Page 6 of Black Hand
“What was so damn important that I had to come meet you now?” Plopping next to me, she wrinkled her nose. “Man, it stinks here.”
“Your nose is stuck in animal shit all day and this stinks?”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“What did you need?”
That’s one thing I loved about Alice. The woman had no idea who I was so she talked to me like I should be the one afraid of her. After that little debacle with the shifter—who ended up being leashed and dragged to the canal where Alice works, much to my delight—the human decided that she would teach me how to respect all life. What she actually taught me was how I could screw the Syndicate and not have to actually kill the supernaturals they sent me to dispose of.
She was also the one human who didn’t scream bloody murder when they saw me. To Alice Green, I was simply Brooklyn, the redhead who had no respect for life unless it was a human one. If she only knew …
“Did you pick up the unclaimed baggage?” Ignoring her indignant huff, I watched her face.
“Of course I picked it up, just as you knew I would.” Folding both arms across her chest, she looked at me over her glasses. “I still don’t know where you find all these huge animals. If they weren’t so well behaved, I would’ve bet my life that the huge dogs were wolves.”
“They are mixed breeds, and no one wants them because of their size. You said you’d take care of them.” Shrugging a shoulder and acting like I didn’t care one way or another, I rolled my gaze over the buildings across from us. “If it’s too much for you I can find someone else—”
“I didn’t say it was too much.” The tone of her voice told me I’d insulted her, which had been my intention. “They are beautiful. The one I just picked up is very well trained, too. He sits, stays… and listen to this, he even rolled when I told him to.”
The excited clap of her hands covered the strangled sound escaping my throat. I almost choked on my own tongue while she grinned at me with so much pride on her face. The crazy human made a powerful shifter roll like a pet. I guess I’d have to rethink asking that one to repay the favor. He might be rolling now because he was still afraid for his life, but after a day or two with Alice, he’d attack me the second he lays eyes on me.
“What the …You did what?” I stuttered, gaping at her.
She nodded so hard her glasses slid all the way to the tip of her nose. “He rolled. It was so exciting.” Alice gushed, pushing her frames up with her forefinger before smoothing her wild hair back away from her face. “I might keep this one, you know. He looks like he will be a good guard dog and great company.”
“No.” My harsh snap made her deflate like a balloon being popped. “Alice, you and I had a deal. You pick up the ones I find, and then you release them into one of the reservations. You promised.” Reminding her of all the promises she threw at me when we made this deal was always a good strategy.
“Fine.” Pouting like a child, she wiggled to get more comfortable on the cold concrete. “He would be better off with me than alone roaming the reservation, though. You know that as well as I do.”
If he was actually a dog, I had no doubt. He would’ve lived like a royalty. But my reason for releasing them into one of the reservations was a good one.
Shamans.
The native tribes had plenty of shamans practicing their craft, and the energy they created prevented any of the Atua to step foot on their lands. I never understood the mechanics of it, but I didn’t really care. The Syndicate would never find the ones I’d let live as long as they were there. Shifters were also welcomed among the tribes. They called them skin walkers, and they were fiercely protected. By keeping the shifters hidden, those shamans protected my life as well.
“I know, Alice.” Reaching, I squeezed her forearm in reassurance. “But the ones I ask you to take to the reservations have too much wild in them. They need to be free. You want them to be free and happy, don’t you?”
“I know.” She made a face and pursed her lips. “He is just so sweet.”
If the Council wanted him dead, there was nothing sweet about him.
“We will get you a dog.”A real one, I added in my head. One that wouldn’t try to find me when he shifted back, and one that wouldn’t rip Alice’s throat out for making him roll. “I’ll find one for you.”
“Right. Is that why you asked me to come?” Tugging her dress closer to her body, she glanced around. “I could’ve told you all of that on the phone. I don’t like this place.”
“We don’t talk about these things over the phone.”
“True, all those government leeches will hear every word we say. They’ll probably raid my kennel, too.” Her eyes darted around as if a swat team was going to jump out of the shadows. Alice was a bit of a conspiracy theorist. She didn’t know that one of the creatures she was scared would come take over humanity was sitting right next to her. On a good note, at least I wasn’t an alien, right?
“I just wanted to make sure you have him and that you will release him tonight.”
“I was getting ready to head that way when you called.” Lifting up, she dusted the back of her dress with short, nervous swats. “And Brooklyn?”
I looked up and my chest got tight from the unsure, vulnerable look on her face. Unable to speak through my constricted throat, I jerked my chin in question to prompt her to ask whatever had her making the expression she wore on her face. She might be a little peculiar, but she was one of the kindest people I had met in my long life.
“One of these days, we can … you know … have a cup of coffee, or I don’t know … tea? In a café, like normal people. Because I kind of think of you as a friend, and I think friends do that. Well, I know they do that—” She cut herself off with a groan. “I sound like an idiot. I blabber when I’m nervous. So?” I could tell she was holding her breath.
