of a human being, however rotten it was already.

They raised their wands in a perfect syncron. 

'No!' It was Rose. She was busy with Ayana's injury up until now. 'No, please!'

'Rose, he is the one who…' started Jenna, but the other woman cut in.

'I know. I know what he did,' she put her hand on her stomach, and Robert was sure that it was involuntary. 'But I need him to heal me.'

Silence. Jenna looked into Marcus' eyes and the two of them had a conversation without words. 

'Rose… Even if he can help… Why would he?' asked Marcus.

'I don't know. But we saw him fall like forty metres and got shot twenty times and he is still alive. Nobody can survive that, not even a vampire. And he gave that to his golems somehow. If anyone can heal me, it's him. But only if he is alive.'

Jenna shook her head, put away her wand and stepped aside. She stood now next to Robert. Marcus stayed where he was with his wand up. 

'Marcus, please,' said Rose again.

The man groaned and dropped his arm. Robert let out a long, tired sigh.

'Blake, put him into the special holding cell at the New Scotland Yard.'

He didn't say anything else, just looked at The Priest for a few more seconds then left. Sand scrunched under his shoes.

'Thank you,' said Rose, looking at Jenna, who just shrugged.

'So I think it's time to wrap this up,' said Blake. 

'Can we at least take the mask off?' asked Jenna. 'I wanna know who this motherfucker is.'

Robert had several theories about that. He was sure that he knew the man behind the white mask. Must have been someone he met before, otherwise, it just didn't make any sense. There must have been a connection, a system, some kind of order behind all the terrible things that happened to them.

But when Blake removed the mask, they all looked at a stranger. He was white with an oval-shaped face in his forties. He had the 5 o'clock shadow around his chin and had a reclining hairline, but that's it, he was a regular man. He didn't look like the most dangerous man alive. He looked like he needed a coffee or some sleep, but Robert knew that his empty, sleepy expression was a symptom of the mental spell Blake put on him.

'I kinda thought it will be Lord Montgomery,' said Jenna. She seemed disappointed.

Robert looked at her with his eyebrow lifted. Jenna never mentioned this clue to him.

'Why? Just think about it, it would make perfect sense. Strong sorcerer with no ethical restrictions whatsoever who hates everyone, especially you and me,' she explained.

Robert gave that some thought. Putting the fact aside that Jenna basically wanted to kill his father five minutes ago, he could understand her logic. Sort of. Not like the lord wouldn't deserve it, by all means. Even so, deciding someone's fate had to be done properly, by real, law abiding judges, not by a bunch of angry, tired people on the spot.

'It does make sense, now that you mention it,' Robert nodded. 'Except The Priest is a mercenary and my father doesn't need more money. And he cannot walk.'

'Oh. Right. I haven't considered those' she shrugged. 'Anyway, let's put this asshole into a cell and go home.'

'I've got this,' said Blake. 'You can go home. You need to rest.'

Nobody argued, not even Robert. Rose helped up Ayana, who looked pale, but said she is going to be alright by the morning. The four of them left together: Ayana, Blake, Rose and The Priest. At least ten police officers accompanied them.

Jenna and Robert walked out together, not saying anything. The silence between them became heavier and heavier by the second. 

'So I guess… I will see you.' said Jenna finally.

Robert craned at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the bridge. He looked at Jenna concerned.

'You aren't coming home, then?' he was confused. 

'I thought you don't want me to…' she said, avoiding to look the man's eyes. 'I mean, after all this…' she gestured towards the Tate Modern.

Robert took Jenna's hand and gave her a tired smile. 

'Come on,' he said. 'Let's go home.' 

Jenna nodded, and they walked hand in hand, silently, for a while. Robert noticed that the girl tried to stay as close to him as it was physically possible.

Robert came in Marcus' Tesla, and his own car parked where he left it: back in Islington, in front of the Broken Shield. The public transport in the middle of the night was even more unreliable than usually, so Robert called a cab. It was the traditional huge black one, even though an older model, not the new, electric one. When they were finally sitting on the back seat, Jenna put her head onto Robert's shoulder and closed her eyes.

'So you are not mad at me,' she said.

Robert didn't answer right away. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt.

'Do you think you would have done it if Rose didn't stop you?' he asked.

Jenna sat up, opened her eyes and looked at the man. 

'Listen… I agree with you, I really do. We cannot kill people. But there are certain things…' she visibly struggled to put her thoughts into words. 'If someone has done things The Priest had, they aren't human beings anymore. They decided not to be. And if someone became a monster, something that uses its power to hurt people… Well, then I will stop it. Even if it looks like a man. That's what I do for a living, after all.'

Robert shook his head gently. 

'But you still don't have the right to decide who became a monster,' he pointed out.

'There is nothing to decide about it,' she answered. 'It's not something you can see in more than one way. Monster is monster, that's it.' 

Robert found himself without an answer for the umpteenth time that day. He sighed and put his arm around Jenna's shoulder. The girl leaned against him and the rhythm of her breathing told Robert that she fell asleep a minute later.

JohnHKnight

Hey guys! This chapter marks the end of the second book. I will continue to update daily for another couple of days but after that I will post two chapters every week, at Wednesday and at Saturday, from next week.

Also, if you liked Blake's character, keep an eye out because soon I will release another story that will focus on him.

And if you liked Montgomery and Carano so far, please consider to hit the "tip" button if you can, so I can buy a new laptop to write. Or, if you cannot do that just spread the word, show the story to your friends. And if you are an American, after you read this chapter, please go and vote!