“We have separate rooms, of course. Look, I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow.”

“When tomorrow? I have the day shift at the bar.”

Right. Like everyone else in the Old World, Eli was taking off work the following night for the Vampire Trials. It was the only time that Hair of the Dog would be staffed entirely by humans. “Find me before the first trial starts,” I told him.

He wasn’t happy that I couldn’t promise to see him before then, but I knew he’d forgive me when he heard about my deadline for helping Molly. We talked for a few more minutes about Eli’s shift at the bar and the new chunk of driftwood he’d found for his sculpture work. It was late and we were both exhausted, but I think we needed to reassure ourselves that there was still normalcy between us, and we could get back there again. I drifted off with the phone still pressed to my ear.

Chapter 14

When I dragged myself out of the hotel bed at seven the next morning, there was a mark on my cheek from sleeping on the cell phone. My arm hurt, but when I tried moving it around, it already felt better than the night before. When I lifted the bandage on my chest, the small shrapnel wound had scabbed over. I left the bandage off, which made me feel a lot closer to normal.

Still wearing the clothes that Jesse had brought to the hospital, I took Shadow for a one-mile jog so she could do her business. Outside, the LA morning was cool, gray, and hazy—either very smoggy, very overcast, or some combination of the two. I retrieved my duffel bag from the front desk, took a quick shower, and dressed in the clothes from my bag and the new jacket. Shadow and I made it back down to the lobby by 7:40.

Jesse was already waiting, still in the rumpled clothes from the night before. He’d at least showered and shaved, which looked good on him. He wasn’t alone, though; I recognized the slightly taller, slightly paler, not quite so handsome man next to him as his brother, Noah. A reusable Whole Foods bag was planted between their feet. There was some kind of black material peeking out.

“You’re late,” Jesse said neutrally.

I pointed to Shadow. “If she doesn’t run for at least a mile every morning, she paces. For hours.”

“You went running in those boots?”

I raised an eyebrow, glancing down at my knee-high leather Fryes. “Cupcake, I could pirouette in these boots.” I turned to Noah and held out my hand. “Hey, Noah, good to see you again.” Noah returned the handshake, though his expression didn’t warm. “What brings you here?”

“Errand boy,” Noah said. He glanced at Jesse, half-amused, half-annoyed, and nudged the bag at his feet. “My ugly brother asked me to bring you guys your bulletproof vests. Because I have nothing better to do with my time.”

“You’re on hiatus,” Jesse pointed out. Noah was a stunt double, though I had no idea what show he was working on these days. “You were available.”

I blinked, trying not to look as surprised as I felt. I’d forgotten about the bulletproof vest, which Jesse had made me wear on our last case together, or maybe the one before it. It was itchy and uncomfortable, but since I’d already been shot at once, I couldn’t exactly say we wouldn’t need them.

“Are you really not going to tell me why you want these?” Noah asked him.

“I told you, it’s for paintball,” Jesse answered. “Scarlett and I are big sissies about getting hit by those pellets.”

I tried to make my face look very serious as I nodded, but Noah obviously didn’t buy it.

“Uh-huh. Well, I guess I should just be grateful that you’re out in the world.” He turned to me and pretended to tip an imaginary hat. “That looks heavy,” he said, pointing at my own bag. “Can I help you carry it?”

“Thanks, I got it.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Noah said emphatically, and I got the impression that he really wanted to talk to me alone. Shit. I decided to get it over with. I held out my plastic room key to Jesse. “You mind turning these in for us? And maybe asking the concierge if there’s a place around here with good donuts?”

Jesse rolled his eyes, but he took the card and handed me his car keys. He trotted toward the front desk, and the rest of us headed outside.

The advantage to knowing we were going to leave so early was that Jesse had been able to park his car in one of those metered parking spots that expire at 8 a.m. It was right in front of the building next door to the hotel, a real estate agency with a little decorative picket fence that had been painted with graffiti. Noah didn’t speak as we made our way to the sedan, and I opened the back door so Shadow could jump up.

Noah watched the bargest move, shaking his head a little. “I forgot how big she is. And how . . . visually eccentric.”

“She is that,” I agreed, setting my duffel bag onto the seat beside her.

“Look, Scarlett,” Noah began. Yep. He wanted to lecture me. “I really am grateful that you got Jesse to leave the house. And shave.”

I took the reusable shopping bag from him and placed it on the car’s floor, in front of my duffel bag. “But?” I prompted.

“But I would appreciate if you didn’t fuck him over again,” he said evenly.

I blinked. Okay, I’d expected some sort of warning, but not that. “Come again?”

He waved a hand. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t. If you’ve got something to say, Noah, just spit it out.”

“Fine.” He checked over his shoulder, but the sidewalk was still empty. Turning back to me, he said in a low voice, “Last time you needed my brother to protect you, he had to pull some very shady moves. I’m not an idiot. I know he quit the force because of that. You led him on, and then when everything fell apart for him you were just gone.”

Ouch. Shadow was looking back and forth between us, and I could see her hackles beginning to rise, so I gently closed the car door. I pushed out a breath before I responded, trying to tamp down my anger. It was true that I hadn’t been there for Jesse, but that was between the two of us. And I had to be careful here—Noah didn’t know about the Old World, and he couldn’t find out.

“First,” I said, trying to keep my voice relatively low, “you’re going to need to decide if you’re calling me a whore or a bad friend, because if it’s both, I’m going to lose my fucking temper. Second, I don’t need him to protect me. That’s not what this is about.”

Noah looked skeptical. “Then why are you dragging him into your shit again?”

“Because he’s smart,” I snapped. “And good to the core, and he has a different perspective on things which I find refreshingly helpful. And because I like having him around.”

“Okay, whatever,” Noah said with a dismissive grunt. “I just don’t want you using my brother to hurt people, while you stand back and keep your hands clean. Especially if you’re not even gonna fuck him.”

I recoiled. That last remark was meant to sting, and it did, but I’d be damned if I was going to take shit from someone who had no concept of my life. I checked the sidewalk out of the corner of my eye. Empty except for a couple of homeless people a block down. “Third picket,” I said through clenched teeth.

“What?” Noah asked in confusion.

Quick as I could, I bent down and whipped the knife out of my right boot, flinging it at the graffitied fence without even straightening up. I hit the third picket dead center.

While Noah was gaping at the fence, I snaked out one boot and swept his legs out from under him. He landed heavily, just managing to keep his head from cracking on the sidewalk. While his arms were still flailing, I knelt on his chest and held my second knife to his throat, though not very close. Noah went very still.

“Fucking aside,” I said, my breath coming hard, “if I need someone hurt, I’ll do it myself. And if you speak to me like that again, you are going to find out what that feels like.”

Eyes wide, Noah raised his hands and nodded. I stood up, slid the knife back into my right boot sheath, and reached down to Noah. He glared at me for a second, but took my hand and let me pull him to his feet. I had to tilt my head up quite a bit to meet his eyes when he stood, but I held the eye contact. We stood there for a silent moment, glaring at each other.