I didn’t slow down, following him in with my breath held and my shoulders tight.

Trent was at the mirror, head down as he held the sides of the white sink with a resigned air about him. Glancing up, his eyes twitched when they found me in the mirror’s reflection. “Get out.”

Arms swinging, I let my held breath out and decided it didn’t stink too much in here. Ugly things, urinals. Going past him, I looked under the single stall, then kicked it open to make sure no one was standing on the toilet. Trust me, he’d said, but he had summoned Ku’Sox, and I needed to know why.

“You hired me for protection,” I said stiffly. “That’s what I’m doing.”

Trent turned to lean against the sink. “It’s a bathroom. Wait outside.”

I stood with my hand on my hip, angry. “Seems like I remember that the elves who attacked you under the St. Louis arch had the same bits that you do,” I said, and he frowned. Sauntering forward, I all but pinned him against the sink. “Remember St. Louis? The arch fell down? Why the hell did you free a day-walking demon? Didn’t trust me to get you there, huh?”

Turning his back on me, he pumped the soap dispenser, having to go to the next one before anything came out. The rims of his ears were red, and my anger grew. “I know you girls go to the bathroom in packs, but I’d appreciate some privacy,” he said, his jaw tight and the skin around his eyes pinched. “No self-respecting assassin takes their mark in the john.”

“And no self-respecting assassin makes a hit on an interstate, either.” I moved closer, well within his discomfort zone. “You want to tell me what in the hell you thought you were doing freeing a day-walking demon from under the St. Louis arch?”

Trent didn’t pause, his smooth motion never bobbling as he turned off the water, shook his hands, and reached for a paper towel. Silent, he turned, his expression closed.

A quiver rose through me and tightened my gut. I wanted to shove him, but I managed to keep my hands where they were. Through the cement walls, I could hear cheers as the next band took the stage. “Ku’Sox was halfway to killing you until I shoved that energy back into him. He knocked down the arch, trying to kill both of us,” I said, pushing forward until we were only inches apart. “And then I freed you from your familiar bond and made you immune to him. What I want to know is whether you’ve been planning this from day one, or if you’re making this up as you go along.”

He turned his back on me, not looking at my reflection as he arranged his hair. “I’ve known about Ku’Sox since last year,” he said, and I dropped back, not knowing if I believed him or not. His eyes flicked to mine in the mirror. “You think Ivy is a planner? She has nothing on a motivated elf with too much money.” He looked away, shifting one thin lock of hair over his ear. “I’ve got this under control.”