Chapters (42)
- Title Page
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Acknowledgements
- Also by Kim Harrison
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
- Cover
That did it. Pierce barely got out before the man slammed the door in our faces and gunned the big engine. “This is a mistake,” Pierce groused loudly as I dragged him to the nearby Dumpster. “No wonder Al agreed to send me to watch you.”
“Hey,” I said hotly, “I got through my first twenty-six years without you. My life may be messed up, but I am alive. You died, remember?” But I jerked to a stop when we nearly ran into the leprechaun, a long-stemmed pipe in her teeth as she leaned against a pollution-stunted maple and waited for her ride.
Shit. Pleading for mercy with my eyes, I shoved a self-congratulatory Pierce in front of me to slip in the small space between the Dumpster and the privacy wall. Please, please, please.
“Shut up,” I whispered as I snatched my bag back. Crap. Could I look any more stupid?
“She’s going to tell her where we are,” he whispered back, his breath on my neck warm. “Damn fool woman. I told you to get on the bus.”
“And I told you to shut up!” Damn fool woman, indeed. But I hadn’t seen the leprechaun there when I’d pulled Pierce off the bus.
The door to the coffee shop jingled, and I heard Vivian’s heels clack on the pavement. Peeved, I pushed Pierce’s cautioning hand off me and went on tiptoe to peek over the top, hiding behind an empty box smelling of coffee beans. Looking haggard, Vivian ran to my car, peeked in at the empty seats, then turned to the bus just now turning the corner.
“Is she on the bus?” she shouted at the leprechaun, and I pulled my head down, pressing my forehead against the cold metal. Not like this.
We were so close, I could hear the leprechaun suck on the wooden stem. “I saw her friend get on the bus,” she said casually, and my eyes closed in relief.
Vivian swore, and I heard her run to her van. There was a harsh revving of the engine, a short squeak of tires, and she was gone. From the coffee shop, the door jingled, and two people came out, laughing at the excitement.
Pierce and I slowly edged out from around the Dumpster. Exhaling, I took my disguise amulet off, fluffing my hair as I tucked the amulet away. I looked at the small woman, now smiling at me as she smoked. “Thank you,” I said earnestly, reaching forward and shaking her hand. It felt really small in mine, but strong. “If you ever need anything. Anything at all.”