In the Crossfire (Bloodhaven) by Lynn Graeme

time?”
    Naley blinked. “Uh, no?”
    “If he is. . . .”
    “He’s not. Why?”
    Liam frowned. “He spoke to you.”
    “Yeah, people kinda do that. Talk, I mean. I know it weirds you out.” Naley winked.
    “You didn’t look happy.”
    “Oh. You know how it is. Boys.” She shrugged dismissively, as if that settled the matter. She glanced behind at the cabinet strapped to the truck bed. “Aunt Iz said in her message you were making a delivery.”
    He nodded, pulling out and turning at the next corner.
    She squinted at him. “Did you and Aunt Iz fight?”
    Liam stiffened.
    “Liam? You’re doing that silent brooding thing again.”
    He cast her a dark look. Unfortunately, that look would’ve had more of an impact had the girl actually seen it instead of busied herself poking around his glove compartment.
    Finally she sat back and propped her feet up on the dashboard. Curious, unabashed eyes turned to him. “So, did you? Fight, I mean.”
    Apparently the Saba females weren’t easily intimidated. Liam couldn’t decide if that was a reassuring thought or if he needed to work on his growls.
    “No,” he answered gruffly.
    Naley’s snort of exasperation held nuances that only a teenager could effectively project.
    “Did she make you mad? I’m sure she didn’t mean to. You know how Aunt Iz can be. Even when she’s trying to be nice she scares people. She said hello to a boy in my class once and he wet himself. I mean, we were six at the time and he shouldn’t have been stealing my crayons, but still.”
    The corner of Liam’s mouth tipped up, and he quickly ran a hand over his jaw to hide it.
    “I know you like her.”
    He nearly choked. “What?”
    “You like Aunt Iz. I can tell.”
    He stopped at the next light and put his turn signal on. Hooper’s was two blocks away, which made it two blocks too far, in Liam’s opinion.
    “The tips of your ears go red whenever she’s around.” Naley circled a finger right over her own ear to indicate. Liam wouldn’t have put it past her to whip out a laser pointer in order to make her case. “If it makes you feel better, I think she likes you too. Or at least doesn’t mind you all that much. She smiles at you, and Aunt Iz never smiles.”
    Liam glared stiffly. “She smiles at you.”
    “’Course she does. I’m her favorite. Oh,” she said thoughtfully, “I guess you wouldn’t know. About the smiling thing, I mean. You don’t get out much, so you don’t know what she’s like with other people. She gives them that look. You know that look? ”
    Liam thought for a moment. “Like she has all the time in the world to decide whether to slice you open lengthwise or crosswise?”
    Naley brightened. “Exactly!”
    “I think she prefers crosswise.”
    “Oh. So you did fight.”
    His narrowed gaze told her the subject was closed. Eventually Naley sighed, poked him to make sure he noticed her rolling eyes, then turned to look out her window.
    He frowned, recalling the way Isobel had sounded over the phone earlier. Something had happened, enough to affect the normally-stoic Isobel, and it worried him.
    He tapped his finger on the steering wheel, waiting for pedestrians to finish crossing the street so that he could turn. He glanced out his own window and stilled.
    Two men were on the sidewalk, approaching in his direction. They appeared to be involved in a heated discussion, oblivious to the passersby around them.
    Liam would recognize his cousins anywhere.
    He lowered his head slightly, shifting his shoulders and resting his elbow on the window’s edge. He casually brought his hand up over his temple, just enough to hide his face from view.
    His pulse kicked up a staccato beat as he strove to temper his breathing. The itching feeling started to crawl up his skin again.
    The pedestrians finally cleared out of the way. He quickly made his turn, then checked his rear-view mirror. His former packmates hadn’t even raised their heads. Their figures got smaller