“I live in a tunnel. Fashion’s not something I care about.” The teen sat up. “So, yeah, not talking about that. Talking about your girlfriend.”
Peyton blinked. “Amber? What about her? Shay knows about her, and I know how to keep my mouth shut. If there were a problem, Shay would have already threatened to kill me over it by now. Subtlety is not part of her managerial style, even if she’s nicer to you than me at times because you’re younger.”
“Nothing to do with Shay.” Lily shrugged. “I might be younger than you, but I’m not stupid. I also know that girls don’t exactly like it when their boyfriends lie to them.”
“I’m not…lying to her, exactly. I’m just leaving out a few key details.” Discomfort colored his tone.
The teen hopped off the car and went into a headstand. “I’m sure she’ll totally agree with your logic once she finds out and not, you know, feel horribly betrayed.”
Peyton shook his head. “She doesn’t have to find out.”
Lily jumped to her feet and stared at Peyton. “Like, never find out?”
“Maybe. Why not?”
“And you think that’s even possible?”
Peyton picked up a red beret and set it on his head. “I was reading an article the other day about guys who worked for the CIA during the Cold War.”
Lily yawned. “I’m not interested in ancient history, Earth or Oriceran.”
Peyton adjusted his beret. “The point is, these people were secret agents, but a lot of them had families. They lied to their families. Some people didn’t figure out their spouses or parents were CIA until years later, or in some cases until after they died. Imagine loving someone and then finding out they weren’t who you thought? The point is, if they could do it, why not me?”
“So, because of a bunch of spies who hid stuff from people back in the Dark Ages, you’re going to keep lying to your girlfriend?” Lily rolled her eyes.
“When you say it like that, it makes it sound so shady.” Peyton grimaced.
“Just saying that shit has a way of coming out.” Lily charged a sports car and vaulted over it with three quick pushes.
Peyton shook his head. “But I’m good at keeping things to myself.”
The girl turned to face him. “Since when?”
“Since the first time Shay pulled a gun on me. Like I said, not a subtle management style.”
Lily snickered. “I can see how that might motivate you.” She frowned at a wall clock. “I should be getting home. Didn’t realize it was this late already.”
“Home? You mean those abandoned tunnels?”
“Yeah. What about them?”
Peyton removed the beret and set it back on the rack. “How can that be a home? It’s just…tunnels.”
Lily shook her head. “It’s so much more than that.”
“Roaches? Rats?”
“No. People.” She smiled. “That’s what home is to me. The people. My friends are my family. We’ve been through a lot together, and I could never leave them behind. Not totally.”
Peyton considered that. He wasn’t about to lecture anyone on family, considering his brother had tried to have him killed and his father might have known that would happen. At best, his mother and sister had looked the other way.
Man, is my family fucked up.
Lily looked at the floor and sighed. “Especially since I lost my parents. I had my dad, but he got turned into the bounty hunters by Yulia Solokova.”
“The Ice Witch?”
Lily nodded. “Yeah. One and the same bitch.”
Peyton blew out a breath. “I knew you had some history, but I didn’t know about that. Is that why you’re interested in Shay training you? Revenge?”
“A little.” Lily shrugged. “That bitch has to pay for what she did to my father. If that freaks you out, keep in mind she’s screwed over a lot of people, not just me. I’ll be doing the world a favor.”
“No, you don’t get it. It’s not that I care if you kill the witch. It’s not like Shay hasn’t killed a lot of people since I started working with her, let alone before. It’s more about protecting you.”
Lily frowned. “Protecting me? That’s why I’m getting training.”
Peyton shook his head. “You’re alive, and that’s what counts. Risking your life to protect someone or even for a payday? That makes sense. Vengeance? No profit in it. It’s a pointless risk. It will fuck things up, and get you killed. Trust me, I know a little about revenge.”
Lily pulled out a small piece of metal out of her pocket. She ran her finger across it like it was a precious treasure.
“What’s that?”
“It was my father’s. An artifact. It helps me find things. She took it, and I took it back. It’s also a reminder that she took him from me.”
Peyton had just opened his mouth to say something when his phone chimed. “Hold that thought.” He pulled his phone out and frowned. “Huh. It’s the Professor, and he wants to meet with Shay. She’ll be happy for a big job.”
Lily slipped the artifact back into her pocket. “I’ve got to get back.”
“Be careful, and try not to piss off any gangsters on your way home.”
The girl waved and turned with a grin.
Shay pushed into the Leanan Sídhe, unsurprised by the dense crowd filling the Irish pub. Just another night at the popular watering hole. Something else surprised her, though.
She took a few more steps before stopping and blinking. Smite-Williams wasn’t sitting in the back.
Shit. I’m here ahead of him for once.
The tomb raider chuckled and maneuvered through the throng. She took a seat at a table in the back. A waitress walked over to her.
“What will it be?”
Shay was disappointed that the waitress couldn’t anticipate her drink order.
Guess The Great Treaty spoiled me.
“Porterhouse Red,” Shay answered.
“Right away.” The waitress smiled and headed toward the bar.
Shay settled in facing the front, something she couldn’t always accomplish when meeting with the Professor. Just as she got
