Page 24 of Immortal Unveiled

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Manus didn’t recognize the number, but it was local, so he answered his phone amidst the ruckus in the compound’s kitchen, were Leila, Aiden’s wife, was cooking dinner, and her twins, five-year-old Julia and Xander, were playing chase with their father. In the attached living area, Logan and Hamish were watching sports on the oversized TV that hung on the wall, and Enya, the only female Stealth Guardian in their compound, was wearing headphones while trying to read.

“Yes?”

Manus couldn’t hear the other person’s reply, so he said, “Hold on, can’t hear you.” He walked to the door and opened it. In the corridor, where it was quieter, he said, “Hello?”

“Manus. This is Kim Britton.”

She wouldn’t have had to say her name. He’d recognized her voice immediately. He hadn’t expected her to call him. Not after the way he’d left things the night before. He’d kissed her as if he’d wanted to devour her—because he did—and then discarded her like a used toy he didn’t want to play with anymore. What woman in her right mind would call a man who’d treated her like that?

“Manus, can you hear me? Do you need me to speak up?”

“No, yes, yes, I can hear you now. Sorry, bad reception and lots of background noise.” Stalling, that’s what he was doing.

“Listen, there’s something I need to talk to you about…”

There it went. She wanted to know why he’d left so abruptly, why he hadn’t taken her up on her offer of sex. Shit! He hated conversations like that. And she probably knew that he wouldn’t have answered his phone had she called from her cell phone, a number he would have recognized. He had to hand it to her: she was smart to use a different phone. Now he was on the hook.

“Uh, Kim, I’m not sure… What happened last night…” How could he make it clear to her that there couldn’t be anything between them, that despite the initial spark, whatever they tried would fail miserably? So why even go through it? Why start something that he knew was doomed to failure?

“Last night?” Kim’s voice sounded as if she didn’t know what he was referring to. “This isn’t about last night. This is about the bracelet. My mom’s bracelet.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t want to talk on the phone. Can you come by my mother’s house? I need your help.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. But why don’t you want to tell me on the phone?”

“I can’t be sure that the phone isn’t being tapped.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Okay. What’s the address?” he asked even though he knew it already.

After Kim gave him the street name and number, he said, “I’ll be there in about an hour.”

He disconnected the phone and shoved it in his front pocket. “Fuck!” Something was wrong.

From the other end of the corridor, Pearce approached. “Problem?”

“Hmm.”

“Not in the sharing mood?”

Manus tilted his head to the side. “Nothing to share. Yet.” He turned on his heel. “I’ve gotta go out for a few hours. Tell Leila to keep some food in the fridge for me.”

“Will do, but I can’t guarantee there’ll be any leftovers. We have a full house tonight.”

Manus was already at the end of the corridor. “Whatever.” Depending on what issues Kim had about her mother’s bracelet, he wasn’t even sure he’d come back with an appetite.

Less than an hour later, Manus reached Nancy Britton’s house and parked in front of it. Kim greeted him at the door, looked to the right and left, then waved him into the house and closed the entrance door behind him.

“So, what’s going on?” Manus asked immediately.

“I told you that the police showed me a bracelet they found on that dead guy. Only, it’s not my mother’s bracelet. It’s a fake.”

Fuck!

This was the last thing he’d expected her to say.