Sarah stood up and stretched until her back popped. “I don’t care about all this woo-woo stuff. I just want to stay one step ahead of Zach. Can you help me do that, or not?”
I said, “Is that the kind of life you want? Running from job to job and place to place because Sledge can track you downwherever you go? He should be behind bars, but that’s not gonna happen unless you report him. No, he wouldn’t be put away forever. But it would give my office time to make you a new identity.” I knew they were good at that. They’d buried mine without me even knowing it.
Sarah considered. “It is a pain in the ass to keep moving. And going from job to job. And don’t get me started on changing my phone number.”
But just as I thought she’d come around, Boswell had to chime in. “Don’t let the government tell you what to do. Plenty of people would love to be in your shoes. Just think what we could all achieve if we were fearless!”
“Don’t listen to him,” I said. “He just wants your cat.”
Jacob caught my eye. “Do we even know the fragment can be reintegrated?”
Well, he had me there. “Astral and etheric bodies snap back into place, so it’s worth a shot.” I turned to Sarah. “Look, emotions are messy, but they serve a purpose.” She looked doubtful, so I hauled out the big guns. “No one wants to be afraid. But what if that fear gives you an edge over pure logic when it comes to keeping yourself safe?”
Reluctantly, she nodded. “I suppose I should at least check it out. Zach’s not gonna let this go, and I need all the help I can get.”
So would I. Emotions have never been my forte. I could barely see the fragment, let alone tell it what to do. Thankfully, we had a strong empath who could help. “I’ll have Evelyn meet us at the apartment.”
I pulled out my phone, but Jacob settled his hand over the lens before I could scowl it open. “Vic.” He said it with an edge I knew all too well—emotionally tone-deaf, or not. It was the way he spoke my name when he was trying to stop me from doing something idiotic without coming off like he thought I was stupid. “You can’t involve the office.”
“Why not?”
“When you brought in Boswell, you wrapped up your case.”
“But there’s still a repeater there. Laura wouldn’t want me to just wash my hands of it.”
“Laurawouldn’t,” Jacob agreed. “But she also wouldn’t want National to know how much leeway she gives you.”
Probably not. Dammit, why did someone like Evelyn have to go work for someplace like National? “Fine. We’ll handle this ourselves. I’ll just….”
Swing by the office and grab a few things.Right. That wasn’t gonna happen either.
I quelled a sigh.
Going rogue was nowhere near as fun as it sounded.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE ANTIQUE MALL wasn’t slated to open for another hour, but we’d called ahead and convinced one of the vendors to meet us there beforehand. I wasn’t sure exactly how many favors I owed Crash at this point. No doubt he’d enjoy reminding me.
The Still Goods antique mall was quiet and peaceful, in a dusty kind of way, with early sun streaming through the windows, casting prisms through the various crystals that dangled there to catch the light. Outside, rush hour was rushing, and elsewhere in the labyrinth, someone’s classic rock played as they mopped their floor and tended their stock. But Curious Curios, Crash and Red’s corner of the sprawling old building, felt like a haven.
Even Boswell seemed relaxed. And that guy never let down his guard. He went straight to a shelf of esoteric books and started scanning titles, while Sarah listlessly spun a jewelry rack.
We’d left the cat at home.
Crash breezed in looking just as edgy and casually put together as ever, with nary a spiky bleached blond hair out of place. He took in my black suit with a glance and said, “Either you’re working on a Sunday or going to mass… or a funeral.”
Hard to lay someone to rest when you can’t figure out who died. But I was in no mood to banter. “Do you have it?”
“Lucky for you, I just got an entire case of Florida Water. You’re one of the only ones who buys it.”
The smell was definitely an acquired taste. Which made me wonder if Evelyn might lend me her SPECs.Say, Evelyn, can your one-of-a-kind, no-doubt-insanely-expensive invention come out to play? I promise to have it home in time for dinner.
Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. Not without her tagging along.
Crash plunked a cardboard box onto his counter. “How many do you want?”
I considered the dying wheeze my pocket sprayer had given off with a bloody ghost right in my face. “…all of them?”
