“We could,” Flash agreed.
“This might be a good place to start,” Cass said. “Although I haven’t seen him being particularly chummy with anyone here at the office.”
“I love your ideas,” Flash said. “But it’s not my style. I think we should go for a more direct approach.”
“Oh?” Cass asked, afraid that she knew exactly what Flash was going to say.
“We just nab the guy,” Flash muttered, slamming a fist into his palm. “Then we force him to tell us everything he knows.”
Cass shook her head, enjoying his impulsive nature but wondering if she’d be able to get through to him. Full-on confrontation should be their last choice, especially if Crenshaw was possessed. There was just too much that could go wrong, and for the first time in her life, Cassandra actually had something worth living for.
Chapter15
Slade
Slade waited in the deep shadows in the corner of an alley. He was not far from Jenny’s favorite coffee shop, and he’d been coming here for days hoping to run into her.
No matter what the high-spirited little minx was up to, he was sure she’d be back here sooner or later. This shop carried a rare blend of coffee beans that were roasted a certain way, and Jenny said she never had her morning coffee unless she had it here.
The place was fairly busy, with a lot of people coming and going. Slade kept his eyes on the doors and stretched against the alley wall, trying not to look too conspicuous. He had one of his super fragrant cigars in his hand, curling out little spirals of smoke. If anyone noticed him, they’d just assume he was trying to have a smoke in peace.
Or I’m a drug dealer lurking in the alley waiting for my connection.
Slade laughed softly. It would serve him right if the cops came along. He’d probably get arrested for stalking his own sister.
He looked down at the ground for a second, amused at his own antics. He was getting so worried about Jenny that he was ready to scour every inch of the street for her scent. All he wanted was to protect her, and it seemed as if the situation was getting more dangerous by the minute.
If she’s okay, why doesn’t she just tell me?
Even though Slade was looking right at the front windows, it took him a minute to realize that a slight girl with flaming red hair was in the doorway of the coffee shop. He felt the recognition strike him like a bolt of pure lightning as he realized it was definitely his sister.
Slade jogged across the road, tossing away his cigar. Instead of rushing into the shop, he waited by the door, just to the side. He didn’t want to give her a chance to see him and then sneak out a back way.
He felt her presence before he saw her. Even though his sense of smell was a bit whacked from the cigar, he could still smell her. When she shoved the door open and walked past him, her scent smacked him right in the face. He lurked behind her for a few seconds, watching her tilt her head back for a big sip from the tall cup.
“Enjoying your coffee?” he asked casually. Jenny jumped, barely holding on to the cup as she spun around to face him.
“Slade,” she muttered.
“Yes, Slade. Your brother. Your guardian. The guy that’s meant to keep you safe. You can’t even answer my calls?”
“Look, Slade,” Jenny said, sighing. “I don’t want to do this with you right now. I’ve got places to be.”
Slade scowled, feeling his irritation turning into full-blown anger.
“You ran away from home without even telling me. All your friends refused to tell me where you’d gone. You’re taking too many risks ... where are you even sleeping?”
Jenny had regained her composure and took a long sip from her cup.
“If I tell you where I’m staying, you’re just going to show up there and junk up the place. I don’t need you making my friends uncomfortable.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you dare to deny that’s exactly what you’d do? I can see it all now. You’d show up and interrogate everyone right before you bagged, tagged, and dragged me home.”
“That’s exactly my plan,” Slade growled. “How am I supposed to look after you if you insist on doing such dangerous things?”
“You have no fucking clue what I’m doing,” Jenny snapped. “Will you stop treating me like a child? I’m nineteen, for fuck’s sake. I didn’t run away from home. I moved out. It’s a pretty common thing for a young adult to do.”
