She shrugged, and the movement made her shoulder brush against mine.
“Not really, unless they happen to live nearby. For the most part, we can get similar products at our neighborhood farmer’s market without fighting for parking spots and dodging tourists.”
Despite the market being mostly a tourist attraction, I enjoyed exploring the various booths. A small group of us stopped by thefish monger’s booth, watching the men toss fish around and put on a show. It was both disgusting and fascinating, and I found myself wondering how they managed to keep a hold of the slimy fish and not drop them.
Other people in our group wandered off, but I lingered by the fish booth, knowing without looking that Marilee was right next to me. I trusted her implicitly, which was weird because I’d learned early on that the only person in this world I could trust was myself. But something about my bodyguard called to me, as strange as it sounded. It felt like I’d known her my entire life even though I didn’t really know anything about her other than the fact that she was a vampire, ex-military, and not a fan of tourist attractions.
“Moira. Moira O’Brian.”
Shit, I hadn’t heard that name in years. I stiffened slightly when I heard the deep, accented voice using my real name from just behind us. It took everything in me not to turn around or react to whoever had found me. Blowing out a careful breath, I continued to watch the fish guys.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy come around to my side. He was a bruiser, tall and wide, built like a tank. He was dressed all in black, his thick hair mussed like he couldn’t tame it.
“Moira.”
He touched my arm and I jerked away towards Marilee.
“I think you have me mixed up with someone else,” I said, affecting the French accent I’d picked up during a couple of stints living in Quebec.
“Nice try, sweetheart, but I think I recognize my old friend Moira.”
I’d never seen this guy in my life, I was sure of it. I had no idea if he was working with my parents or against them. But before I could respond Marilee pushed her way between us, making a growling sound deep in her throat. If I didn’t know it was her, I would have sworn there was a wolf nearby.
“Back off, buddy,” she said firmly. “You’ve got the wrong woman.”
She had one arm behind her, fingers wrapped tightly around my hip, and her other hand was in a fist. Her posture was aggressive and she was vibrating with menace. Somehow she looked bigger, even though I knew that was impossible.
A hand came around from behind me, clamping down over my mouth. I kicked back, hitting him in the shin, and while it wasn’t enough to break his hold, it got Marilee’s attention. She spun around, standing to the side so she could keep both men in her sights.
Across the market I could see more men approaching, also in black, and I knew instinctively that they were here for me. I gestured in the direction with my eyes, and Marilee immediately caught on.
Without warning, she spun towards the first guy, her fist connecting with his face. Despite the fact he had six inches and probably at least fifty pounds on her, the guy dropped like a bag of rocks.
I took advantage of the distraction to reach behind me and grab the guy holding me between the legs. I was at the wrong angle to get the balls, but he was surprised enough that he dropped his hand, releasing me. I stomped as hard as I could on his instep and moved away from him. He was still cussing me out when Marilee grabbed my hand.
“Come on, we need to get out of here.”
We took off at a dead run, and behind us I could hear the goons calling at us to stop. Instead we picked up speed.
Marilee pulled me out of the market and onto the sidewalk, weaving around tourists on the busy street. We were running too fast for me to risk looking behind me, but I sensed they were in pursuit.
“How many guys?” Marilee asked. “Did you see?”
“At least four.”
“Shit.”
She pulled me across the street, narrowly avoiding getting us hit by a car, and up a street that seemed to go right uphill. She ledus into an alley, then shoved me behind a dumpster, pressing on my head to compel me to squat down.
“Stay here no matter what happens,” she ordered. “If something happens to me, run as fast as you can and get to Sapphic Security.”
While she spoke, she pressed a button on her phone.
“Yeah Lois? It’s Marilee.” Her voice was low and calm, but I could sense the urgency beneath the words. “We’ve got trouble. I need back-up. Someone tried to snatch the client, and now they’re in pursuit. I’m a couple of blocks away from Pike. Can you get a lock on me?”
There was a pause, then she said, “Okay, yeah, see you soon.”
We waited in the alley long enough that I thought we’d lost the guys, but then two of them came marching into the alley. Marilee waited until they were almost to where we were hiding, then she leapt up with another one of those growls.
