“Please?”
The reply leaked out. “Okay.”
I braced for the question I didn’t want him to ask. He surprised me with, “You’re not really a barista, are you?”
I blinked, almost relieved. Granted, the question opened up a whole nother set of complications, but these I could handle. “No, I’m not. I help deal with things that most people don’t see and don’t want to see.”
“Like tigers who turn into girls?”
“Yeah, like that.”
He blew hard through his nose. “And Alex found out? Is that why he left?”
In a roundabout way … “Yes.”
“Is it really more complicated than that?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
I wished he did, but complicated didn’t even begin to cover my world. “What time is it?”
He glanced at his watch. “Almost quarter to two.”
“I’ll be back before three. I need to be somewhere at sunrise.”
“Be careful.”
With the most confident smile I could muster, I climbed out and jogged to the corner, gritting my teeth the entire time. The block was quiet, save the gentle rumble of the river. Even the hospital seemed to be sleeping, despite dozens of windows blazing with light. I turned the corner, out of Leo’s sight. I just hoped he stayed in the car.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on Wyatt’s hospital room. The open space near the window. The Break caressed me with static fingers, no longer hindered by that strange force field. I pulled on the power, and the world around me dissolved. I floated. Felt smashed flat as I moved through the solid walls of the hospital—uncomfortable, but not as painful as the first few times.
Motion ceased, and solid linoleum formed beneath my feet. The scratch wounds smarted and stung, and a dull ache pressed between my eyes when I opened them. The room was dark, empty, the bed stripped. Equipment put away.
“She was right.”
Heart thudding in my ears, I spun around, fists clenched. Felix stood in the shadows of the far corner, hands in his jeans pockets. He looked bored.
“Christ, you scared the shit out of me,” I snapped, trying to get my racing pulse under control.
“Sorry. That was a really cool entrance, though.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who was right about what?”
“Kis. She said you’d probably show up, so she told me to wait and give you a message.”
“Which is?”
“Truman and St. James were moved from here to a more secure location.”
“Why?” The question slipped out, even though I could guess.
“Because someone sneaked in and tried to kill them. Well, tried to kill Truman.”
My stomach quailed. “Is he all right?”
“He’s fine. He had a silver cross that knocked her for a loop long enough to get help in here.”
“Were-cat?”
Felix tilted his head, considering me. “Yeah.”
“When?”
“About an hour ago.”
Son of a bitch. “She alive?”
“And being detained for questioning.”
“I can save you the trouble. My would-be killer fell into overconfidence mode and spilled right before the tables were turned.”
“Yeah, we heard something about that over the wire. Morgan’s team was sent in to check it out.”
Morgan would have a hell of a time wrestling Jag Man’s corpse away from the police. It was the third time in a week that the cops had been called to that apartment. My guess was it would take more than a Handler’s flashy Special Cases badge to get access. Or a call from the brass.
“So what do they want?” Felix asked.
“Same as us. Security for their people.”
He snorted. “By trying to kill ours?”
“It’s what we do to them.”
“Whose side are you on?” he asked, shooting me a queer look.
I bristled. “Right now? Mine, because I’m the only person who hasn’t tried to kill me at some point this week.” We could have this argument anywhere and at any time. I had better things to do. I still had to stash my new shadow and then get to Rufus. “Do you have any cash on you?”
“Some. Why?”
“Because I need it. Now, where did you take Wyatt and Rufus?”
Leo started awake when I knocked on his car window. He’d fallen asleep with his head against the glass, breath puffing a cloud of vapor the size of my fist. He blinked at me, momentarily confused, then rolled the window down with a hand crank.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Scoot over. I’m driving.”
He complied without question—which surprised the hell out of me—and gingerly inspected the back of the passenger seat before settling in. Probably checking for blood. I slid in behind the steering wheel as headlights flashed into the alley. I started up the car and pulled out. Felix fell in line behind.
At first, Leo didn’t notice. After five blocks and two left turns, he twisted around in his seat. “We’re being followed,” he said.
“He’s a friend.”
Three blocks later, we pulled into the lot of the Palm Tree Inn, a white-painted brick motel nestled between two fast-food joints. It was U-shaped, its garish sign marking the open end of the lot. I parked near the office. Felix pulled in next to me, then darted inside.
“Is something happening here?” Leo asked, gazing around. Confused.
I turned to face him. “No. Leo, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to stay here for a few days while I take care of some things.”
His expression morphed from concern to anger and back again, unsure which to choose.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” I continued, “and I can’t do my job if I’m trying to protect you. When this is over, we’ll talk. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Understanding dawned. His face went slack. “You mean about—”
“Three days, Leo. Just promise me you won’t go near alcohol or the apartment.”
A silent war waged in the ensuing silence, lasting the several minutes it took Felix to return with a key and room number. I climbed out with my bag and handed the car keys to Leo. He stared at them, then at me. “Fine,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, then followed Felix back to his car.
We waited around the corner, lights off, until Leo retreated to his room with a suitcase and shut the door.
“He your old man or something?” Felix asked when we were back on the road.
“Just someone I’m trying to help,” I said.
“You can’t help everyone, Evy.”
“Nope.” I’d lost too many friends to think otherwise. “But the day I stop trying is the day I take a header off the Wharton Street Bridge.”
He grunted.
“Do you have any extra weapons?” I asked after a brief silence. “I’m feeling a little naked over here.”
