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“Then what is their style?” I asked.
Kane grunted. “They’re not subtle.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You think ripping out a liver is subtle?”
“They wouldn’t have tossed him in a creek,” Kane clarified. “They would’ve mounted his corpse on a stick and lit it on fire in the middle of town to send a message.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. “They’ve had a connection to a house in your backyard for decades, but you didn’t seem to notice.”
“That’s fair.” He considered me for a moment. “I’ll assemble a team to search the house with you, in case you’re right and there is a connection.”
My shoulders tensed. “No, absolutely not.”
Kane sighed. “Let me guess. Because you work alone?”
“Yes. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’”
“How very Iron Man of you,” Kane commented.
“He became a team player, though,” Josie said idly. “Maybe there’s hope for Clay.” She scooped a handful of nuts from a bowl on the counter and tossed them into her mouth.
“But it wasn’t in his nature,” I argued. I paused to look at her. “Hey, I thought you didn’t know anything about Marvel.”
“Oh, I know about them. I just think it’s stupid to invoke them in real-life conversations.”
I drained the last of my club soda from the glass. “I appreciate your generous offer, but I’ll handle this on my own. I only wanted information, which I got.” It was more than I’d bargained for, but at least I knew to be wary. The Corporation sounded like a potential problem if I didn’t handle things carefully. A ‘team’ would make that even more challenging.
Kane blew out a frustrated breath. “By the devil, you’re a stubborn one.”
Josie smirked. “Must be like looking in a mirror.”
“Do me a favor and let me know what you discover,” Kane said.
“Only if it’s relevant to you,” I replied. I wasn’t comfortable making him a promise I wouldn’t keep.
“As always, I appreciate your blunt honesty, Miss Clay.”
“Thanks for the drink.” I walked away, acutely aware of his eyes on me as I exited the club.
Once I was behind the wheel of my truck, I chastised myself for seeking help from the demon. If I’d tried hard enough, I was sure I could’ve discovered the information about The Corporation on my own. I took a shortcut, and now I might live to regret it. Bruce’s death was unfortunate enough. What if Kane sent in a team anyway and someone got hurt? I turned on the radio to drown out my critical thoughts. As Pops would’ve said, lesson learned.
CHAPTER9
Ipaced the length of the empty living room, debating whether to contact Matilda about The Corporation. It was best to keep my distance from her and others like her. On the other hand, if I had something to fear from The Corporation, she could tell me. There was also the small matter of returning to the house on Thoreau Street. I didn’t want to involve West or the werewolf pack, but I wasn’t sure going alone was smart. If I roped in Matilda, I could kill two birds with one vengeful Celtic spirit.
“What are you doing?” Ray asked. The ghost watched me as I drew a chalk circle on the wooden floor of the living room.
“What are you doing in here, Ray?”
“I asked permission. Don’t you remember? You were outside with the Weedwacker. I asked and you nodded.”
“Because I didn’t hear you.”
“Then you shouldn’t have nodded.”
“Fine. You win this round.” I glanced at the chalk. “It’ll wipe away easily.”
“I’m not talking about defacing those beautiful floorboards, although that is hard to watch. I mean why are you drawing shapes in chalk? Alicia used to do that on the driveway but never in the house.”
