Page 35 of Power of Shadow

Her words don’t seem particularly strange to me. Surely not every ordinary man on the street has a story worthy of a crime show. “Maybe this guy just lives a quiet life, works, pays his taxes, and is a nobody?”

My words make her laugh. “Please. Don’t be naive, Ash. I hit a wall not because there’s nothing about him on the internet. I hit it because he or someone else put it there. And they put it there for a reason. Whatever is behind that wall is important.”

Okay. Now I understand her line of thought.

“Good point. I understand, you took the bait and now you’re trying to find the fishing rod?”

“You’re poetic today,” she teases. “It intrigued me, and it got me thinking.”

Zoe gets up and comes over. She lies down parallel to me on the bed and looks me in the eye. “I know you took the job from Alex, and I suspect it has something to do with him. I’d prefer you not to keep me in the dark. The man you robbed wasn’t a random choice, was he?”

I shake my head. I put a pillow under my head and start telling her about the job. I tell her everything I know, and about my plan too.

“This isn’t a regular job, Ash. You know that, right?”

“It isn’t. But it’s not just money at stake.”

“How much is this man’s head worth?”

“Seven figures,” I confess.

Zoe’s mouth drops open. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this? That’s not a normal rate.”

Zoe’s right; this isn’t a normal job or a typical target.

The wheels are turning faster in her head, but there’s a hint of fear in her eyes too.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you, but—but be careful, okay?”

“Of course I’m careful. It’s just that complications have already arisen. I ran into the Jackal.”

“Damn it, Ash!” Zoe jumps out of bed and starts pacing back and forth. When she stops, she crosses her arms, and glares at me. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me right away? That killer is a fucking lunatic! What happened?”

“I told you I was at the senator’s brother’s house, but I didn’t tell you that the Jackal interrupted us. Long story short, we started fighting because he also had some questions for him. It went from an exchange of words to an exchange of punches, kicks, and choking.”

My downplaying doesn’t fool Zoe. “I’m going to kill him. Who choked who? Who kicked who? I hope you beat the crap out of him.”

“It doesn’t matter who did what. Neither of us owed the other anything.”

Curiosity appears in her eyes. “What’s he like? You know, he’s quite famous for his actions.”

“He was wearing a mask, so I still don’t know what he looks like. He’s strong and cunning, damn fast with his knives, and he can be funny, but he’s also arrogant, as you’d expect. He’s a foot taller than me and acted like I was his toy. He smelled...”

Her eyebrows raised. Amusement appears in her eyes, and I stop babbling like a wind-up toy.

I don’t like that look at all.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Nothing. I just see how much he got under your skin. It’s a bit like he found his match, don’t you think?”

I snort and get out of bed too. “No, I don’t think so at all. The Jackal is the worst kind of man. Fathers warn their little daughters about guys like that.”

“Except ours didn’t warn us, so you didn’t get that message, Ash. And there’s nothing wrong with a guy finally making your heart race.”

Shaking my head, I walk to the door, irritated by the direction this conversation is taking. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t even know him, and I don’t intend to. Go back to your dark corners of the web, little sister.”