Page 14 of Siren's Gift

"Someone call 9-1-1," she shouted. "I’m going to grab some towels before someone slips and breaks their neck!"

A moment later, she popped around the corner and jumped when she nearly ran into me. She clutched a hand to her chest. "Luna, help me. You need to get out of here."

"Thank you, Jade. I’ll make it up to you."

"We can worry about that later." She waved me away. "Shoo."

I turned and quickly made my way to the back door, relieved to know Ichiro hadn’t seen me and wouldn’t pick up my scent. But somehow, he’d found out about this meeting. He knew that his operation had been compromised.

Did he suspect my involvement? Did he know about my friends being involved as well? Had he known something was amiss with Scott, or did he know what we planned?

I pushed the door open and was greeted with an interesting sight. One of Ichiro’s men lay crumpled against the alley wall. Beside him, wearing a bright yellow sundress and looking rather annoyed, was Keiko.

She held up her hand and pouted. "He broke my nail."

I tilted my head toward the street and started walking. We needed to get farther away before Ichiro came looking for his man. "How didhebreak it?"

Her pout turned into a dramatic sigh as she fell into step beside me. "He tried to dodge my punch, and I scraped the wall. As if he could beat me." She scoffed and pushed her straight black hair over one shoulder. "He should have just taken the hit. Now I need to call my nail lady and beg her to get me on the schedule ASAP before my dinner with Rin. Like I have the time…"

I let her ramble on as we merged into the pedestrian traffic. Afternoon hours meant it was busy as people started leaving work early or headed in for a later shift.

I had already memorized the address on the paper from Scott, so I crumpled it in my fist and set it on fire. I let the ashes flutter away in the wind.

Scott hadn’t exactly been subtle about his frustrations with the job. Maybe Ichiro didn’t know what information the man was sharing, only that he was sharing. My grandfather had always been paranoid, but it came with the mob boss territory. With any luck, he didn’t know of my betrayal.

No, that I knew for certain. If Ichiro knew what I was doing—the full extent of my betrayal—I would already be dead.

CHAPTER 8

Bree

Since it was midweek, the drive from D.C. to Delaware would only take a few hours. On warm weekends and during the summer, those same few hours turned into half a day or longer, as everyone had the same idea of escaping city life for the beach.

Finley rode on the seat next to me in a small bowl of water. The water wasn’t necessary for his magical species of axolotl thanks to the ancient sigils etched into his skin, especially for such a short time, but it would keep him calm before our journey. Plus, the gentle rocking as the water sloshed with the car’s movements made him happy.

I had only a few hours of practice driving a car and a fake license Frankie had gotten me years ago, but highway driving was a breeze compared to the dense city streets. No real need to watch for pedestrians or bikes. I rolled down the Honda Accord’s windows, breathing in the fresh air outside the city.

As much as I tried to focus on the road and scenery since I had never traveled this far outside the city—after Marissa’s and my initial wide-eyed arrival—my thoughts always brought me back to Dominic. The only other time I’d ventured farther awayfrom home was on the back of his motorcycle. My arms wrapped tight around the dragon’s hard body, my hair flying in the wind.

And that experience had been nothing short of life-changing.

Not just because of the amazing orgasm he’d given me after we parked, but because I’d realized how much I’d missed out on by always playing it safe. Always following the rules to the detriment of my own happiness.

I glanced over at Finley, basking in a sun puddle with a smile on his sweet little face, and winced as a pang of regret tore through my insides. Marissa and I weren’t the only ones who had sacrificed our homes and lives among others of our kind.

As guilt resumed its residence in my heart, I gripped the steering wheel tighter. The orphaned axolotl would never leave us, not of his own free will. The least I could do was bring him along for a swim in salt-filled waters.

When we neared the Delaware beaches, a cool breeze carried the distinct scent of seaweed through the car windows, and my heartbeat fluttered with anticipation. It had been years since Marissa and I swam in the ocean. Over a decade now. I was just as excited as I was terrified.

Finley must have caught the scent or change in the air because his eyes snapped open. He moved to the edge of the bowl, tilting his head curiously. His eyes were wide with excitement.

"Almost there," I said with a smile.

He wiggled his tail eagerly.

Only a few minutes later, I found a public parking lot and pulled into a space. I turned off the car and faced Finley. "You ready, buddy?"

The axolotl gripped the lip of the bowl and chirped, his head bobbing up and down. The movement nearly tipped over the bowl.

---