As soon as we landed, I went to turn away.
“Where are you going?” Dave asked.
“To that pub,” I replied. “I have to find Brianna.”
Taking my arm, he stopped me. Kate took my other hand.
Jake turned as he dressed himself, his butt cheeks white against the tan line of his waist. Looking away, I blinked, shaking my head to clear the image.
“What are you doing?” I asked, ready to fight if they refused to let me go.
For too long I had ignored the people who cared about me. Smudge had been allowed to get close to me, or as close as I would let her. And yet, I still became complacent with my familiar. It was the same with Brianna. We had known each other for years, but I hadn’t made the effort to allow her in. She had tried to help me find love. She had wanted to be my friend. Why hadn’t I allowed anyone to get close?
“Jake and Dave are going with you.”
Kate took hold of Finlay’s sleeve, giving him a look of warning as she closed her eyes.
“She’s a seer,” Dave explained when Finlay stared at the woman who clutched his arm. “She’ll find out all your dirty secrets, you-”
“Stop,” I warned my partner. “He’s more innocent than we realise.”
Spinning around, Jake held his arms out to the side. “Back to my normal sexy self, let’s get going.”
A part of me wanted to demand them to stay at headquarters, but I had to admit that I needed their help. I had no idea who was holding Brianna. Would Xvair be there? Or, would he have hired someone else to watch over her? That’s if she was still alive.
“Okay.” Taking their hands, I prepared to flash us again. “Let’s go rescue my best friend.”
Chapter 7
It wasn’t safe to land outside the pub, so I took us to the nearest underground station. The men followed me as we strolled out through the crowd, blending in with mostly humans as they went about their day. A couple of paranormal creatures looked in our direction, but we kept our heads down.
“What’s the plan?” Jake asked.
Dodging a woman with a pram, I smiled at her when she apologised. It was nice for someone to be polite for a change. Often, British people in London were less than friendly.
Checking that no one was watching, I took out my phone. The map showed the pub, just down the street.
“There’s an alleyway behind the pub. If we scope out the place, check the environment, we’ll be able to determine whether we need backup. If Xvair is there, you can ring it in and get my mother’s team to help.”
Shaking his head, Jake mumbled under his breath. His eyebrows were pulled low over his bright blue eyes. The clench of his jaw added to his look of agitation.
“What was that?”
Smiling quickly, he licked his lips. “I was just saying that your mother is a pain in the arse. She should’ve let you stay on the case. It’s crazy to separate you from the people who will protect you from getting killed. Well...”
His cheeks burned red as we passed a coffee shop, the strong smell of the hot drink filtering out to us. My head bent round when I spotted a dark haired man holding a copy of Pride and Prejudice in front of his face. It looked suspiciously like-
“There’s a witch up front,” Dave interrupted us. “We need to get off the street. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here. Especially as we’re so close to the equinox.”
The PFF was next on my hit list. Brianna had to be saved. I trusted the others to take Xvair down without me, if needed. Although I was going against my mother’s wishes having Dave and Jake with me. However, if Xvair was at the pub, they would be following a legitimate lead.
Ducking into a side alley, Dave gestured towards a fence. “That’s the back of the pub.”
It was strange having Dave on a mission with us. He had always been my desk friend and his favourite saying was that an agent never went in blind. In a way, I missed Dave’s insistent chatter in my ear, even though I could see him as I approached the fence. Wait, he was starting to talk in my ear anyway...
“Why did you bring us here?” he asked, almost jumping out of his skin when something moved by our feet. “We’re literally in a run-down ally behind a crap hole of a pub. Is that a rat?”
“Shut up!” I hissed as footsteps sounded behind us.
Jake spun first, a low growl coming up his chest. When a homeless man sauntered past with a sleeping bag attached to his back, barely giving us a look, I allowed my shoulders to relax.
There was a high fence closing off the tiny pub garden. No one was inside, it was too early in the day. The lunch rush would begin in an hour. My nerves were on edge, my teeth biting my lips in an attempt to calm them.
“Those witches were after you,” Jake said, taking out a pair of binoculars.
“I guessed that.” My reply was short and sharp. “Bastard bounty on my head.”
Dave shushed us, his finger firmly over his lips as he frowned. He was right, we had to keep quiet.
Jake searched the top windows with his binoculars as I searched for a hole in the fence. The alley was small, barely room for three people to stand close together.
“What’s going on?” A female voice interrupted us, making us all jump back.
My mother stood with her hands on her hips, her hair uncharacteristically tied in a harsh bun. As I tried to think of an excuse as to why the others were with me, they both stepped forward.
“We
