“How did you know?” she asked. She was purposefully goading me, and I wanted to reach out, lace my fingers around her long neck and shake her with the tightest grip I could muster.

“You’re not funny,” I snapped.

Kim grinned, clearly enjoying the fact that she had me in such a tizzy. “No, but you are.”

I stood up, crossing my arms. If she wouldn’t cooperate, I would corner Jared. I pointed at Kim. “How did she know Ryan was hurt, Jared? How did she get here?”

“Plane,” Kim answered flatly.

“Shut up!” I growled.

The corners of Jared’s mouth turned up slightly, but when he felt my temper rising, he straightened his expression. “Kim is helping us. Finally,” he said, shooting an annoyed glance in her direction.

“Bite me,” Kim said without emotion, chewing her thumb nail.

His jaws flitted under his skin. “She has been keeping an eye on our situation…what?” he said, frowning.

I stared at him. “I’m just waiting for you to make sense.”

Jared returned my expression, and Kim laughed once. “Welcome to my world. He’s one big riddle book, isn’t he? He just does it to make himself feel important. He wants you to drag it out of him.”

Claire walked in, and stopped in her tracks. “What is the witch doing here?” she said with venom in her voice.

Kim smiled slightly, but her eyes were devoid of emotion. “Blessed Be. Heard about what happened. Good job, G.I. Barbie.”

“Move aside, Nina,” Claire said in a frightening, low tone. I was too afraid to move, seeing that she was poised to pounce.

Tension in the room had soared to a new level. The waiting room we occupied was in a wing separate from the main hall, so it would be very easy for Claire to let some of her pent up aggression go in Kim’s general direction. Kim didn’t seem phased in the slightest.

Jared stood. “Enough.”

Claire glanced at her brother. “Does she have to be here?”

The longer they spoke as if I knew what was going on, the angrier I became. “What in the hell is going on?” I yelled.

“Sssh!” Claire hissed.

“Are you human?” I asked Kim.

Kim paused in thought. “Some days it doesn’t feel like it, but yes.”

Jared sat, pulling me to the sofa with him. Claire sat in the seat next to us, fidgeting with her hijab. Kim looked at her watch, and then settled into her chair. Suddenly the air felt very easy, the opposite of just a few moments before, but it was forced, unnatural.