Page 17 of Shadow of Death

Evangeline was already in the cabin when I looked up. She didn’t used to knock at all. It was just another change in our relationship that happened as the result of how many I’d killed, and maybe more importantly, how easily I’d killed them. There were only three people I was sure I didn’t scare: Kicks, Charlie, and Rastin. Even Buddie seemed a little leery that my talents might go haywire at some point and take him out by accident.

“Hey,” she said. “Brought you some brownies.” She put the plate on the table in front of me.

“Thanks.” I didn’t hesitate to dig in. I needed all the endorphin hits I could get right now.

“I wanted to stop by and see how you were feeling.”

“It looks worse than it is with this cast, but it’s not hurting anymore.”

The words were all normal, but the exchange had the feeling of an obligatory meeting between two people who were on the outs. Except we weren’t, as far as I knew.

“Kicks told me you’re leaving soon to take care of some loose ends. He said he wasn’t sure how long you’d be gone. I wanted to just check in before you did.”

Loose ends? I guessed that was somewhat accurate. Plus it omitted all the ugly details.

“Thanks.” I finished one brownie but decided I should probably get some things said before I had another. “You’ve been really good to me, and I want you to know I realize that. I also feel as if I shouldn’t ask you for anything else, but if you could keep an eye on Charlie while I’m gone, I’d appreciate it. He’s got the guys, but sometimes I wonder if they’re a littletootough at times. If he’s upset, I don’t know if Charlie will feel comfortable telling them things. I’m afraid he’ll put on a show for them.”

Her lips parted and she sat there quiet for a second. We’d hit a rough patch, but she was always so warm and welcoming with Charlie that it didn’t seem that much of an ask. Was I wrong?

“Do you feel comfortable with my stepping into that role?” she asked, looking like she was going to well up with tears.

“Of course—I mean, as long as it’s not too much on you.”

She shifted closer. “I just didn’t think you’d want me to. Lately, it’s been feeling like you’ve been looking for more space.”

“I guess after everything that’s happened, I have, but it’s never been about you. It’s because of my history and things feeling unsettled. You’ve always been amazing to me.” All this time, I’d thought she’d been pulling back for her own reasons. “I’m sorry if I’ve been distant.”

“It’s okay. Just know that we all hope you come back soon. You might not be a shifter, but you’re pack. You’re family.” She perched on the couch I was on, hugging me.

“Thanks.” She didn’t realize how much it meant that she’d willingly touch me at all, let alone hug me.

Kicks walked in, and the satellite phone in his hand began to ring.

“I’ll see you before you leave, okay?” she said.

“Definitely. Thanks again, for the brownies and everything.”

Kicks walked around the cabin talking to someone about travel plans. As soon as he hung up, another call came in. I didn’ttry to listen in. I didn’t want to. When I thought about it, it made me want to bang my casted leg onto the table. In the process of trying to buy myself some space from him, I was now going to be even closer than ever. I couldn’t walk without crutches. He’d have to carry me everywhere.

Kicks’ brow furrowed. “Is that the only option you know of?” He paused, looking over at me. “Okay, thanks.”

He hung up the phone, tossing it onto the chair, then stared at it for a second, as if the device were partially to blame for the news he’d heard. He sat on the other couch, ran his hands through his hair, and sighed.

“Well? How bad is it?” Considering there was no more mass transit and we were an ocean away, it couldn’t be good.

“There’s no way we can fly. There’s already been a few crashes, and there haven’t been that many flights. It’s hard to find both a pilot willing to fly, and a mechanic to make sure the plane is ready. Looks like the safest bet is going to be by boat.”

Across the Atlantic? That didn’t sound very good either. It was one thing when I was leaving New York on a boat hugging the coast, always having a shoreline in view. This was theAtlanticwe were talking about.

Still, when you considered dropping out of the sky, a leisurely trip on a boat didn’t sound so bad. Well, as long as we didn’t capsize. I was suddenly regretting the week I binge-watchedDeadliest Catch, with all those fishermen getting tossed around by waves.

“How big of a boat do you think we’ll need?”

It wasn’t lost on me that I’d gone from telling him he shouldn’t come to asking for details. The problem was, I couldn’t drive a boat by myself. Maybe a little dinghy, but that wasn’t going to cut it. The boats onDeadliest Catchhad been pretty big and were still tossed around like rubber duckies on some rapids.

“There’s a place on the Georgia coast. A guy named Captain Rod is running people across the Atlantic. He was captain of a huge cargo ship before this. His reputation is good, and word is he has a solid crew with an engineer on board. I think he’s the best option.”

“Captain Rod.” Almost sounded like a caricature. And Georgia? I glanced at the cast on my leg. This was going to be a pain in the ass, but it was what it was. If I had to go like this, then I’d do it. Hopefully Death would get past her snit before we left.

---