Taylor jerked his head up in alarm. ‘The Wild Man will squash you, Integrity! This isn’t someone you want to mess with.’

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. ‘Maybe he’ll find out that I’m someone he doesn’t want to mess with.’

Besides, at this moment we were out of damn options.

‘I should come with you then.’

‘No. Right now you’re the target. It makes more sense for you to stay here. It’ll be easier for me to talk my way out of things if I’m alone.’

He sighed. ‘Once upon a time, it was me giving the orders.’

‘Once upon a time, you weren’t a decrepit old man.’ I winked. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll sort all this out.’

Chapter Four

From where I was standing, Taylor’s little house looked empty. The door was closed, the curtains were drawn and there were no signs of life. A few people scurried along the street, one or two of them with faces I recognised. Wanting to avoid getting drawn into a chat about the weather, I stayed in the shadows. I couldn’t afford to get distracted. You’re tough, I told myself. I nodded at the tiny voice inside my head that chirped: ‘And when the going gets tough, the tough get going.’

I could do this. I had to do this.

As soon as the street was clear of pedestrians, I darted forward. It was possible that the hulking brute had vanished when he realised Taylor wasn’t around. That wouldn’t help my cause; I needed to confront him. He knew who I was and that meant he probably also knew I was Sidhe. I would bet, however, that he didn’t know that I had no Sidhe Gifts to work with. I could play with that. Assuming he showed up again.

When I reached Taylor’s door and examined it, the splintered frame was easy to see. The lock itself was completely bust. I pushed open the door stealthily but it took only one touch for it to creak ominously, fall forward, drop off its top hinge and slam against the wall with a loud crash. So much for a discreet entry.

With little choice, I folded my arms and stalked inside, yelling as I went, ‘Hey Scarface! Where the hell are you?’ I injected a gravelly growl into my tone. Ha! Take that, scary enforcer man.

Without slowing down, I stormed through the hallway and into Taylor’s living room – to be greeted by a scene of utter devastation. He was normally fastidious about tidiness. When I lived with him after fleeing the Bull, he snapped at me for so much as leaving an empty glass on a table. If he could see how things looked now, he’d have palpitations. Oh wait. He already was having palpitations.