CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

KELLY CHAN

 

I have to admit that I really wanted to kill everyone. I could have ended the entire thing right then and there, but I watched them walk away. I’d ruined a perfectly good shirt for nothing.

Well, maybe not for nothing. If Graham grew a pair and stood up for himself, that would be a positive development. On top of that, I still wanted to be working with Jonathan. He seemed so much darker these days, so much more serious. Okay, I realize that fighting killers might not be the best way for some people to lighten up, but we were not most people. Jonathan needed an easy win, and this seemed like just the ticket. I could wipe out the Marshall Clan inside of thirty seconds, but it would be best to let Jonathan help. It also might be a good thing to have Graham help.

“You’d better fight back next time,” I said.

“I’ll try.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“It’s not how we were brought up.”

“Not how you were brought up?”

“If you know you’ve done wrong, fighting back brings dishonor to your family.”

“That may be the stupidest thing anyone has said to me in months.”

His jaw dropped. I guess he wasn’t expecting honesty.

“You want to finish your run?” I asked.

“No, I think we should head back.”

“Whatever works for you.”

Graham looked at me strangely. “You have blood on your hands.”

“Only a little,” I said. I was tempted to lick it off, but I didn’t think he could handle that, so I did the next best thing and wiped my hands on his pretty blue jacket.

“Hey!”

“What? You can afford a new running suit.”

He glared at me for a moment then turned and started jogging back toward the house.

I pulled out my cell and called Brand. He answered on the second ring.

“The bed is cold without you,” he said.

“Get your ass up to Boulder,” I said and gave him the address.

“Do I get to kill anyone?”

A man after my own heart. “I’m already one up on you.”

“Not fair.”

“It’s all right. There are plenty to go around.”

“I’m on my way.”

I hung up and jogged after Graham.

 

JONATHAN SHADE

 

“Here’s how this will work,” I said. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Brand had arrived fifteen minutes earlier. He, Graham, and Rayna sat at the table, while Kelly and I stood. Esther sat on the kitchen counter, looking bored. I pointed at Graham and Rayna. “You two will not go anywhere outside this house without one of us.”

“Okay,” Rayna said.

Graham shook his head. “I’m not willing to have my life completely disrupted.”

You’d think he’d have learned his lesson. “A bit of disruption is better than being dead.”

He glanced at Kelly then nodded. “I suppose.”

“When we’re in public, you will do exactly as we say. We’ll secure the rooms, and we’ll provide the best cover we can between vehicles and buildings. We’ll use a lot of back entrances, and we’ll vary our routes to any locations we go to more than once. In an ideal situation, we’d have a larger team, but we’ll simply have to make due.”

“Is it key time?” Esther asked.

I gave her a nod even though Rayna and Graham didn’t know she was there. I pulled out two typewriter keys with small rings attached.

“Slip these on your keychains. You will keep these with you at all times.”

I handed one key to Rayna and the other to Graham. They looked at the keys then at me with confusion on their faces.

“What are these for?” Graham asked.

“Turn around and look at the counter,” I said.

The turned and looked. Esther waved at them.

They looked back at me even more confused.

“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Rayna asked. “The microwave?”

They couldn’t see or hear Esther even with the keys, which meant they had zero magic. Good to know.

“Never mind. Just keep those keys with you.” If they couldn’t see her, there was no point telling them Esther was along for the ride. “Think of them as good-luck charms.”

“So these have some sort of protection spell on them?” Graham asked.

“Something like that.”

“I don’t trust magic.”

“I said it was something like that, not that it was that. There’s no magic involved. Let’s just say these are sort of an old-fashioned GPS locator.”

“If you say so,” Rayna said, and dug in her purse for her keychain.

Graham pulled out his keychain and added the typewriter key.

“We’re going to rotate protectors for you, so—”

“I don’t want to rotate protectors,” Graham said. “I want her with me.” He pointed at Kelly.

“I’m flattered,” Kelly said.

“You’ve already proven you can keep me safe, and if someone is going to be by my side, I’d prefer a beautiful woman over a couple of men.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Brand said. “But just so you know, she’s taken.”

I turned to Kelly. “You cool with that?”

She shrugged. “The bad guys already know me, so my presence alone might keep Graham safe.”

I considered that. She’d told me how she handled the situation, letting herself get stabbed so the attackers would think twice about facing off with her. If a sword through the chest didn’t kill her, what hope did they have? It was an effective scare tactic.

“They want to kill me first,” Graham said. “Especially now.”

“They might change their minds,” I said. “We’re not taking anything for granted.”

“If Kelly is with Graham, does that mean you’re with me?” Rayna asked.

“Brand and I can still alternate.”

“I feel safe with you,” she said.

I knew she’d be safer with Brand, but I was pleased by her comment anyway. I knew I needed to stay focused and not get emotionally attached. This was business and it was my job to keep her alive.

“All right. Brand will be backup.”

Graham looked at his watch. “We need to be at the hospice in thirty minutes for a presentation.”

“No worries,” I said. I was done talking anyway.

“I’ll have Bitterman bring the car around,” Rayna said and rose from her seat.

As she walked past me, she gave me a slight smile.

Esther grinned. “I think she likes you.”

I shot Esther a look and she frowned. I knew she was trying to make light of her jealousy, but I wasn’t here to try to get Rayna to like me, nor was I here to safeguard Esther’s feelings. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t tell her she had nothing to worry about. To protect Rayna, I needed to make sure everything remained on a purely professional level. I figured that would be easy provided I didn’t allow myself to get to know her. Good luck with that one.