“I’m staying with my old pack. Viktor has the number, but I don’t know if he has it memorized. Do you need it?”
“No. If we need to get in touch, finding you won’t be an issue. That’s what we do.”
We wrapped up our chat when my father tramped up the steps and flung the door open.
Snowflakes swirled at the doorway as Crush bustled in. “I think it’s time for me to move down to Mexico. This winter shit is getting old. Isn’t it, boy?” He rubbed the snowflakes off Harley’s head before kicking the door shut. “Nice decorating. Haven’t seen it look like this in a long time. Where’s Raven?”
Switch slowly turned his head to look at Crush. “What do you mean?”
Crush hung up his coat. “What do you mean, what do I mean? Is she in the bathroom?”
Switch gave me a penetrating gaze.
I took a quiet breath, realizing I’d spent my last moments with my father.
“Cat got your tongue?” Crush smacked the back of Switch’s head and then grabbed the shotgun. “You’re acting real funny.”
While Crush mounted his shotgun on the rack, I held my finger over my lips and gave Switch a guarded look. He didn’t understand what was happening, but Harley did.
The dog sniffed around my chair and then started barking.
“Enough of that,” Crush snapped. “Hey!” He curled his arm around Harley’s neck and led him away. “Time to go to bed.”
“Raven?” My father called out from the living room as he settled the dog.
Switch shook his head at me. “She took off.”
Crush reappeared and put his hand on the back of Switch’s chair. “Are you telling me you let her walk off in this weather? On foot? Should I get my shotgun again?”
Switch scooted back his chair and stood. “I’ll head out and give her a ride.”
Crush shoved the helmet in Switch’s arms. “You bet your ass you will. Hold on.”
While he went into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, I tiptoed around the table to the door. Switch stood in front of me, and I peered around him to watch my father wrap something up in foil.
“Give her this. It’s just leftovers, but she didn’t eat a damn thing today.”
Switch hefted the offering and tilted his head to the side. “I’m a little hungry myself.”
Crush pulled his pockets inside out. “And I’m all out of fucks to give. Tell her the next time she pops in without a car, I’ll give her a ride wherever she needs to go. No questions asked. Even if she’s on one of those undercover jobs, I’ll take her halfway. That girl’s gone crazy, walking around in a dress. Make sure you give her your coat. If she gets frostbite”—Crush poked him in the chest—“I’ll be coming after you.”
CHAPTER14
Christian pulled the drapes closed. “And you’re sure your da couldn’t see you?”
I sat on the bed and switched off the lamp, immersing us in the dim glow of the pink neon sign outside. “He looked right past me. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me, so I stayed quiet.”
Christian kicked off his shoes. “I can still hear you walking about.”
“Hopefully that changes by morning. I’ll be better use to Gem if I can go inside the house with her. Is anyone else invisible to humans yet?”
Christian beat his pillow with a fist before lying to my right. “Shepherd went downstairs and mentioned something about the clerk not seeing him but hearing him. Gem, on the other hand, can’t even touch them anymore.”
I curled on my right side to face him, wishing like hell I could take off my boots and get comfortable. “I guess it’s only a matter of time before we’re ghosts.”
He tenderly tucked my hair behind my ear. “Did you have a nice visit with your da?”
“Yeah. I did. We talked for hours and put up Christmas decorations. He’s trying to teach Harley how to pee in the toilet.”
