Page 45 of Corbin
“You’re finally with good people, Corbin. Now tell me what all happened.”
After briefing Adrian on everything, Corbin finished with, “To sneak out of that dress shop, she accessed the roof and crossed the buildings to reach a fixed fire escape. I had parked around back next to a dumpster for the retail location, one building before the one I’d seen her enter. That put me close enough to keep an eye on the rear exit of the dress shop she’d entered. I almost missed her climbing down that old ladder farther down until she shot across the street and entered the woods.”
Adrian scratched his neck and looked up as dark clouds began packing in. He said, “I want to stay close to Brody and the other two of Beckham’s people while Archie is in the hospital. If any of them think to finish him off, I don’t want it on my watch.”
Cool air warning of rain brushed over Corbin’s face. He couldn’t care less about getting wet. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to stick to Givenchy. See if she tries to slip away again. If she’s got someone doing her dirty work, she may avoid calling them. I know it sucks to send you back to watch her, but you’re doing great.”
“Hey, I’m here to do whatever you need.” Corbin should thank Adrian for the chance to nail Givenchy in the act.
Chapter 12
A half mile from her apartment, Eirene asked Ivarson, “Please stop along here.”
His alarmed face filled the rearview mirror. With the privacy window slid open, he was able to ask, “Why?”
Sighing mentally at having to constantly explain herself, she said, “I want some time to clear my mind. Leszek has crammed my schedule. To give him what he wants, I’ve got to think through a few things.”
Sounding slightly annoyed, which surprised her, he replied, “I will do as you ask, but I request that you allow me to follow you.”
That was the last thing she wanted. “No. I’m fine. I’m in a safe area for humans. Let’s call it a night. I won’t need you before seven tomorrow morning.” She hit the button to close the window and slid the curtain into place, ending all conversation.
Ivarson conceded defeat by pulling to the curb a quarter mile from her apartment building. He had never been a fan of her disguises, but he kept the cloth bag she’d filled with an assortment of everything from clothing and multiple pairs of glasses to hats and wigs in the vehicle.
This time she donned a short-cropped blond wig, black-rimmed glasses with clear lenses of no optical strength, and an embroidered blue vest over a faded red T-shirt she now wore in place of the blouse. She changed from pants to casual khaki shorts and a pair of black sneakers, both showing heavy wear from plenty of repeated use.
Once she stepped out onto the sidewalk, her sedan drove off with an unhappy Ivarson. He seemed grumpier these days. Maybe he needed a vacation. She’d told him to let her know whenever he wanted a break.
Doing her best to care for female shifters in need left her little energy for those in better situations. Ivarson was a grown man, and the label paid well. He merely had to ask for time off, but she doubted that was the problem.
He wanted to know where she was every minute. Keeping secrets from him was more likely the cause of his foul mood.
She would not tell him about her exploits. He’d be safer kept out of that loop.
A warm breeze teased loose hairs around her face as she walked along the sidewalk pretending to be any other young woman out for a stroll. Those women also had problems of all kinds, but they didn’t have to hide an animal from the world or battle to move around without hundreds of eyes on their every step. Or try to keep that loony blackmailer, Nova, in line while also needing her to save the females Eirene found in deep shifter trouble.
A grumble built in her throat.
Wah, wah, wah. Enough whining. Someone out there always had it much harder.
She forced herself to focus on one problem at a time. The first one? How to get away from everyone to check on the two shifter sisters she’d hidden? She had to slip out of her apartment tonight without Ivarson finding out, because she’d caught Mr. Overprotective keeping an eye on her from afar in recent weeks.
If she didn’t leave too late, she could take the bus. Nope. She tossed that thought aside. The older warehouse district was not that far away on foot for a shifter. The fewer people she ran into, the better luck she’d have not being caught.
Also, she’d once climbed on a bus with a shifter who tensed the moment he’d scented her. She didn’t need some rogue to cause her trouble.
At the third corner, she took a right onto Pearl Street. An older brick warehouse, once used for manufacturing and nowconverted into her apartment building two blocks away, came into view. She still had problem number two, Leszek, but the short walk had released some of her tension.
She smiled, enjoying the late-day cool air on her face, and kept working out her escape plan as darkness closed in on the city.
Someone peeled away from the building and stepped into her path.
She slowed and stopped, not believing who stood there.
The tall, brooding male figure stepped toward her. This day refused to get any better.
She dismissed apologizing to him and demanded, “What are you doing here?”
