Page 9 of A Shade of Myself
Ryann stilled as if she’d expected a fight, then she gave a tiny smile. “All right, then.” She walked me to my car. “While you do what?”
“Find out what job my parents were on when they were killed. I have the same magic as them, so if someone has taken an interest in me now, I want to know why.” I beeped my fob at my sedan.
“You sure you want to dig that up?” She stepped off the dew-laden grass onto the sidewalk.
“I need to know the truth. Besides, it’s got to be better than all the scenarios I’ve come up with over the years.”
“When you looked into McMurtry you ended up with a demon parasite coming through your wall,” she said.
“And can you believe there are no exterminators in the area that cover those things?” I tsked and shook my head. “Anyway, more seriously, my home is fortified against anything dangerous. Well, anything that isn’t Zev.”
“Unless the danger is the truth,” Ryann said.
“I can handle the truth.”
“That’s what they all say before an unkind reality smacks them in the face.” She sighed and patted my shoulder. “I think you’re pretty self-aware. Hopefully whatever you find doesn’t hurt you too much.” Ryann headed for a black hatchback then stopped. She looked at me, her brow furrowed, then straightened her shoulders. “Miri?”
“Yeah?”
“A word of warning.” The gravity of her tone made my stomach hurt. “I know you started working for Tatiana because she could protect you, but she was not happy about phoning me. She’s never had anyone demand that she cooperate with us on a regular basis before.”
I laughed, because Ryann had called this one all wrong. “Demand? If Tatiana hadn’t wanted to call the Lonestars, then she wouldn’t have. I certainly don’t have the power to force her to go against her wishes. She’s pissed off because she isn’t getting paid and because she enjoys holding her cards close to her chest. Trust me, if calling you threatened any self-interest of hers, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Perhaps.” Ryann pursed her lips. “But what happens when your interests conflict with Tatiana’s?”
My boss was powerful and ruthless. I still didn’t fully trust her, and I’d never underestimate her, but even if I was of no use to her and was getting in her way, she wouldn’t risk her relationship with her nephew, Laurent, by harming me.
Would she?
I shook my head. This was all hypothetical anyway because I wasn’t going to do anything that turned her into my enemy. “She’d fire me. That’s it.”
Ryann took a long, tired look at the white clouds drifting over the houses. “Tatiana is one of the most dangerous people I have ever met in my life. I hope you aren’t on the receiving end when you find out why.”
