“A demon chicken?” James asked. “Like the kind that lay eggs?”
“Well, yeah, like that, but evil and huge. And bulletproof. And frag-grenade proof, the little son of a bitch.”
“I hate when they’re bulletproof,” James grunted. “How did you take it down?”
“My knives and the tachi.”
James grinned. “Good gift, huh?”
“Yes, for the girl who has everything, a magical demonic chicken-killing sword is a must-have.” Shay laughed. “But it did come in handy.” She sighed at her lover’s skillful work. “Speaking of coming in handy…”
“You know if you ever want me to come with you on a job, I will. I don’t need a bounty if it’s you.”
“I’m fine, James. It takes more than a giant evil chicken to kill me.” Shay turned around and licked her lips. “But there’s a little something I’ve missed that you could give me.” She winked and leaned over to turn out the light. “Just watch the shoulder.”
Shay awoke in the middle of the night, her head resting against the hard planes of James’ chest. The bounty hunter slept on his back, oblivious to the world. It took Shay a few seconds to realize why she’d woken up: a chiming phone on her nightstand.
She disentangled herself from her lover’s arms and rolled toward the nightstand. Peyton.
311. Give me a call.
Shay stared at the phone, having no idea what a 311 was. She crept out of bed and took the phone with her into the next room to call her assistant and personal hacking specialist.
“Sorry to call you in the middle of the night,” Peyton answered.
“That’s fine. Maybe. What the fuck is a 311, though?”
“I mentioned it to you the other day right before you left. Huh. You must not have been paying attention.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “Just tell me what the fuck it is. You’re the one who called me in the middle of the night.”
“You know, information coming in that suggests a problem, but not like a red-hot emergency.”
“And what information is that?”
“I was checking into the 25K Group guys. They are still keeping it local. There are only a small number of them, but they’re starting to sniff around and pay informants. I think it’s just a matter of time before they figure out who Lily is, or at least who she knows. Then they’ll come knocking on the other kids’ door with guns.”
Shay sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She heard a loud thud on the other end of the line.
“What the hell was that?”
“Oh, it’s just Lily running and doing parkour and acrobatics and stuff. Trying to burn off steam and cabin fever, I guess. Girl doesn’t even seem tired. Surprised she slept the other day.”
Shay sighed. “Whatever. That’s fine, but why are you calling me in the middle of the damned night about this?”
“If you want to catch up with these guys, it has to be the middle of the night because that’s when they roam the street. Otherwise, you’ll be breaking into a heavily fortified building. So if you want to find them, you better get going. Besides, misery loves company.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I can’t see Amber…”
Shay snorted. “Fine. You’re right. Best to handle this shit ASAP. Get Lily ready to meet me, just in case. I’ll be on my way soon.” She hung up.
She walked back into her bedroom and scribbled a note for James, which she put on the nightstand next to him.
Be back soon. Have a small side job. Don’t worry, it’s local and easy.
Shay opened her closet and accessed her hidden panel. City jobs made things a little more difficult, and she didn’t want to waste time arming up at Warehouse Three. A gun, adamantine knives, and her earpiece should be enough.
She shook her head. No, she couldn’t assume everything would be easy—that would be a mistake. After a quick stop at Warehouse Three for a more standard loadout, she’d go have a chat with some gangsters.
Okay, Lily, let’s clean up your mess.
Chapter Ten
Shay stepped out of the van onto the darkened street. She didn’t want to risk her Fiat being damaged or broken into while she handled the triad members., It also lacked the appropriate modifications the van had to make it immune to one of the devices she needed for her plan.
Killing the men wasn’t on the menu. That would only attract even more attention, which might lead to Lily and her friends, or maybe even Shay. At the same time, if the men decided they wanted to kill her, she wasn’t going to lie down and die, hence the arming up.
Still, the night’s efforts would be another test of her ability to engage targets in a non-lethal manner. At least, that was the plan.
“You still have eyes on them?” Shay asked, her voice barely a whisper. The throat mic would pick up her words.
“Yeah, they are one block north and one block west of you,” Peyton reported through her earpiece. “Twelve of them are spread out, but they aren’t in earshot from the looks of things. They’ve rousted a few prostitutes, but aren’t doing much other than trying to look tough.”
Shay cracked her knuckles. “Okay. I’m gonna jam shit so I don’t have to worry about them calling anyone or spotting me with drones. Pull your drone back now.”
“You sure about your plan? I mean, there’s a lot that could go wrong.”
“Yeah, I know. If worse comes to the worst, I can always start killing people.” Shay marched up the block. “And send Lily with the package. By the time she gets here, I’ll be ready for her.”
“Roger that. Enjoy your gangster beatings.”
“I always do. It’s a nice way to let off steam.”
Shay touched a silver band on her wrist and waited for about half a minute. That would give Peyton enough
