Page 55 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
I couldn’t believe she still had the picture, but something about seeing that former version of myself opened the floodgates. Jackie was a safe space, as she always had been. “I’m under a lot of pressure right now, Jackie, and honestly, I’m just trying my best to keep it together. On top of business issues, staffing issues, resurfacing crap from my past, and then Raymond turning out to be a damn shadow walker just when I was—”
“Just when you were what?” She leaned in, gripping the bottleneck tightly. “What were you doing?”
“Nothing.” I pulled back the confession. “I’d just gotten used to him being around, is all.”
“Holy shit! You actually like this guy, don’t you? I was just joking, but…” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not just tolerating him. You like him.”
“Once again, I feel like you’re focused on the wrong thing.” I got up to grab a glass of water. “And you said something is off about me? When did you become so boy crazy?”
“Don’t you dare try to deflect this…” Jackie stood, but I held my hand up to stop her when I felt the drop in temperature.
“Did you feel that?” I put the glass I’d retrieved on the counter. “The temperature just dropped.”
“Nuh uh,” Jackie shook her head and eyed the mostly consumed food. “You better not have fed me no damn tainted sushi. What do you mean the temperature just dropped? I feel fine.”
“I think he’s coming. The same thing happened when he left. It got really cold, and then the shadow appeared.”
Just then, the corner of the room darkened, an unnatural shadow spreading like a stain, accompanied by a chilling sound of energy crackling. I stood with Jackie as we waited. Jackie immediately pulled a knife from her backpocket.
“Really?” I raised a brow at her.
“We don’t know if what’s coming through that thing is going to be friendly. They already attacked you once. What’s stopping it from happening again?” Jackie slapped my shoulder. “Get it together, friend.”
“You’re right.” I shook my head. That was why I wanted Jackie there. In moments when my judgment was cloudy, Jackie was there to bring clarity.
I slipped my hand under the table and pulled out the gun I stored there. After flipping the safety and checking the chamber, I pointed at the center of the shadow.
“Just gotta show me up, huh?” Jackie nudged me with her arm. “Bringing out the heavy artillery.”
Then, Raymond’s head poked through the shadow. “Jericha? It’s me.” His eyes widened when he saw the weapon in my hand. “We good?”
“Oh.” I lowered my weapon with a sigh of relief and then placed my hand on Jackie’s arm to reassure her, feeling the tremor in her muscles. She slipped the knife back into her pocket. “Just playing it safe. We’re good.”
“Good. I have someone I want to introduce you to. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared again, but the shadow remained.
“Oh, now I get it!” Jackie winked at me. “That man is fine! I’d be all out of sorts too!”
“Chill.” I picked up her beer and handed it to her. “I don’t know if that thing is soundproof!”
“Oh shit, my bad.” She grabbed the beer and took a long sip. “I should just eat my sushi and hush, huh?”
“That would be nice.”
“Okay, you didn’t have to agree with me.” She winked then reached for her sushi.
Jackie stood next to me with a tray of rolls in one hand and the chopsticks in the other. She happily stuffed her face while we waited for something to happen. I was ready to scream into the dark void when Raymond reappeared.
“Damn, it's about time,” I fussed. “You just opened a portal in my kitchen and left it there. Is that even safe?”
“Oh, sorry about that. Time is different there. To me, I haven’t been gone that long.”
“Right.” I sighed. “Where’s your friend? I thought you said you were bringing help.”
“I told them to hold back for a few so I could set the stage, so to speak.”
“Are they actors?” Jackie pointed her chopsticks at Raymond. “Are they going to put on a little show for us?”
“Not exactly.” He looked at my friend and smirked. “You must be Jackie. Nice to meet you.”
