Page 8 of No More Spies

The woman nodded. “Definitely guy trouble then. They areassholes. It’s why I so rarely work with them anymore. I’m a PI. I try to avoidmale clients.”

Private investigator? A cool profession. Something todistract her from the heartaches of the evening. “You’re an investigator?”

She had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Yeah. Iusually do things like track down dudes who are cheating or dudes who skip outon child support. It’s not all fun murders and stuff. Sometimes the job sucks,but the pay is so good you can’t turn it down.”

“Really? Like what?” Kala asked, still wanting to put offthe moment when she had to make the long walk home. She was going to have toface him on Monday. She would have to walk into American History and sit in thechair next to Cooper’s and pretend he didn’t exist because Mrs. Jenkins hadtold them to pick their seats well on the first day since they wouldn’t bechanging. Well, everyone knew she made poor choices.

The woman sighed and glanced down at her cell phone, onehandedly replying to something she read. “So many things. It’s hard to be onyour own. The whole spy thing feels like it’s going to be super fun, but it’sactually kind of lonely and the good jobs don’t pay well. And when you’reindependent the clients range from dudes I don’t like to scary motherfuckers Ican’t cross no matter how much I want to.”

Something changed. Something about the way the woman lookedat her with almost sympathy. Like she knew.

A cold chill—far colder than the early fall air—swept acrossKala’s skin. She stood, realizing what she should have before. Situationalawareness. Her father preached it, but she’d been all in her feelings and nowshe was alone with someone she didn’t know in a park no one could see from theroadway. What had seemed like a sanctuary moments before now felt a bit like atrap.

“I should go. Good luck with the scary people thing.” Shewould go home and face the freaking music. Hell, Tash might feel so bad for hershe made cookies or something and she could eat all her feelings, and shewouldn’t think about how she’d put herself in this position.

The one with the weird chick in the dark of night. Not theone with Cooper. She’d be thinking about Cooper for a long time.

The woman stood, stepping on the paved trail and suddenlyblocking Kala’s way.

“Kala, I’m sorry. When I took the job, I didn’t realize youwere a kid,” she said with a long sigh. “She’s crazy, by the way, but I reallydo believe she’s not going to hurt you if you comply.”

Fuck. What the hell was going on? How did this chick knowher name? Why was she looking at her like she felt bad about what she was aboutto go through?

What was she about to go through?

Someone had been watching her family. Someone had beenlooking for a weak spot and it turned out she was it. There was only one realthreat she could think of right now. “How long has Julia Ennis had youfollowing me? And by the way, I hope the payday was worth it because my parentsare going to kill you, and they won’t do it slow.”

A pinging sound sent Kala’s heart rate sky high, and thenshe felt a hefty dose of panic as the woman’s eyes went glassy and a holeformed on her head. It took a moment for it to register. Shot. She’d been shot.

They weren’t alone. This woman had led Julia Ennis straightto her, and now her parents wouldn’t get the chance to avenge her. Not againstthis chick. She was dead.

She was dead. Fucking dead.

There were times when her perpetually dark and dramatic soulquestioned whether life was worth the misery, but it was obvious now her body’sanswer. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, training took over and shebrought her elbow up and back, hitting whoever was behind her in the gut andearning her a hearty woof.

She immediately brought her boot down where the guy’s footshould be and managed to twist enough she could see her attacker.

The panic was so hard to control. She was fifteen. She wasgoing to die and she was only fifteen, and Cooper hated her and no one wouldmiss her. She punched out as another man dressed all in black moved from thetrees, prowling toward her like death on two legs.

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t. She would miss Lou andher sisters and her mom and dad. She would miss her brothers and Bud.

She would miss Cooper so much.

“She’s a tiny fucking girl. Someone take her down,” a deepvoice said.

The words did something magical. She wasn’t actually tiny.She was way too tall according to a lot of insecure guys. The only thing Cooperseemed to like about her were her already generous breasts and hips.

Sometimes you let the crazy flow. Sometimes it’s theonly thing that can save you.

Her mother’s words. She might not be tiny. She might be agirl. She might be weak compared to these… How many? Five at least…assholes,but what she was—her superpower lay in her darkness, and she let it flow.

She let go of the panic. She could do this. She didn’t haveto go down. The guy she’d punched pulled up his balaclava, and she realizedshe’d drawn blood.

He cursed and held up his weapon, pointing it her way.

“Hey,” one of the guys to her left shouted. “No killing thetarget.”

So Julia wanted her alive. Likely to make Kyle come to herwithout too much of a fight. Or to get MaeBe to turn herself over. She wasn’tgoing to allow it to happen. She could do this. She was a freaking Taggart, andshe wasn’t about to be the weak link.

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