Page 28 of Blood Bearon
Rachel nodded. “We don’t have one, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Khove looked at her and smiled. “Alright. Let’s get to it.”
It was then he felt the pressure on his other hand, the one that had been on the table the entire time. Glancing down, he saw the detective’s hand resting firmly against his.
Rachel coughed, snatching her hand away. “I’ll start preparing the gear,” she said, practically fleeing the room.
Khove held up his hand, feeling the tingling prick of blood as the sensation returned. He frowned. What was going on? First the shock when she’d touched his wounded shoulder, and now their hands touching without realizing it?
Get yourself together, Khove. You have a Traitor to catch. Once that’s done, you can dedicate some time to this mystery.
He watched Rachel go, lost deep in thought.
15
Shifting left and right, she scratched an itch on her back using the rough lip of the building’s roof.
“Everything okay?”
“Just itchy,” she mumbled, pitching her voice both soft and low, so that the sound didn’t carry.
“Oh.” Khove sat next to her, unmoving.
In fact, now that she thought about it, Rachel wasn’t sure she’d seen him move at all since they’d settled against the upraised wall around the roof. How could he remain still for so long?
They’d arrived at the used bookstore across the street from the restaurant that was their target nearly two hours earlier. Khove had helped her onto the second-story roof, and after they’d lain out some blankets, he’d put his back to the wall and not moved.
“How are you staying so still?” she hissed, irritated as his seemingly infinite patience.
“Training.” His mouth twisted into a smile that she was sure was supposed to be harmless, but just increased her impatience by coming across as patronizing.
Pulling her arms in tight to her sides, Rachel hunched over, working to conserve heat. It was early February, and the temperatures outside reflected it. Even dressed in layers of winter gear with several reflective blankets, and sitting on top of a stack of buildings, she was still frigid.
“I’m just glad the weather is cooperating as much as can be expected,” she half-complained, fighting back a shiver. “I just wish our criminals would do the same and start to act.
Khove didn’t reply. His eyes were half-closed. Was his attention waning already? Rachel looked at the monitor in front of them, but there was no indicator of movement on it yet. They’d rigged up a pair of infrared cameras that pointed at the restaurant from opposite angles, capturing the entire approach both in front and behind. This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about constantly peeking over the top.
“How did you come to work for this company, anyway?” she asked.
Khove didn’t immediately reply.
That’s odd. What’s so difficult about a reply to that question?
“The truth is,” he said at last. “It’s kind of like going into the family business.”
“What do you mean?”
Khove shrugged, the first movement she’d seen from him. “It’s complicated to explain, but there never really was any other way. I was raised up like this, I guess you could say.”
“Right.”
“It’s okay though,” he assured her. “I enjoy it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Rachel nodded slowly. “Right. No other…whatever it is you do, positions at other companies were open, in other words?”
Khove bounced with silent laughter, showing a few teeth as he smiled. “Trust me, this is where my skills are put to their best use. But you could say I’m basically a bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard,right.” She dragged out the last word, letting her sarcasm and disbelief show.
