Page 9 of Concerto of Crows and Cowards

Jade looked at him out of unreadable green eyes. “It just so happened I was in the neighborhood.”

Chapter Two

Max shrugged out of his coat and used it to wipe the blood from his face. None of the cuts were deep, but they were bleeding like a bastard.

“Atticus is going to be pissed,” he said. “You know he doesn’t like bodies left behind.”

“I just winged a couple of them in the leg to slow them down. Everyone’s still breathing.”

Max winced in sympathy, his own leg aching. He rubbed it absentmindedly to loosen the tight muscle. “They’ll be looking for us. We’ve got to ditch the car.”

“Already on it,” Jade said.

And weren’t they being just so polite with each other, Max thought.

She got onto the highway, weaving in and out of light traffic, and finally swerved into the far-right lane to take the exit toward the Galleria. Jade’s driving had always made him a little lightheaded, but with the pounding headache on top of it, he was hoping he could keep the contents of his stomach down instead of on the floorboard of the car. The mall parking garage was massive and overflowing, and she followed the road as it spiraled upward until they were almost to the top.

Max pushed his hand against the roof so he wouldn’t end up in her lap as she took the corners with a squeal of tires. He jerked against the seat belt with an oomph as she zipped into a small parking space between two large SUVs.

“You’re looking a little pale, Max,” she said, her grin letting him know how much she’d enjoyed herself. Her eyes sparkled and there was a flush to her cheeks. This was the Jade he knew. The one he’d met so many years ago who loved what she did and had a zest for life.

“You did that on purpose.”

“Of course I did. My driving is the only time I ever get to see you with that look of panic on your face.”

“Yeah, well you should have seen me a few months ago when Agent Carter’s wife came to pick him up at the office to go to a doctor’s appointment and her water broke right in the lobby. Atticus and I were in the splash zone.”

“You’re kidding.” Her laugh was like music to his ears, and he couldn’t remember when he’d heard it last. “Atticus never said a word.”

“Because he was just as traumatized as I was. Carter ended up delivering his son before the EMTs could arrive and get her to the hospital. I could go a lifetime without seeing all of that again.”

Jade’s smile softened. “Well, it’s not every day a man gets to deliver his own child. I’m sure Carter knows how lucky he is.”

Max could have kicked himself for bringing it up. She hadn’t gotten that opportunity with her own husband and child, and he could tell by looking at her that she was remembering that day as he was. But the look of sadness and desperation was no longer so heavy in her expression, and instead there seemed to be a peace that hadn’t been there before.

“I’ve got an extra weapon and ammo in the glove box. We’ll need to call in and have someone retrieve the car. It should be fine here for a couple of days though.”

Max opened her glove box and removed the extra weapon and magazines she had there, and Jade popped the trunk. He was pretty conspicuous in a bloody tuxedo, and he waited until she’d gathered all of her things before getting out to join her.

“Which one do you want?” he asked, pointing to the line of cars on the opposite side.

“Get the red sporty one.”

“How did I know you’d say that?” he sighed.

“Some things never change.”

Jade pulled license plates and an electric screwdriver from her bag and went to work while he pulled his iPhone from his pocket. The team had an app specifically designed to override the computers in modern vehicles. The door locks popped open with a click of a button and he slid inside the new model Corvette.

The push-button ignition wouldn’t start without a key fob or at least a key fob simulator. He switched apps on his phone and let it scan the computer inside the vehicle they’d picked. It only took a couple of minutes before the phone made the car think it had the right electronic device to start the car. He put his foot on the brake and punched the start button, and the car roared to life. Jade got in the passenger side and he put the car in reverse.

Adrenaline pumped through his body, and he knew when the crash came it would come hard. It had been a little over three years since he’d come close to death, and it had been the hardest three years of his life. He’d changed—inside and out—and even though he was in better shape than he was before his injuries, he still had to deal with the horrific headaches that made him as weak as a baby.

“How’s your head?” Jade asked.

“It’s fine.” Blood dripped into his eye and he swiped at it with his hand as he maneuvered his way out of the garage and back onto the highway.

“Liar. I’m more than happy to drive.”

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