First, though, she had a lot of research to do.
Chapter Six
She shimmied and bounced to the rhythm with abandon, dancing with her girls. It’d been a long time since she’d felt so free.
Some old friends had talked her into going out for the first time in a long time. She had avoided them because she didn’t want to discuss her new career, but they’d finally convinced her she needed a night out.
Bella leaned close to Shay’s ear. “I think I need a break.”
After they’d reached the small table in the corner their friends were holding for them, Kara smiled at them all. “I have a little surprise.”
“I’ve got a new guy,” she caroled.
After they had heard every detail, Janelle sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t want to bring y’all down, but I kicked my man to the curb yesterday.”
“What happened?” Shay asked.
“Darius cheated on me.” Janelle pasted on a fake smile.
Shay leaned closer and lowered her voice, her eyes piercing. “I could go kick his ass.
Janelle laughed. “Oh, girl, you’re too much sometimes. Imagine little ol’ you going after Darius?”
She continued her litany of woe, and Shay reached her limit of bonding. She stood to leave and hugged each of them. “Thanks for all the fun, girls.”
“Don’t let those bastards at the university work you too hard,” Bella suggested with a wink.
“I won’t.”
Shay’s playtime was over. Tomorrow she needed to start her search for the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Having been a professional killer, Shay never relaxed whenever she was in a dark area where she could find herself in a potential ambush. She couldn’t help but think about how she might kill someone in a place like that.
When she spotted the man lingering suspiciously in the parking lot, she focused on him. After a few more steps she realized he was standing near Janelle’s car.
Wait, is that Darius?
She’d never met the man, but she’d seen plenty of pictures. Given everything Janelle had just said, there was zero reason for the man to be hanging out in the parking lot waiting for her.
Yeah, this isn’t good.
Shay’s friend’s phone had beeped a few times over the night, but no one had paid attention to it since it was girls’ night. It wasn’t like they all didn’t get a lot of messages. Even Shay had gotten a lot from Peyton, not that she would tell her girls who’d sent them.
The tomb raider sighed and altered her course. She’d offered to handle boyfriend trouble earlier, so she might as well follow up on it.
“Hey, Darius,” she called.
The huge man turned toward her with a frown on his face. “I don’t know you. Get out of my face. I’m waiting for my girlfriend.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “That’s the thing. You might not know me, but I know you, and I know Janelle’s done with you.”
His lips curled into a sneer. “She’s not done with me until I say she’s done with me. Oh, so you’re one of her whore friends? You’re the ones filling her head with bullshit about being independent and strong? That why she hasn’t been answering me?”
“Leave now, asshole. Leave Janelle alone and stop calling her.”
“She didn’t block me. That means she wants to hear from me. She owes me anyway for putting up with her.” He patted his chest.
Shay snorted. “Listen to yourself. You’re the cheater, not her.”
“Can’t blame a man for wandering. It’s just our nature. She can’t bitch because I’m not a saint.”
“Okay, here’s the thing…you’re gonna turn around and leave right now, or something bad is gonna happen.”
The man stepped toward her, glowering. “Maybe I need to teach you some lessons like I taught her.”
Shay narrowed her eyes. “You’ve hit Janelle?”
“All I’m saying is that she needed to be taught some respect. Apparently still does.”
“You’re lucky she tolerated your abusive ass this long then, asshole. If I’d have known, I would have kicked your ass a long time ago.”
Darius lunged at her, and she grabbed his wrist and bent it back, then kicked the back of his knee. He went to the ground, howling in pain.
She maintained her painful wristlock and throat-punched him with her free hand. “Here’s how this is gonna go… I’m gonna let you go, and you’re gonna hop back in your car and leave. You’re gonna lose Janelle’s number and never go near her again, because if I catch wind of you sniffing in her direction I’ll add your balls to my collection. Understand?”
Tears leaked from the man’s eyes, and he nodded as he sucked in air. Shay released his wrist and took a step back, her body still tense.
Darius stumbled to his feet and ran in the opposite direction.
Shay grinned. “Little ol’ me took him down just fine.”
It’d been a long, fun night, but that didn’t make it any less exhausting. It was time for bed.
Shay slipped underneath her covers, humming to herself—and stopped as if she’d heard the Nuevo Gulf Cartel at her door.
Humming? What the fuck is this? I’m fucking happy?
Shay shook her head. The idea unsettled her more than facing down an ice witch or some stupid Russian frogmen. Then she relaxed and laughed.
She was happy. The unpleasant encounter hadn’t erased the great time she’d had with her friends. And that’s what they were at this point—actual friends. The same thing went for Brownstone, and even Peyton and Lily. All the evidence pointed in the same direction.
Shay had a real life now—and that meant she had something to lose.
Chapter Seven
The trip to Mexico had gone off without too much trouble. She’d needed to make a few stops and check in with a few people, and Brownstone had a hard-on to go after some necromancer bounty later, but they were almost to the location of the artifact.
Light caught Shay’s eye, and she slowed the 4Runner before bringing it to a stop. She narrowed her eyes, staring straight ahead.
There were caves in the distance,
