Page 43 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“I really thought you would want to build a community.”
“You thought wrong.” I pointed her to the kitchen table, where she sat down and pulled a laptop out of the bag she carried on her shoulder. “Now, you get comfy and do what you need to do so you can tell me what the hell I saw last night.”
“I don’t have to search for it. I brought the laptop for online shopping.” She winked at me. “I already know what you’re dealing with.”
“You do?” I quickly sat down across from her. “Well, what is it?”
“You got shadow walkers in your neighborhood.” She said it as if I was supposed to know what she was talking about.
“Shadow walkers? What the hell is that?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. They are supernatural beings who can use shadows to cross space and time. But those are the advanced baddies.” Her voice lifted with budding intrigue as she reported her findings. “Apparently, some of them can do a lot with the shadows, depending on their type andhow old they are. The more they age, the stronger they get. As far as I found out, there are twelve known kinds. Most are weak, but some are powerful and can even cross between worlds.”
“This is insane.” I shuddered and immediately thought about the hooded figure known as X. I knew something felt off about them. Were they also a shadow walker? Maybe X was the powerful, realm-crossing kind. But if that were true, what did that mean about Raymond?
“Agreed.” She nodded.
“What am I going to do?” My heart raced, and my mind created a laundry list of problems this could cause me.
“What do you mean? You saw it, they left… Move on with your life?” She paused then pointed her finger at me, drawing quick spirals in front of my face. “Unless you left something out of your little recap last night.”
“Maybe I did.” I chewed my lip. I hadn’t mentioned my relationship with Raymond at all.
“Like what?” She closed the laptop, leaning forward like a dog begging for a treat.
“Like, the guy I saw walk into the shadows works for me.” I started off light, easing her into the full truth.
“Fire him.” She shrugged, always ready to throw a man away. That was why we all loved her! “Problem solved. You know, you could have told me that over the phone.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Maybe.” I nodded.
“Give me more detail. What happened?”
“We just finished a job, and there were four men there. They were a part of the meeting. Afterwards, well, some things happened, and he left his phone inmy car. I went to chase him down, and when I made it to him, I saw him with the guys. Things looked tense, and then…”
“Then they walked into the shadows,” she finished my thought. “Wait, you said some things happened… What was it?”
“Um…” I hesitated.
“You’re acting like you banged one.” She laughed, but when I didn’t join her, she looked at me like I was crazy. “Oh, shit! You did, didn’t you?”
“Well—” I continued.
“What?” She gasped. “I knew it. There’s something more!”
“We may have been…intimate.” I dropped my head. I refused to watch the range of shifting emotions in her expression.
“Intimate. Oh my God. Don’t tell me you actually fucked the demon!” She slapped the table and started laughing. “Girl, I was just joking! Oh, this is too damn good! Jericha! How could you?”
“Demon?” I hung onto that word. “What do you mean, demon?”
“Well, I mean, that’s what we have them classified as. They originate from the same place, I think.”
“Okay, no. I’m gonna be sick.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “There is no way.”
“Girl, you’ve had worse. Trust me, I know.”
“Funny, Jackie.” I held my stomach. Each time I thought about the word demon, my insides twisted. “I’m actually starting to feel nauseous now.”
