violation of our contract.”
“Do you want to go back to the bread and water diet you preferred when you first got here?” I lifted my brow. “I could take pizza away from you altogether.”
His jaw tightened and he looked away. “Very well. I’ll wait a little longer.”
“How very generous of you.” I shut the Jeep off and unbuckled my seat belt. “Everyone sit tight. I’m going to check this out and be back as soon as I can.”
“I could go with you,” Cori said, her hazel eyes lighting up. “I’m all for taking on some DHS commandos.”
She would be. There was something very shady about her past, but she had my back every time I needed her so I didn’t care.
“No, they’ve got guns. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt since shit-face here wouldn’t heal you if something went wrong.”
She sat back in her seat. “You’ve got ten minutes, but if you’re not back by then I’m checking on you.”
“I’ll be quick,” I promised.
I got out and went to the back of the Jeep, opening the hatch. There was an emergency winter kit in the vehicle in case Emily and I ever got stuck in a snowstorm. It had hand warmers, blankets, flares, warm clothing, and other useful items in it.
I took out a black ski mask and pulled it over my head, stuffing my hair underneath. On the off-chance I had to get up close, it was best if the guys didn’t get a good look at my face. It had a large oval hole for the eyes, but would cover most of my features.
I pulled on a dark sweater next to go over the white t-shirt I wore. With the temperature dropping, it didn’t feel too heavy. I holstered my gun as well, tucking it under the sweater. It’d only be used as a last resort, but I wanted it with me just in case.
Once satisfied I had everything I needed, I set off through the woods moving as quickly as possible. Not much of the waning sunlight filtered through the trees, but I could see well enough to get around. I barely breathed as I got closer to Yvonne’s house and crouched low when I reached the edge of her lawn.
From behind a tree, I peeked around it. Several men were leading Yvonne and her family out the door of their home, the white vinyl siding still visible in the encroaching darkness. The glow from the porch light illuminated one side of their expressionless faces as they mechanically made their way down the steps. They might have been mystics, but their powers didn’t appear to have done them much good against the agents. All three moved as if they were under some kind of enthrallment.
Yvonne was at the front of the group. Her silver hair hung limply on either side of her face and she wore nothing more than a nightdress and robe to cover her tiny frame. Behind her, two commandos led her daughter.
Diane was short, like her mother—probably around 5'3"—but carried about twenty extra pounds of weight. Only hints of gray showed in the dark brown hair she'd pulled into a bun, despite being well into her forties. She wore her nurse's uniform of light blue scrubs, so she'd either been heading for work or just gotten home.
Her son, Patrick, walked beside her. His short brown hair was wet as if he’d just gotten out of the shower. He must have gotten dressed in a hurry because his khaki shorts and green t-shirt were wrinkled and dirty like he’d grabbed them straight off the floor.
I caught a glint on his right hand and knew it had to be his father’s oversized gold ring. His mother had given it to him on his fourteenth birthday a little over a year ago and he’d refused to take it off ever since. I couldn’t blame him. If I’d had something from my mother to hold onto I wouldn’t have let go of it either. He’d lost his father to cancer at age seven. From what I’d heard, they’d caught it too late to do anything about it.
The faint tingle of a spell hit me as they got closer. My senses weren’t within close enough range to fully dissect it, but it was definitely the kind that rendered
“Do you want to go back to the bread and water diet you preferred when you first got here?” I lifted my brow. “I could take pizza away from you altogether.”
His jaw tightened and he looked away. “Very well. I’ll wait a little longer.”
“How very generous of you.” I shut the Jeep off and unbuckled my seat belt. “Everyone sit tight. I’m going to check this out and be back as soon as I can.”
“I could go with you,” Cori said, her hazel eyes lighting up. “I’m all for taking on some DHS commandos.”
She would be. There was something very shady about her past, but she had my back every time I needed her so I didn’t care.
“No, they’ve got guns. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt since shit-face here wouldn’t heal you if something went wrong.”
She sat back in her seat. “You’ve got ten minutes, but if you’re not back by then I’m checking on you.”
“I’ll be quick,” I promised.
I got out and went to the back of the Jeep, opening the hatch. There was an emergency winter kit in the vehicle in case Emily and I ever got stuck in a snowstorm. It had hand warmers, blankets, flares, warm clothing, and other useful items in it.
I took out a black ski mask and pulled it over my head, stuffing my hair underneath. On the off-chance I had to get up close, it was best if the guys didn’t get a good look at my face. It had a large oval hole for the eyes, but would cover most of my features.
I pulled on a dark sweater next to go over the white t-shirt I wore. With the temperature dropping, it didn’t feel too heavy. I holstered my gun as well, tucking it under the sweater. It’d only be used as a last resort, but I wanted it with me just in case.
Once satisfied I had everything I needed, I set off through the woods moving as quickly as possible. Not much of the waning sunlight filtered through the trees, but I could see well enough to get around. I barely breathed as I got closer to Yvonne’s house and crouched low when I reached the edge of her lawn.
From behind a tree, I peeked around it. Several men were leading Yvonne and her family out the door of their home, the white vinyl siding still visible in the encroaching darkness. The glow from the porch light illuminated one side of their expressionless faces as they mechanically made their way down the steps. They might have been mystics, but their powers didn’t appear to have done them much good against the agents. All three moved as if they were under some kind of enthrallment.
Yvonne was at the front of the group. Her silver hair hung limply on either side of her face and she wore nothing more than a nightdress and robe to cover her tiny frame. Behind her, two commandos led her daughter.
Diane was short, like her mother—probably around 5'3"—but carried about twenty extra pounds of weight. Only hints of gray showed in the dark brown hair she'd pulled into a bun, despite being well into her forties. She wore her nurse's uniform of light blue scrubs, so she'd either been heading for work or just gotten home.
Her son, Patrick, walked beside her. His short brown hair was wet as if he’d just gotten out of the shower. He must have gotten dressed in a hurry because his khaki shorts and green t-shirt were wrinkled and dirty like he’d grabbed them straight off the floor.
I caught a glint on his right hand and knew it had to be his father’s oversized gold ring. His mother had given it to him on his fourteenth birthday a little over a year ago and he’d refused to take it off ever since. I couldn’t blame him. If I’d had something from my mother to hold onto I wouldn’t have let go of it either. He’d lost his father to cancer at age seven. From what I’d heard, they’d caught it too late to do anything about it.
The faint tingle of a spell hit me as they got closer. My senses weren’t within close enough range to fully dissect it, but it was definitely the kind that rendered
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