The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “I didn’t ask about my love life.”
“No. You asked about a job. One that doesn’t end your life or end the world. You want an easy answer so you have a reason to quit. Perhaps I wanted to give you your money’s worth of advice—something of value.”
I stood. “I know I’m not supposed to piss you off, but if that’s all you’re going to tell me, you’re nothing but a grifter. At least have the decency to give Christian a refund.” I headed out. While he’d made some valid points, none of it helped me solve this case.
“An outsider will give you the information you seek, but it won’t be me,” he said. “It’s a worthy endeavor, and you’ve already changed the path of many lives without even knowing. The truth is right in front of you. All you have to do is open your eyes.”
I turned on my heel and stared at the man, who sipped on his green drink. I wanted to ask what he meant about my love being tested. Did I want to know? Would it change anything? Would I fall out of love with Christian or find myself plotting his funeral?
Remi snapped his fingers to snag my attention. “Put what I said about Christian out of your mind. Long ago, men wanted to know the time of their death. You can’t imagine the negative impact that knowledge had, and it subsequently changed their fate. If you know the details about your death, how will you ever enjoy your life? You’d live in fear, become reckless, lose your passion. Your chosen fate would change because of that knowledge. That’s why I can’t give you all the answers, but I give enough. And it’s the truth, Raven. Someday you’ll appreciate the value of a man’s advice even if it isn’t what you seek. Even if it’s not enough. What may seem trivial will set you on the right course if you so choose.”
Chapter 16
After I met with the Gemini, Christian lifted his motorcycle from the back of my truck and took off to buy medical supplies for Shepherd. I had a meeting with Graham I’d arranged earlier that morning, and he wasn’t comfortable speaking to anyone but Blue and me. He’d expressed his concern about meeting too often in public during the day, so we brainstormed and came up with a private location—my father’s trailer. My dad would be at work, and I had a spare key.
When I pulled into the driveway, I spotted Blue lounging in one of the Adirondack chairs by the firepit. A gust of wind blew her hair to one side, her feather earrings dancing in the breeze. I parked beside her blue Mustang and got out.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, slamming the door.
“Not long. Your dad has a nice place. No cars go by.”
“This street doesn’t go anywhere,” I pointed out as I approached. I didn’t usually see her in T-shirts, but today she had on a white one with brown pants. “Nothing but a few more trailer homes. He doesn’t own all the land behind him, but it’s undeveloped, so it’s pretty quiet out here. No traffic noise.” I sat on the flat arm of the chair across from her. “This is where I spent most of my childhood.”
“You were lucky. I pity the children who grow up in the city. They don’t know peace and quiet, the sound of wind in the trees and—”
“Neighbors firing off shotguns,” I said with a laugh. “It’s not totally quiet out here. How are you feeling? How’s your leg?”
She stretched it out and then knocked her heel against the ground. “Perfecto. I just feel so damn guilty.”
“About the girl?”
She leaned forward. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice. Even Niko didn’t sense her. She’s a kid, so her energy is weak. But that’s no excuse. We were so preoccupied talking about the case that we didn’t notice someone in the car. Had I parked that car directly in the sun, she wouldn’t have made it. And if we had stayed just a few minutes longer…”
“But she’s fine. Viktor gave Kira time off to take care of her, and Shepherd’s checking in on her every hour. Christian mentioned that she ate something this morning, so that’s a good sign.” My chair started to tip, so I got up. “I’ve got a key. Let’s go inside.”
“We should wait for the Relic. He might get spooked if he pulls in and doesn’t see us here.”
“He’s a big boy. Did you bring your file?”
When she stood up, she revealed she’d been sitting on it. Both of us were feeding Wyatt information—every detail we uncovered about the victims. A few had given us pictures even though being photographed was discouraged among immortals. I collected her file and put it with mine.
“Are you sure your father won’t mind we’re in his home?”
“He won’t even know.”
I hiked up the porch steps and knocked on the door. When I didn’t hear any barking, I unlocked the door and peered in. No sign of the dog. Maybe he took it to work. Then again, maybe he took it to the pound. I tossed the files onto the kitchen table when I heard a car pulling up. Blue jogged down the steps to meet Graham. Except for his belt, which was too tight around the waist, he dressed nicely. He took a comb out of his back pocket and combed back his short, wavy hair.
When I noticed sweat stains on his blue button-up, I grabbed a few cold soda bottles from the fridge and set them on the table.
“I keep saying I need to move farther north to get away from this heat,” he said, entering the trailer. “But how far north do I have to move? Alaska?” Graham pulled out a vinyl chair and sat, the metal legs creaking.
Blue took the chair next to his. “I’ve heard that cities with a higher Breed population have more extreme weather than other places. It’s never consistent but always warmer or colder than everywhere else.”
I set the bottle opener on the table. “Would you rather have water?”
He dabbed his forehead with a paper napkin. “Do you have any cold chicken? That would hit the spot.”
My brows arched, and I turned back to the fridge. Who the hell walks into someone’s house and asks for chicken? I had to laugh. Probably my father, and if anyone had cold chicken in the fridge…
