“Then lucky for you, I live with my hook up.”On occasion.“He should be in town any day now-”once I call him to get his ass out here“- but if you’re in a situation where you can’t wait that long,” I leave the rest open ended, rolling my tongue piercings against the roof of my mouth to combat the taste of her fear so I keep my hands to myself.
She shakes her head. “I don’t get paid until Friday.”
“It’ll take him a few days at least to get it done, and you don’t pay until he’s got what you need, anyway. Fake ID only, or the works?”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Fresh start completely. From someone that won’t sell me out for a quick buck.”
For a few seconds, I simply study her. The way she’s bouncing her leg restlessly, the purple bags under her eyes, and the sliver of bone-deep weariness that she’s allowing to show for once, dulling her normally bright eyes. It’s the visage of someone that’s been running and fighting for so long, it’s all they know, the thought of settling down a laughable pipe dream.
Beneath the table, I clench and unclench my fist, struggling to keep my reaction on lockdown. “When you've been around as long as I have, you learn which devils are worth making deals with, and which won't hesitate to fuck you over. Raiden? He’s one of the good ones, and will get you squared away regardless of your budget.”
Murdering her lip, she wrestles with her guilt before finally whispering, “If you like the guy enough to live with him, maybe you should put me in touch with someone you’re less attached to. Full disclosure, helping me out comes with some risks.”
“All the best things do.” As she looks at me like I’m insane, I chuckle. “People like us? As time drags on, it takes more and more to make us feel anything at all. Haven’t had anything interesting happen since that hit was put out on me a couple centuries ago; I’m overdue for some excitement. And you, Amara?” Watching her fear ebb away as confusion takes over, my grin only spreads. “For a church mouse, you sure have trouble written all over you. But I, for one, am here for every minute of it.”
Chapter 8
Amara
––––––––
Avery lands on my shoulderthe second I get out of the car, and some of my nerves settle. Worst case scenario, I could chuck him at the guy as a distraction while I make a break for it. Blood is already warming my shoulder from where his talons pricked me, no matter how careful the gyrfalcon attempts to be, so I imagine he could fuck up some guy’s face enough to buy me a five minute head start.
Glancing up from the address scribbled above Kodiak’s name on a scrap of paper to the white house that blends in with every other identical one on the street, I take a steadying breath, mustering up my courage to actually go inside. It’s definitely nicer than the seedy, rundown shack I was expecting, and for once, being surrounded by the children playing out front in their yards and people walking their dogs is actually a balm to my nerves. Even now, several women are blatantly craning their heads in my direction, looking for some sort of gossip to spread, so there’s no way in hell that if I don’t come out of this house in a couple of days, word won’t spread that something shady went down. Heck, if I can bust out a window and scream before I get locked in the basement, someone will definitely call the cops.
Probably. Maybe.
Might be trading one evil for another, but ‘not murdered’ is pretty high up on my tiny list of priorities.
“Oh hey, you’re early.” Kodiak appears in the doorway, subtly scanning the area as he strolls down the immaculate walkway to meet me on the curb. “Any trouble finding the place?”
More guard dog than bird, Avery ruffles his feathers and snaps his beak at Kodiak. Hands lifted in surrender, the metal-studded, suspiciously considerate threat stops several feet away. Running my knuckle along the side of Avery’s soft cheek, I murmur praise at him until he loosens his tight grip on my throbbing shoulder, but if a little pain is the cost of keeping him around, I’ll gladly pay it. Feeling like I have someone in my corner that won’t hesitate to attack on my behalf does wonders to make this easier to endure.
“You mean picking the cardboard cutout of picturesque suburbia out of the line up? Why would that be a challenge?”
His lip twitches as he sweeps a hand with a flourish towards the door, encouraging me to proceed him in. “I aim to blend in.”
