I’ve spent the last year taking various self-defense classes. I know how to use a gun, and I have knife skills. I never thought to practice throwing cans, but all my tutors remarked on my good aim.
“Yes, you did,” Reid says as he risks breaking cover.
He has a hand pressed against his forehead, and blood trickles through his fingers. I don’t feel in the least bit sorry. When he sees I’m not holding any more missiles, he closes the door and steps towards me. This man does not know when to quit.
“I just want to talk, Quinn. Maybe we could go out for dinner, make a night of it?” When I don’t deign him with a response, he continues. “I know you think I’m your enemy, but my guess is you have enough of those to contend with already.”
“Maybe I have,” I stupidly admit. “But I don’t need more friends either, not if they’re like you.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you well enough.” Including what his cock feels like pressed up against me. Is that why Reid’s back? “And I’m not about to become someone’s new play thing.”
Reid’s face breaks into a smile, and the corner of his mouth catches the rivulet of blood running down his cheek. His wound is bleeding quite heavily now. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Unless you’ve been dreaming of it too?”
“You just contradicted yourself,” I point out. “You can’t say you haven’t dreamt about it, then ask if I’ve dreamt about ittoo.”
“Hmm, you would have made a good lawyer.”
Against my better judgement, I dig into my purse andpull out a pack of Kleenex. I fight a smile when I see him flinch. He thought I was reaching for my gun. Not the reaction I’d expect from a cold-blooded killer, unless it’s simply an act so I’ll drop my guard.
I toss him the Kleenex. “You would have made a good lawyer too,” I say. “It’s almost a shame you chose to side with evil.”
Reid presses a clump of tissues to the gash on his head. “I wish you’d give me the chance to explain.”
I sigh. “So you can tell me again how youhelppeople in need? How exactly do you do that, Reid? Do you show the mafia the best way to distribute drugs, or are there other ways you help peddle their misery?”
“No, we…” His voice trails off. “If you want a flavor of the things we’ve done for communities like this,” he says, gesturing up and down Main Street. “Have a look online. You might be pleasantly surprised.”
I swallow back a laugh. “You don’t exist online.”
“Tonight, we do,” Reid corrects me. “We’ve lifted the curtain. Just for you.”
Goosebumps prick my skin, and I pull my padded jacket tight around my chest. He’s doing that for me? I’m almost flattered, but then I remind myself of who I’m dealing with. “I’m more inclined to believe your brother’s set up an elaborate web of disinformation for me to find.”
“I promise you it’s all genuine. This is an act of faith, Quinn. Not faith in you. In me,” he explains. “My brothers are trusting my judgement.”
He takes a step closer so we’re within touching distance. I don’t back away.
“I think you’re a good person,” he says, then stops to check how much blood the Kleenex has soaked up. “A little violent perhaps, but we all have our faults. Mine is seeingthe good in people. And all I ask is that you look for the good in me too. This battle is too big to pit ourselves against each other. I want to believe that you’re not working for the Russians, or if you are, it’s under duress. Please, just take a look online. We stand a better chance of bringing down Ilya if we can work together.”
I keep my expression schooled, but that name alone drains the blood from my cheeks. Reid cocks his head to the side, scrutinizing my reaction. My mouth is dry and I go to wet my lips, but my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“You really do see the monster in him, don’t you?” Reid says, his voice hushed.
Before I can respond, a voice from behind startles me.
“Your kind aren’t welcome here,” a man says from the hardware store’s doorway. He’s scowling at Reid. “Go drip blood on someone else’s sidewalk. But before you go, you owe me for three cans of paint.”
I force myself to move. “I’ll leave you to it,” I say, taking advantage of the diversion.
“Think on what I said,” Reid calls after me. “And you only have tonight to do your research.”
I keep my head down as I continue on my way. People are still gawking, but they’re more interested in the exchange between the storekeeper and Reid now. I’m two blocks away before the tension around my chest eases enough to let me breathe.
My voice trembles as I make the call to Strider. I tell him what’s happened and even as we talk, he finds information about the Griffins online that wasn’t there previously.
“If this is fabricated news, Mace has done a thorough job. There are news reports going back years, across a whole range of platforms. It looks genuine.”
