Just how much did Isak know “of” Tzader? “How do you know he’s looking for me?”
“He contacted me wanting to know if I’d seen you on any of our surveillance equipment.”
If Tzader had reached out to Isak for help, then he was really worried. This would turn into the night of living hell if the Tribunal caught her communicating with Tzader or Quinn. “Why did he want to find me?”
“Didn’t say. Do you want to be found?”
More than anything she’d have loved to have Tzader and Quinn at her side, but not at the cost of the Tribunal’s wrath. “No.”
“Okay.”
Her heart stuttered at how quickly Isak agreed to shield her even when he didn’t know why.
He asked in an overly curious tone, “How doyouknow Tzader?”
She had no idea what Tzader had said and couldn’t deny knowing him.
Taking a step back to indicate she was leaving, she said, “I ran into him at the morgue a couple times. Not my type.”
That relaxed the stern lines between Isak’s eyes. “I don’t like him stalking you. Next time we meet, I’ll know everything there is to know about Tzader Burke, so you won’t have to worry about him again.”
She could not let Isak turn his formidable resources on Tzader. “That’s not necessary. He’s a friend, that’s all.”
Isak nodded and allowed her to leave without more questions. She wished that meant he accepted her explanation and wouldn’t go snooping around about Tzader, but she knew better.
If she got out of this mess with the Tribunal, Isak would get that dinner she owed him.
TWENTY-ONE
Riding along the two-lane road behind Grady Hospital, Evalle had twelve minutes before she had to meet Storm at the MARTA train station. Flashing lights glowed from the front of the hospital and sirens screamed heading in from the interstate.
How were they going to stop this fog and all the killing?
She parked near the curb, cut the engine, lifted the visor on her helmet and glanced around. Most people avoided the dark corridor between the rear of the hospital and the interstate, especially around eleven at night.
She called out sharply, “Grady?”
“You rang?” He took form in front of her, smiling.
Oh, dear Goddess. He shouldn’t have been able to take human form without having shaken the hand of a powerful being like her. But here he was, looking human. VIPER agents were allowed to trade a handshake for one minute maximum.
If anyone in VIPER found out what she’d done for Grady, Sen wouldn’t have to wait on the Tribunal’s decision to have her locked away.
Grady hadn’t been able to do this yesterday—had it only been a day ago? She’d held his hand on and off for over twenty minutes so he could maintain human form at his granddaughter’s wedding. Grady had died in the ’80s, so he hadn’t wanted to talk to his granddaughter, only smell the flower-laden chapel and hear her wedding vows spoken, because his human senses were sharper than his Nightstalker ghoul form.
So Evalle had broken a rule and held his hand longer than the allowed one minute, which could result in her suspension from VIPER. She couldn’t bring herself to regret helping him after seeing his unbridled happiness last night.
Considering her current list of supposed transgressions, holding Grady’s hand too long was a minor one.
“Stop lookin’ at me like I’m a ghost,” he grumbled.
“You are a ghost, sort of.” She rubbed her tired eyes. “What else has changed after that handshake?”
“You mean besides me gettin’ better lookin’?” He grinned, his teeth a soft white against his raisin-brown skin. He scowled at her. “Only lasts a few minutes when I do it on my own, so it ain’t like I’m gonna be walkin’ around all day like this.”
She smiled, though it was a sad one. “I wish you could.”
He angled his head, looking her bike over. “What the hell you do to your ride?”
