the seat, his arm barring me from leaving the car.
"Jo, don 't lose it on me here. I'm sure he had ID on him. Going back there will just link you to this. I can't have your face on the news."
His logic penetrated the haze and I nodded.
"You need to tell me everything you can about what just happened." I felt the car turning this way and that, but didn't care where he was driving.
"Oh god, Cormac, I don 't know. It was so normal and I was so happy to see him doing well for himself. I know it was working for the senator …but it just didn't matter. People that come out of the life we had don't normally do well. He had pulled himself up and was working toward a career in politics." I shook off an image of his lapel pin, covered in blood.
"What happened? I saw you walk away and then turn back. You need to tell me what happened." He voice was very monotone compared to how it usually sounded.
"He called my name, I turned and he said 'the senator says hello' and then…he was smiling when he did it." I rolled down the window, looking for air. "I've got to get out of this car. Pull over." I leaned my face into the wind.
"I can 't."
"I need to get out this car and …I don 't know, I need to… Just pull over." Logic had returned enough for me to know it wouldn't look good if I jumped out of the moving car, even if I would be fine.
"I can 't. That's the senator, in the silver Mercedes, about half a block up. He was watching the entire thing." My eye flew over the cars in front of us until I found the one he meant. I saw the back of his head. He was alone.
"Stop! Why are we following him? We don 't even know what he's capable of."
"Because we need to know where he 's going. We have to follow him."
"Why? Why us?" I already knew what he was going to say. I knew all the reasons, I just didn't want to.
He turned toward me as we waited at a light, still in the heart of the Strip.
"Forget the fact that I think this is somehow intrinsically attached to you, in a way neither of us can fathom, we are the only ones that can."
"No, I don 't want this life."
He grabbed my chin and pulled my face in his direction when I refused to look at him. "Then why did you blow up that wormhole in the mountain?"
"I didn't have a choice." How could he not understand the difference? "I don't want to chase bad guys. I want out of this. I never asked to be a hero."
"The best ones never do," he replied in a soft voice and brushed his fingers across my cheek before he dropped his hand from my face. "Listen to me, a normal human won 't even comprehend what's happening, let alone try to stop it. The wolves were involved with him, and might still be. The Fae? They care only about the Fae. If it doesn't touch them, they won't do a thing. Not until it threatens their life in some way. And even then, it's debatable. Vitor knew what was going down on the mountain that day. What did he do? Nothing."
"How did you know I was at the café with Rick?" I rubbed my hands on the skirt I was wearing, annoyed with their moistness and what it represented.
"You mean other than watching you walk down the car ramp for about ten minutes? Lacey told me."
I just shook my head and sighed.
"Don 't be annoyed. She was excited for you. Said you hadn't had a date the entire time she's known you."
He sounded just a touch too happy about that and it annoyed me, especially right now after what had just happened. No one was allowed to be happy as waves of anger at what had just happened to Rick churned and built inside me. "Remember, I don't tell Lacey everything. You, of all people, should know that." I watched the Mercedes up ahead. "You don't think that was because of me, do you?" As the shock ebbed away, the reality of his death crept in close on its heels.
"Do you want the ugly truth?"
"Warts and all." I wasn't even sure why I asked. I already knew the answer.
"Then yes, I think it was to get at you."
I had expected the truth from him. He wasn't a sugar coater.
"But
"Jo, don 't lose it on me here. I'm sure he had ID on him. Going back there will just link you to this. I can't have your face on the news."
His logic penetrated the haze and I nodded.
"You need to tell me everything you can about what just happened." I felt the car turning this way and that, but didn't care where he was driving.
"Oh god, Cormac, I don 't know. It was so normal and I was so happy to see him doing well for himself. I know it was working for the senator …but it just didn't matter. People that come out of the life we had don't normally do well. He had pulled himself up and was working toward a career in politics." I shook off an image of his lapel pin, covered in blood.
"What happened? I saw you walk away and then turn back. You need to tell me what happened." He voice was very monotone compared to how it usually sounded.
"He called my name, I turned and he said 'the senator says hello' and then…he was smiling when he did it." I rolled down the window, looking for air. "I've got to get out of this car. Pull over." I leaned my face into the wind.
"I can 't."
"I need to get out this car and …I don 't know, I need to… Just pull over." Logic had returned enough for me to know it wouldn't look good if I jumped out of the moving car, even if I would be fine.
"I can 't. That's the senator, in the silver Mercedes, about half a block up. He was watching the entire thing." My eye flew over the cars in front of us until I found the one he meant. I saw the back of his head. He was alone.
"Stop! Why are we following him? We don 't even know what he's capable of."
"Because we need to know where he 's going. We have to follow him."
"Why? Why us?" I already knew what he was going to say. I knew all the reasons, I just didn't want to.
He turned toward me as we waited at a light, still in the heart of the Strip.
"Forget the fact that I think this is somehow intrinsically attached to you, in a way neither of us can fathom, we are the only ones that can."
"No, I don 't want this life."
He grabbed my chin and pulled my face in his direction when I refused to look at him. "Then why did you blow up that wormhole in the mountain?"
"I didn't have a choice." How could he not understand the difference? "I don't want to chase bad guys. I want out of this. I never asked to be a hero."
"The best ones never do," he replied in a soft voice and brushed his fingers across my cheek before he dropped his hand from my face. "Listen to me, a normal human won 't even comprehend what's happening, let alone try to stop it. The wolves were involved with him, and might still be. The Fae? They care only about the Fae. If it doesn't touch them, they won't do a thing. Not until it threatens their life in some way. And even then, it's debatable. Vitor knew what was going down on the mountain that day. What did he do? Nothing."
"How did you know I was at the café with Rick?" I rubbed my hands on the skirt I was wearing, annoyed with their moistness and what it represented.
"You mean other than watching you walk down the car ramp for about ten minutes? Lacey told me."
I just shook my head and sighed.
"Don 't be annoyed. She was excited for you. Said you hadn't had a date the entire time she's known you."
He sounded just a touch too happy about that and it annoyed me, especially right now after what had just happened. No one was allowed to be happy as waves of anger at what had just happened to Rick churned and built inside me. "Remember, I don't tell Lacey everything. You, of all people, should know that." I watched the Mercedes up ahead. "You don't think that was because of me, do you?" As the shock ebbed away, the reality of his death crept in close on its heels.
"Do you want the ugly truth?"
"Warts and all." I wasn't even sure why I asked. I already knew the answer.
"Then yes, I think it was to get at you."
I had expected the truth from him. He wasn't a sugar coater.
"But
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