Page 33 of Dead Ringer

I breathed in real deep like. “All that’s in these bags are clothes. But if I did have a certain something your boss is looking for, I’d rather drop kick it into the ocean than give it to you. So, scram.”

He took another step forward, his shadow falling around me. “Tell me where it is. No one needs to get hurt, Miss Rowe.”

And that was a genuine threat. I tightened my fist around the straps of my bags. They didn’t weigh much, but I could still swing them if push came to shove. The other arm I kept between Henner and me, and Cain slid smoothly into place, ready to defend us.

He didn’t get the chance.

Henner slid between me and the guy, looking up into his face fearlessly. I sucked in a sharp breath, reaching out to pull him back. Henner might have magic, but it was all related to technology. He could probably mess up the guy’s phone, or something, but he couldn’t call down a storm or toss a hex bolt like Wanda and Maverick could.

That didn’t seem to concern him any, though.

“Excuse me,” he said, almost shockingly polite for the situation. “Every security camera in the area is now trained on us. Are you sure you want to continue this conversation?”

The big guy’s eyes flicked around at all the stores on the street before looking back at Henner’s placid face.

“You’re bluffing,” he sneered.

Henner tucked his hands into the pocket of his black hoody, looking so relaxed that some of the knots in my back actually eased out. His head tilted to the side, the long ends of his hair brushing over his shoulder as he gazed somewhere over the guy’s shoulder.

“You have two separate phones on you. One is for work. The other is… oh, well, that’s interesting.”

The color drained out of the guy’s face, and his hand flew reflexively to the breast pocket of his suit.

Henner smiled, all nice and friendly like. “Leave. Now. Just turn and walk away. Or I’ll send your entire internet history to the contact labeled ‘Big Boss’.”

That was apparently enough of a threat, because after a moment of sweaty hesitation, the guy turned and took to his heels, walking away from us a whole lot faster than he’d approached. We both watched until he got into a black sedan parked on the curb and peeled away.

Come to think of it, that car looked really familiar.

He was the one following us last night,Cain said, echoing my own suspicions.

Great. So, not only did I have my client and my boss to worry about, but a guy with a lot to lose who didn’t take no for an answer, it seemed. It was hard for me to focus on that as Henner turned around, having made sure that Manos’ hired goon had really left.

“Wow,” I breathed. I couldn’t believe he’d made the big ape back down without even raising a hand. It had been so swell. I was carrying such a torch for him. “You’re really the bee’s knees, you know that?”

Henner, adorably, got a little flushed. He smiled, sheepish, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I was bluffing, actually. There aren’t any security cameras in this area. The internet stuff was true, though,” he added after a pause.

I couldn’t believe he’d just stepped in front of me like that. Talk about a knight in shining armor... well, a knight in a skeleton hoody. I could barely see the stars in my eyes because they were so bright.

Cain grumbled, stepping back.

“Okay, now, what was that all about?” Henner made a gesture towards where the goon’s long departed car had been. “I’m not just imagining things. He was actually threatening you, wasn’t he?”

My sigh came out pretty gusty. I didn’t want to lie to Henner, but I also couldn’t tell him everything. A client’s privacy was important, and just because it was about a knick-knack this time and not a dearly departed, that didn’t really change things.

So, part of the truth. I could live with that.

“I was hired to find something for a client.” That was pretty safe and neutral, if I did say so myself. “Unfortunately, there are other people who also want that something. And they want it bad. Bad enough that they also apparently don’t know when to buzz off when someone tells them to.”

Henner’s brows pulled together until they almost touched above the bridge of his nose. “Are you in danger?”

Was I? That made me pause. I hadn’t thought Manos would get so pushy, especially in a physical way—like having someone confront me. I thought he might hire his own professional snoop, and it might become a kind of race to the treasure. This was something else entirely.

“I have Cain with me. I’m not alone.” I’d filled Henner in a long time ago with the whole ‘possessed’ thing. It wouldn’t have been fair not to tell him.

Arms crossed over his chest, Henner shook his head. “No offense to the late Chief Morgan, but I’m not sure that he’s the best backup or you. For one thing, he can only fight through your body, and that won’t exactly keep you from getting hurt, Darla.”

Cain bristled up.Oh, like an amateur ghost-hunter is better backup? At least I know how to throw a punch. What’s he going to do, design a spread sheet at it?

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