Leopard's Kiss (Shadow Guardians) (Shadows Guardians Book 1) by Stephanie Rowe

know how to kill. I know how to talk. So let me do this. You can easily catch her if she runs, right?"
    He pressed his jaw together, then looked past her, as if he were scanning the occupants of the restroom. Then he inclined his head. "You have three minutes." He moved in front of the door, facing the bar, his arms folded across his chest, looking like an ancient, immovable, deadly gladiator.
    God, he was daunting. She wasn't going to lie. She was really happy he was on her team right now, but the more she got to know him, the more aware she was of the fact that if he ever changed his mind about being her guardian versus assassin, she was so dead, so fast.
    She let out her breath. Right now, he was on her side, so she was going to have to take advantage while she could. "Be right back." She dragged her gaze off him and focused on the bathroom. Inside there was the woman who claimed to know where Julia was.
    Had it been a lie designed to trap her? Or was there really a chance? There had to be a chance. She had no other connections to Julia.
    She took a deep breath, then shoved the door open and stepped inside.
    The bathroom was small and dimly lit. Paint was peeling off the walls. It stank of urine and alcohol, the kind of stench that would never go away no matter how many times it was scrubbed. Both stall doors were open, but there was a woman bent over the sink, splashing water over her face. Her hair was light brown, in a messy ponytail, but she was wearing the same jeans and black shirt that she'd been wearing in the bar. Her jeans were splattered with Slade's blood, a dark rusty brown that stood out on the blue denim.
    "The warehouse on the corner of Hartford, and what?"
    The woman whipped around, her blue eyes wide with shock. Water streamed down her face, and her complete lack of makeup made her look vulnerable and young, so different than the black-haired seductress who'd kissed her neck at the bar. "How did you find me?"
    "Where is she?"
    The woman spun around, and went back to scrubbing her face, frantic now. "Don't you get it? They know I was going to tell you. They won't let it happen." She shut off the water, and yanked her shirt off, revealing her naked torso. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her body was fit and strong, the complete opposite of how vulnerable and scared she appeared.
    Anya cleared her throat, but didn't look away. She wasn't going to take a chance of losing her just because she wanted to give the woman privacy. "Who are 'they?' Who has her?"
    "No." The woman grabbed a hooded gray sweatshirt from beside the sink and pulled it over her head. "It's not worth it."
    "It is worth it! It's my friend's life!" Anya leapt across the bathroom and grabbed the woman's shoulders. "Please help me. I won't tell anyone, I swear."
    "Don't you get it? They already know I met with you!"
    "If they already know, then what's the harm in telling me?"
    The woman pulled away, and yanked off her bloody jeans. "Because your friend isn't worth it to me."
    "We can protect you. The Black Swan is with me. He will protect you."
    The woman grabbed another pair of jeans and pulled them on. They were too loose, sagging in the butt. Her baggy outfit hid her slim body, and her messy hair and lack of makeup made her impossible to link to the woman in the bar. "The Black Swan is no match for them. No one is." She yanked her sneakers on and turned to face Anya. "Do yourself a favor. Forget about your friend and walk away."
    Anya's fingers balled into fists. "Is she still alive?" If Julia was dead...tears threatened, but she held them back. If Julia was dead, she would honor her mother's wish and go into deep hiding. She would free Slade to live the life of the avenger. She was the only one left alive, and she had to stay that way. But if Julia was still alive, there was no chance she was going to abandon her. "Just tell me that much. Is she still alive?"
    The woman paused, then inclined her chin ever so slightly in affirmation.
    Oh, God.