Page 55 of Kiss of Magic

She shook the dampener at him.

“They don’t see me as a threat. But if you get this off me, we can break out of here in a nanosecond.”

“Nice try. No cigar.”

“Well, what’s the plan then, Brainiac? We just going to wait here and see who shows up?”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Know the enemy – number one rule of tracking.”

“I thought honouring the contract was the number one rule,” she retorted.

“There are lots of number one rules.”

He did a quick inventory. The rope around his wrists had been tied expertly with absolutely no give. His guns were gone, as was his leather coat with the knives strapped to the inside lining. Fuckers. But – he shifted his right foot and grinned – they’d missed the blade in his boot.

How the hell had the trolls found them? He studied Dani who was now huddled on the other side of the cell.

“The first time we met, when you left me paralysed outside that bar in New York. Did you contact anybody? Meet anyone who could have put a tracker on you?”

“Likeyoudid you mean?” she said bitterly.

“Exactly.”

“I didn’t see or speak to anyone. I was busy trying to survive.”

“Damn.” He closed his eyes. It could only mean one thing. Whoever had captured them hadn’t been followingher. They’d been following him.

It was so obvious now. They must have got wind that he’d been employed to track the witch and instead of wasting time and energy trying to find Dani, they’d simply trackedhim.

Not in person – he would have spotted them straight away. They must have put a tracer on him. But when would they have had the chance to…?

He groaned as realisation hit. The drunk guy in Mike’s bar. The one who’d stumbled against him when he was walking over to meet Tala. He must have planted something.That’s how they’d found them. First Baltimore, then Washington.

“I am such a fuckwit,” he muttered. “Hey, Blue, c’mere. I need you to do something.”

“What?”

“I need you to pat me down.”

“You need me towhatnow?”

“Just get your witchy butt over here.”

Cautiously, Dani edged closer.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just run your hands over me, will you?”

“Is this a joke?”

“I think someone’s planted something on me. I need you to find it.”

He sat up. Hesitantly, she patted down the front of his shirt. The memory of her recent infatuation was still uppermost in her mind and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. She felt over his ribs and he winced.

“Sorry.”

“Find anything?”

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