The Curse (Belador #3)(64)

Kit finished shaking her hand, then continued. “As long as you are entirely responsible for it.”

Like I wouldn’t be anyhow? “No problem. I assure you—”

“I’m not done,” Kit said. “I also expect you to report regularly to Isak about nonhuman activity in the city.”

Evalle nodded, letting Kit know she was still on board. She didn’t want to rock the tentative truce.

“And … ” Kit added.

“Yes?” Evalle said in too bright a voice, but Kit could still refuse the weapon or try to lock Evalle in a cell.

That would be a mistake.

Kit eyed both of them. “You come to dinner at my house soon, very soon.”

“What?” Isak and Evalle both shouted at the same time.

“What word did either of you not understand?” Kit asked in a brisk voice similar to the one she’d used to issue orders in the warehouse.

Isak just turned around and stalked out of the room without a sound except for slamming the door, making what he thought about spending another second in Evalle’s company pretty clear.

Which was fine. Dinner with Isak fell a ways down her priority list with Svart trolls invading the city and Tristan captured by the Medb.

Smiling at Kit, Evalle said, “Thank you for the weapon. I promise you won’t be sorry about loaning it to me.”

Kit smiled back, a confident take-no-prisoners smile. “I’m not the least concerned about the weapon, because we can disarm it remotely if need be.”

Crud. That could be a problem if Isak decided to flip the off switch without notifying her, but Evalle would just have to take that gamble. “That’s good to know.”

As she moved closer to Evalle, Kit’s pleasant voice turned deadly soft. “I have only one concern, and that’s Isak. There’s nothing that can protect anyone from me if something happened to him. I would unleash everything within my power, and trust me, I’m not someone you or any other nonhuman wants to go up against.”

Evalle chilled at the obvious threat, but not one she’d have to be concerned about. Based upon his loud exit, Isak wouldn’t come within a mile of her again. Even if she had to follow through on the strange dinner invitation, Isak would bail out just as he’d done a moment ago. She assured Kit, “I understand and would never harm Isak.”

“That’s what I expect.” Kit turned toward her desk.

Rather than dwell on that any longer, Evalle moved the conversation to another concern. “What about the Rías in your holding cell? What are you going to do with him?”

Pausing next to her chair, Kit asked, “Why?”

“Please don’t kill him. Once he understands how to control the shifting, he won’t be a threat. He is trainable.”

“Really? Who would do this training?”

Tristan could do it if Evalle knew where he was or if—when—she found him again. Another problem she had to figure out sooner than soon, plus things were going to deteriorate between her and Macha real quick if Tristan didn’t show. “I know someone who can do it, but he’s not available at the moment.”

“When will he be available?”

Do I look like a crystal ball? “I don’t know yet, but if—”

“Let’s make this simple, Evalle. I’ll give you a week to bring this trainer to me. After that, I’ll hand the forklift driver over to Isak. I can’t run a halfway house for nonhumans and be fair to my son.”

“You would just kill that man even though he hasn’t hurt anyone?”

“Yet. He hasn’t harmed anyone yet. Based on the reports we got from across the country a few weeks ago, others like him have murdered families. If you want to help this one, bring in the trainer,” Kit said, nicely sidestepping a direct answer about the man’s fate. “Or if you can’t find the trainer in time, you can discuss the forklift driver’s fate with Isak.”

Oh, yeah. That’d be as productive as building a snowball factory in hell. Evalle couldn’t do anything about the poor man right now, but Kit didn’t strike her as the kind of person who would starve or torment a defenseless being. With her list of priorities growing by the minute, Evalle focused on getting the weapon and making it back to Atlanta. Alive.

Would one of Kit’s men be willing to drive an Alterant back to the city? “Since I can’t tell anyone how to find me—”

Holding up a hand to stall Evalle, Kit lifted a two-way radio from where it had been in a charging cradle on the bookcase behind her and spoke into the receiver. “Lambert, pull out a BXZ-12 for Isak and tell him to meet Evalle at the Hummer. Thanks.”

She wants Isak to drive me home?

When Kit looked up again, she said, “That should give you two ample opportunity to discuss the forklift driver. And, just so we’re clear, I expect Isak to come back without a scratch on him. Take care of my weapon.”

Right. Mustn’t harm Isak, the Alterant-hating human who would have the troll-killing weapon in his possession and Evalle at his mercy in the Hummer.





TWENTY-ONE




Twenty minutes into the ride back to Atlanta, Evalle tired of Isak’s stony silence … and the stupid blindfold over her sunglasses. “Kit said I only had to wear this until we reached the interstate. I can tell we’re not on secondary roads any longer.”