“So have you known Mr. Brownstone long?” Alison asked.
“Nope. Just met him recently on a job.”
“He’s a good guy, you know. He’s saved me twice from the Harriken.”
“Yeah, he’s okay for a guy.”
So I was right before. So much for you only being in it for the money, Brownstone. Helping out little damsels in distress? Where’s the profit in that?
A bookshelf caught Shay’s attention. Closer inspection revealed three rows of books, the top being cookbooks and the bottom two all being books related to barbecue. History, cooking, chefs, and restaurants.
“The Case Against Molecular Gastronomy as Applied to Barbeque,” Shay read. She shook her head. “Man, does this guy like his barbecue!”
Alison tilted her head to the side. “What?”
“Nothing, just… Brownstone’s real OCD. I didn’t expect that from a guy who... Well, a guy like him.”
He’s gonna get OCD shooting six guys in the face.
Shay turned around and headed to the bathroom to peek inside. Three hand towels hung from a towel rack, all perfectly aligned. The toilet glistened, pristine. The light scent of pine hung in the air.
The bathtub looked factory-new.
“The guy doesn’t even have hard-water stains,” she muttered. “I scrub the damn thing, and I still have hard-water stains.”
Alison rose from the couch and walked over to the bathroom. “What are you doing?”
“We need to leave,” Shay told her. “Now.”
The teenager’s eyes widened. “Are the Harriken coming?”
“No.” Shay took a deep breath. “This place is just...too perfect. If we mess anything up, both of us may end up dead. I’m taking you to my place, where a little mess isn’t the end of the world.”
“Hey, kid.” Shay changed lanes. “You hungry?”
Alison nodded. “Yeah, a little.”
“You like pizza?”
The girl smiled. “Who doesn’t like pizza?”
“Who indeed? It’s way better than barbecue.” Shay grinned.
Alison laughed.
Shay pulled through an intersection. A great place was not all that far away. A little pizza always made everything better. Before they hit the pizzeria though, she needed a few questions answered.
“What’s your deal, kid?”
Alison looked Shay’s way, her eyes unfocused. “My deal?”
“I’ve watched you move. It’s…odd.”
“Odd?”
“There’s something I don’t know.” Shay sighed. “Look, kid, not trying to be a bi…not trying to be a jerk, but it’s just lately I’ve run into a lot of people who aren’t what they seem, and so I’d rather know upfront. I don’t care if you’re a half-angel/half-nymph or whatever. Brownstone asked me to protect you, so I’ll protect you.”
Alison laughed. “I’m not Oriceran; I’m just blind.”
Shay spared a glance the teen’s way. “Shit. Seriously? How do you get around so well? Do you do that sonar tongue clicking thing or whatever?”
“No. Not entirely. I’m not Oriceran, but I am special. I can see the energy of souls.”
“Huh. Didn’t see that coming. But somehow I’m not surprised.”
Shay didn’t even think to question the revelation. If anything, it made a lot more of the situation make sense. There was no reason for the Harriken to be obsessed with some random girl and her mother otherwise.
Brownstone, you stumbled into some seriously strange shit, even for a guy who hunts magical criminals for a living.
The implications of someone being able to read her deepest essence didn’t sit well with Shay. Her neck and shoulders tightened, as she imagined just how awful her soul looked to an innocent young girl.
“You can see into me, huh?” Shay said.
“Yes.”
“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. Just because I’m trying to do something different probably doesn’t change who I am inside. I have all my excuses, but I was already a terrible person by the time I was your age.”
Knowing that she couldn’t hide her soul loosened Shay’s tongue. No point in putting on too many airs for the ultimate lie detector. It’d be pathetic.
“No, you’ve got it all wrong.” Alison shook her head.
“I do?”
“It’s like I told you earlier, a beautiful soul with a lot of pain, but there’s more and more beautiful colors. It’s like it’s changing into something even more beautiful.”
Shay sighed. “I don’t know if people can really change, including me.”
“I’ve seen light in almost everyone’s soul.” A soft smile appeared on her face. “Like I said, I can already see more beauty building in you since you first came into Mr. Brownstone’s house, and there was a lot before.”
Shay swallowed and kept her eyes locked on the road. She didn’t even want to begin to parse what the girl’s information might mean. She’d only stopped by to help Brownstone out because he’d asked. It didn’t change who she was, not really.
Maybe everything changed when I got pissed over that dog dying.
“That might be true, kid.” Shay sighed. “But keep in mind that people can change from good to bad just as easily as from bad to good.”
“I know.” The girl’s voice grew quiet. “I’ve seen that, too.”
Shay turned into a parking lot for the pizzeria. “One last thing you need to know before we get something to eat.”
“What?”
“Flat-crust only. No stuffed crust. It’s an abomination that should be packed up and sent off to Oriceran.”
Alison laughed. All the discomfort washed away from her face. “Okay, Shay.”
Shay thought over everything that had happened in recent months. Peyton didn’t die at the end of her gun despite his dead man’s switch and the implied threat. That must have meant something, as did deciding to help Brownstone, even if he didn’t turn out to need it.
Even the naga encounter proved something. She’d not known he was a naga at first. The old Shay would have gunned down a witness like that without a second thought.
Shit. So I am changing? I just don’t know if I’m changing into something better or weaker.
Maybe both.
Chapter Twenty
What the fuck am I doing? This is stupid.
After pizza, Shay took Alison to her new brownstone. The security of the place, along with the just added panic room, made it safe enough from random sword-wielding gangsters. Shay couldn’t bring herself to babysit an
