Forgiven by Jana Oliver Page B

Müller. The vehicle had more buttons and levers than a space shuttle and it was difficult to resist trying out a few of them.
    ‘Are any of these rocket launchers?’ she asked, waving a hand at a row of buttons on the console. Müller gave her a confused look, then realized she was joking.
    ‘Sorry, no. Also, for all the money they spent, the stereo is third-rate.’
    Riley laughed, liking this guy more by the minute. ‘Guess it doesn’t have to be good for all those Gregorian chants and stuff.’
    He laughed too. ‘You are not as I expected.’
    I’m no longer the enemy. Whatever the orders the Pope had given the hunters had certainly made a difference to their behaviour.
    Riley spied a thin band of silver on her escort’s left hand. ‘I didn’t know hunters could marry,’ she said, pointing at the ring. ‘I thought you guys were all celibate or something.’
    Müller shook his head. ‘We are permitted to wed. It is not encouraged, because of the danger we face. My wife understands.’
    ‘How many of you are married?’ she asked, curious.
    ‘In this team there are two of us. Corsini is the other. His wife is expecting their first child.’
    ‘You have any kids?’
    The hunter’s face lit up with pride, which told her she’d hit a soft spot. ‘I have a son. His name is Ritter. He is two years old.’
    ‘Too young to know what you’re doing,’ she mused.
    ‘He will someday. Perhaps he will become a Demon Hunter as well.’
    She studied him anew. ‘That doesn’t scare you?’
    ‘If it’s God’s will, he shall follow in my path.’
    ‘Like me and my dad, I guess,’ she said. ‘I just knew I had to be a trapper.’
    Riley had always thought of the hunters as cold, calculating demon-killing machines. Now she realized they were like trappers: they had families and separate lives away from their work. They were so very human.
    When they pulled up to the kerb in front of her apartment building, she expected her escort to follow her and wait while she packed for her stay at Stewart’s. Instead Müller remained in the vehicle, talking to someone on his cellphone in German. From the gentle expression on his face it was mostly likely his wife. What time is it in Germany? It was probably like the military, the family answered the phone whenever the soldier had a chance to call, even if it was in the middle of the night.
    Riley’s home looked like it always did – worn around the edges. Once a hotel, now it was living its second life masquerading as an apartment complex. She checked the mailbox and was rewarded with a pile of bills and a notice that the rent was rising as of the first of April. If she was lucky, her dad’s insurance check would be in by then. If not, she’d have to borrow money from Beck. That thought did not bring her any comfort.
    He’ll make my life a living hell. Which she so richly deserved considered all she’d put him through.
    Riley held her breath as the door to her apartment swung open, sure the hunters had taken it apart. But they hadn’t. Or if they had been inside they’d been respectful as nothing looked out of place.
    The door across the hall squeaked open and her neighbour’s wrinkled face appeared, crowned with a white head of hair. Mrs Litinsky was in a simple navy nightdress and wore a thick pink sweater. In the background a television droned on about the weather.
    ‘Ah, you are home now,’ the elderly woman said with a whisper of a Russian accent.
    ‘Yeah. Sorry. A lot going on.’ How much does she know? Did the hunters say anything to her?
    ‘Mr Beck was looking for you. You know, the nice trapper.’
    Sure wasn’t nice the last time I saw him. ‘He found me.’
    As they talked, her neighbour’s Maine Coon cat sauntered over to Riley then promptly rammed his shoulder into her calf, followed by a plaintive meow. Max always did that. She knelt to scratch him and he leaned to her fingers as she worked the silky area under his chin. His purr engaged at full