Read Darkness Calls for Free Online Page B

shit.
    “Maxine,” Grant said.
    I tasted blood. “Who was he?”
    “A long arm.” The desk creaked, and I glanced over my shoulder, watching as Grant eased himself onto the hard surface with a sigh. He laid his cane beside him and started kneading his bad leg. “He would have been an Inquisitor in another life.”
    “He still is. That man wants you dead.”
    “He already tried that. He thinks I work for the devil.”
    “Well,” I said with a faint smile. “Mostly they work for you.”
    Grant also smiled, but it was wry and tired. “I have to go. Doesn’t matter who asked.”
    “Ross,” I said quietly. “He was a good friend?”
    “My best,” Grant replied, but with little happiness. “He was the only one I told, the man I confessed to, about my . . . ability.”
    That surprised me. I could recall, with perfect clarity, the first night I had met Grant, when he had told me about a fragment of his life, how he had been driven from the Church. A friend had betrayed him. A friend he had confided to—who had feared what Grant could do instead of embracing it.
    “Grant,” I began, but he shook his head.
    “I have to go,” he said. “Never mind the past. Father Ross was not a man capable of murder, let alone torture. If he did commit such acts . . .”
    Grant did not finish, but there was no need. When a good man went bad, without warning or explanation, there were few reasons why such a thing could happen. Possession was one of them. Demons. Zombies. The kind of creature now asking for Grant. Maybe.
    I sat on top of the desk beside him. “You know this is a trap.”
    “Antony wasn’t lying about Father Ross, but his aura was dark. Not demon dark, but almost as bad. Full of conflict. Unease. It was worse around you. You scared him.”
    I scared a lot of people, but hearing that I made Father Cribari squirrelly did not tickle me as much as it should have. “What does Dark Mother mean?”
    “I’m not certain. But he knows too much.” Grant flashed me a hard look. “Did I lead him to you, Maxine?”
    “No,” I said, and meant it. “I need to have another conversation with him.”
    He smiled, without humor. “Leave some pieces for me.”
    “Spoilsport.” I drummed my fingers against his hip, feeling the boys toss gently in their dreams; like a soft wind, rushing through my skin. “China. Shanghai. No matter what Cribari said about your friend, it feels like he’s going to a lot of trouble to drag you away from here.”
    “Believe it’s just a coincidence?”
    “That depends on what you think he really wants with you. And how much he knows about the two of us.” Strangers, prying into our secrets. Strangers, knowing our secrets. I hated it.
    “We’ll figure it out,” I finally said, holding out my pinky. A ghost of a smile touched Grant’s mouth, and he snagged me with his own little finger. We shook with all the solemnity of five-year-olds, then wrestled back and forth for a moment.
    “You’re my Wonder Woman,” he said softly. “My Amazon.”
    “Pied Piper,” I whispered. “My best, favorite man.”
    He did not smile. “What happened this morning?”
    Pain pulsed. I thought of the dead girl. Archie. “Same thing as always. I got there too late.”
    “You were hurt.”
    I rubbed my head. “Not worth mentioning.”
    Grant’s frown deepened. “I was talking about your heart.”
    “I found the demon,” I said, not wanting to discuss the bullet that had almost killed me. “I took care of it.”
    “Maxine,” he said roughly, and his fingers grazed my brow, warm and gentle. He examined my head, parting the hair around my right temple, no doubt catching glimpses of the silver tattoos covering my scalp. I did not bother asking how he suddenly knew what had happened. Maybe my voice had told him. Maybe the bullet had punched more than my skull.
    “You were shot,” he said softly.
    “You can tell that from my aura?”
    “There’s a dent around your head. Like your spirit is