I was barely two blocks out of the car park from the office when a black SUV screeched up and cut me off.
I hit the breaks, narrowly avoided plowing into it. Three burly bastards got out. Casual clothes. Denim. Jeans. Boots.
Glowing eyes, canine teeth, burning red skin. The Rakshakas I’d seen twice before in my visions of the two murders. These were the ones. It was this lot all along.
I blinked. They were human now.
One of them walked right up to my side of the car. He had friendly eyes and a warm smile, but I already knew he was a monster.
He tapped on the window. I lowered it just a jot.
“How ya doin’ today, brother?”
American.
“All right,” I said. “Apart from just getting cut off. Who might you be?”
“Call me Jarrod. Let’s talk about Sandra Rodriguez.”
“What about her?”
“We need to talk to her.”
“Regarding?”
“Stuff she took from her employers. And some other stuff, but that’s really between her and us.”
I glanced at Jarrod and his two men. They kept flicking between human and Rakshaka. It felt like a migraine. My heart was pounding, but I wasn’t about to panic yet. None of the scenarios that were going through my head had a good outcome for me here.
“She’s under our protection. So if you want to set a meeting, I’ll run it by her and get back to you.”
Jarrod laughed.
“Oh, man. You don’t know the bear you’re poking here, brother. We can be your worst nightmare or your new best friends.”
“I don’t need arseholes for friends.”
Jarrod’s smile didn’t waver.
“You’re a cool customer. I like that. Say, can I call you Mr. Chips? After the movie about the schoolteacher? Always liked that movie.”
“I hate movies about teachers.”
They know about my past? What else do they know?
“Look, brother, I’m approaching you here out of professional courtesy. We’re going to have our talk with Ms. Rodriguez with or without your blessing. She’s playing a dangerous game.”
“Because an investment bank is hiring ex-military types to kill people for a cover-up?”
Jarrod’s smile grew wider.
“They tell me you’re smart. Let me give you some advice. One professional to another. Walk away. This isn’t going to end well for your client. No dishonor in admitting you’ve done all you can, since you and us, we’re not in the same league.”
“Ah, now that you’ve said that, I can’t very well drop her, can I? I have a duty of care to my client.”
I held Jarrod’s gaze and didn’t blink.
“What next? Are you going to take me someplace and torture me? Bit of waterboarding? Beatings? Electrodes? Urine-soaked sack over my head?”
Given what I’d already seen they were capable of, I was well and truly fucked, but I wasn’t going to beg just yet.
Jarrod backed away from my car, still smiling.
“I’ll see ya around, Ravi.”
He gestured to his men, and they got back into the SUV and drove off.
Slowly I unclenched my grip on the steering wheel and started to breathe again.