presence filled my little Forrester. I felt a wash of heat tingling down my right side. Actually, it was downright pleasant, but also extremely distracting. I thought he knew the effect he had on me because every now and then he smirked.
My thoughts wandered, and I was having a nice little daydream I would rather keep to myself when Royal’s hand on my shoulder shocked me right out of it. “Tiffany?”
“ Don’t call me that!”
He grinned at me as he pointed through the windshield. “I thought that would get your attention. You almost went in the back of that pickup.”
I eased off on the gas. “Get in the back.”
“ What?”
“ If you want to be a backseat driver, assume the position.”
He chuckled. Did all demons have such a cute chuckle?
I indicated right and checked my rearview mirror, and almost choked.
Two demons in the black SUV behind me. They were right up my rear end so I got a good look at them. I was pretty sure one was Caesar and the other had long black-red hair.
I grit my teeth and swung the Subaru to the right lane. Royal grabbed the arm rest. “Tiff?”
The SUV swerved in behind me. “Shit!”
Royal eyed a question at me, but I couldn’t speak. Stuck with a demon in my car and two others following me - what the hell do I do now ?
Royal saw me glance in the rearview mirror. He twisted to look behind us.
We roared down Wendover Avenue and the demons - I should say the other demons - came right behind us. I cranked the wheel to the right and took us onto Adams. I admit I felt panicked, torn between screeching to a stop and jumping from the car, or driving as recklessly as I could without hitting something, hoping I could lose them and keep Royal off balance.
I risked another glance in the mirror. The demons were dropping back.
Royal yelled “Stop!” right in my ear.
I don’t know if surprise made me do it, but I did just that. I reflexively stamped my foot on the brake and the Subaru, like the obedient little girl she was, instantly obeyed, sending us into our seat belts. But Royal was out the car in a flash.
Appalled, I watched him charge the car behind us. He didn’t pull his gun, he just charged. Another surprise: instead of acting like I’d been served to them on a platter, the demons tried to back up. They looked as frantic as I felt. The passenger yelled at Caesar and both alternately looked behind them and back at their buddy demon, who was almost on the hood of their car.
I reached across the passenger seat, pulled the door shut, and put my foot down. I roared away in a cloud of dust and burning rubber.
Chapter Ten
“ You have to talk to someone,” Mel said.
“ Like, who?”
“ Mike Warren knows you well enough to believe you. Doesn’t he?”
I let my head fall in my hands. “I get results. When Clarion PD loans me out to another department and I get results, they get kudos. He thinks I’m a psychic and he’s almost comfortable with what I do, to the point he sees it as a useful specialty. He is not going to believe a crazy story involving demons, and Clarion PD’s new blue-eyed boy is one.” I looked up at her. “And what happens when Mike tells Mortensen what I say? Because it’s exactly what he’ll do, and Mortensen won’t like that, not one little bit.”
“ But you think Mortensen knows what really happened to Lindy,” Jack pointed out. “And his cohorts are after you.”
I groaned. “I think he does. He has to.”
“ Then you have nothing to lose.”
My shoulder twitched. “Easy for you to say, Mister Insubstantial. Ain’t a weapon known to man can hurt you.”
Mel stood across from me at the kitchen table. “So you wait until he comes for you? He already waltzed right in once. What’s stopping him coming back?”
I jumped up and stormed across the kitchen to the cabinets. I got my gun from the drawer and took off the safety. “Demon or no demon, this should put a hole in him.”
Mel flung her hands up. “You can’t, Tiff.
My thoughts wandered, and I was having a nice little daydream I would rather keep to myself when Royal’s hand on my shoulder shocked me right out of it. “Tiffany?”
“ Don’t call me that!”
He grinned at me as he pointed through the windshield. “I thought that would get your attention. You almost went in the back of that pickup.”
I eased off on the gas. “Get in the back.”
“ What?”
“ If you want to be a backseat driver, assume the position.”
He chuckled. Did all demons have such a cute chuckle?
I indicated right and checked my rearview mirror, and almost choked.
Two demons in the black SUV behind me. They were right up my rear end so I got a good look at them. I was pretty sure one was Caesar and the other had long black-red hair.
I grit my teeth and swung the Subaru to the right lane. Royal grabbed the arm rest. “Tiff?”
The SUV swerved in behind me. “Shit!”
Royal eyed a question at me, but I couldn’t speak. Stuck with a demon in my car and two others following me - what the hell do I do now ?
Royal saw me glance in the rearview mirror. He twisted to look behind us.
We roared down Wendover Avenue and the demons - I should say the other demons - came right behind us. I cranked the wheel to the right and took us onto Adams. I admit I felt panicked, torn between screeching to a stop and jumping from the car, or driving as recklessly as I could without hitting something, hoping I could lose them and keep Royal off balance.
I risked another glance in the mirror. The demons were dropping back.
Royal yelled “Stop!” right in my ear.
I don’t know if surprise made me do it, but I did just that. I reflexively stamped my foot on the brake and the Subaru, like the obedient little girl she was, instantly obeyed, sending us into our seat belts. But Royal was out the car in a flash.
Appalled, I watched him charge the car behind us. He didn’t pull his gun, he just charged. Another surprise: instead of acting like I’d been served to them on a platter, the demons tried to back up. They looked as frantic as I felt. The passenger yelled at Caesar and both alternately looked behind them and back at their buddy demon, who was almost on the hood of their car.
I reached across the passenger seat, pulled the door shut, and put my foot down. I roared away in a cloud of dust and burning rubber.
Chapter Ten
“ You have to talk to someone,” Mel said.
“ Like, who?”
“ Mike Warren knows you well enough to believe you. Doesn’t he?”
I let my head fall in my hands. “I get results. When Clarion PD loans me out to another department and I get results, they get kudos. He thinks I’m a psychic and he’s almost comfortable with what I do, to the point he sees it as a useful specialty. He is not going to believe a crazy story involving demons, and Clarion PD’s new blue-eyed boy is one.” I looked up at her. “And what happens when Mike tells Mortensen what I say? Because it’s exactly what he’ll do, and Mortensen won’t like that, not one little bit.”
“ But you think Mortensen knows what really happened to Lindy,” Jack pointed out. “And his cohorts are after you.”
I groaned. “I think he does. He has to.”
“ Then you have nothing to lose.”
My shoulder twitched. “Easy for you to say, Mister Insubstantial. Ain’t a weapon known to man can hurt you.”
Mel stood across from me at the kitchen table. “So you wait until he comes for you? He already waltzed right in once. What’s stopping him coming back?”
I jumped up and stormed across the kitchen to the cabinets. I got my gun from the drawer and took off the safety. “Demon or no demon, this should put a hole in him.”
Mel flung her hands up. “You can’t, Tiff.
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