Page 18 of Amber Gambler

But I had read her wrong. I saw that now. Guilt, not vulnerability, pinched the corners of her eyes.

Lyle Harrow had attacked her, though she hadn’t been herself at the time. No sooner had I ripped Pedro out of the ether and thrust him into her body to keep her from killing me than Lyle sensed the presence of a spirit and launched himself at her in a frenzy, desperate to suck Pedro from her bones like marrow.

“I wasn’t sure either, but I didn’t give him much choice.”

He was too good of a person to leave me hanging when I asked him for help.

“You could be holding the smoking gun, and he would forgive you.”

“I don’t think you have to worry.” I aimed my gaze out the window. “He’s already got a target in his sights.”

Following my lead, she spotted Badb swaying on her usual power line. “Kierce?”

“Yeah.” I touched the leaf through the fabric of my pants pocket. “Harrow has decided everything that happened was Kierce’s fault.”

“Lyle made his own choices. He agreed to become a dybbuk.”

“Harrow always idolized his uncle.” I worried this might martyr him in Harrow’s eyes. “The circumstances of Lyle’s death…”

“You mean Harrow pulling the trigger?” She wadded up her empty bag. “I can see how that would screw with his head.”

“Kierce hasn’t come back.” I might as well tell her before she got around to asking. “I’m hoping that time will help clarify things in Harrow’s mind.” I tapped the bird mirror on my desk. “Kierce was injured badly. He might not be able to collect Badb.”

“The bird. Yeah. Mmm-hmm.” She rung the trash can with her cheesy ball of polymer. “That’s the only reason he’s got to return to Thunderbolt.”

“He’s the next best thing to a god.” Heat prickled in my cheeks, but I couldn’t afford to get sentimental. I didn’t want to get hurt. “Spirits don’t mark time well. Gods may not either. Imight be bones before I see him again.” I twisted my lips. “Not that I would see him again. If I were bones.” I blinked. “No eyeballs.”

“That’s damn depressing,” Josie said from the doorway. “You miss him that much?”

For her to be here, eyes sharp on Carter, she must have spied the big black truck in the parking lot. That, or Paco tipped her off that I had company, and she came running to check on me or check out Carter.

With Josie, and her raging crush on Carter, it could go either way.

“Can we not talk about Kierce?” I plunked my elbows on the desk. “What are you doing tonight?”

When Carter realized I had aimed the question at her, she widened her eyes. “Watching cartoons?”

“That’s adorable.” Josie bumped her shoulder on the way over to me. “What are you thinking, Mary?”

“That we should celebrate Carter’s return with a Marys’ night out.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with my shut-in sister?” Josie squealed and bounced around me like she had springs in the balls of her feet. “Matty won’t believe you want to hit a bar.Oh.Or a club.”

Still twirling, she rushed out the door to pass the message through Paco to our brother.

Once she disappeared from view, Carter whistled softly. “Do you really think that liquoring up your sister will get her to leave you alone about Kierce? Because a club doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time.”

“A girl can hope.” I lifted a shoulder. “Plus, I’m trying this new thing called having a life outside work.”

Carter made a noncommittal noise but agreed to go home, change, and meet us at dusk.

About to leave, she cocked her head to one side while staring in the vicinity of my lap. “What’s that?”

“Hmm?” I hadn’t realized I had slid the leaf from my pocket onto my thigh. “Oh. That.”

“You don’t feel it?” She wandered closer. “It’s not hot?”

“No.” I rose, curiosity tingling through me, and approached the window. “See that?”

---