“I contributed to the state of the yard by sitting on the porch and watching them work,” Jill said with a grin.
“I think you get a free pass on yard work for a while,” I said with a nod toward her enormous midsection as we walked toward one of the trails into the woods. “Good thing we got an early start. The day’s gonna be a scorcher.”
She peered up at the cloudless sky. “We’re supposed to get a front through late afternoon. That’ll cool things off.” Her gaze returned to me. “You’re summoning Mzatal back today?” she asked. “And the other two?”
I nodded. “Things are starting to get pretty complicated now. Too many bad guys to keep track of.”
“Fortunately, most are in the demon realm, not here.”
I glanced over at her. “Not anymore.” We walked along in silence for several minutes. “Okay, I’m not going to try to be all devious or subtle,” I finally said. “I told you what happened to me yesterday. You need to come live here.”
Jill stopped and turned to face me, her lips pressed tightly together. “I knewthere was more to this let’s-exercise-in-the-morning thing. Zack put you up to this?”
I regarded her seriously. “Actually, we both came at it from different directions, but yes, I totally agree with him. It’s safer here.”
“It’s safer in a maximum-security prison cell,” she all but snarled, “but it doesn’t mean I’m going to move into one.” She raised a hand and took a step back from me, clearly indicating she’d already shut the door on this conversation. “I go to work every day without a bodyguard. That wouldn’t change if I lived here. Zack has my house warded. Same here. You have a billion people here. I have my lovely, quiet house. I needmy privacy.”
“Look, the warding on your house is nothingcompared to what we have here now,” I stated. “And yes, we have a lot of people here, but there’s a reason for that. It’s fucking dangerous right now, and we’re better off pooling resources and brainpower.” Frustration edged my voice. “And, damn it, we care about you—Zack, Ryan, me. So, like it or not, when you’re not here, we worry about you.”
Indignation swept over her face. “Is that supposed to be some sort of guilt trip?”
“Not at all. I’m simply telling you the way it is,” I replied. “And I’m sorry you’re in the middle of a mess you didn’t make, but you are. I have enemies who don’t play around. You’re close to me. You’re a target.”
“Great,” she said, throwing her hands up. “You’re telling me there are people who want to hurt or kidnap me? Me?”
“I don’t know, but it’s a big enough possibility for Zack and me to be riding your ass about it.”
She shook her head in a definitive No.“I can’t live like that. Afraid to move. No way. What’s next? Quit my job?”
I drew a breath and sought calm. “You know the body in the semi-trailer? The one with the sigils carved all over her torso?” I wanted to add, The one who was raped and sodomized?but didn’t. She knew. “That was done by the people who have Idris. The body had a trap on it, set for me. And let’s not forget that Farouche had me at gunpoint for ten minutes yesterday.” Her brow furrowed, and I could tell I was gaining ground. “These assholes mean business, and the people who love you want you and the bean to be as safe as possible.” I softened my tone. “That’s all. It wouldn’t be for very long.” I hoped that was true. “Surely you can sacrifice a little privacy for a month or two for peace of mind? At least until the bean is born?”
She took back the ground I’d gained and stared at me with new horror in her eyes. “A month? Or two?” she said, aghast. “Zack didn’t say anything about months—not that we got that far.”
I sighed and started down the trail again. “I don’t understand. You’re not shy. You’re great with people. Why is this such a big deal?”
“Sure, when I want to be out among people.” She paused as if to organize her thoughts. “It’s just . . . I need alone time every day to chill. I couldn’t even do a dorm in college. Being around people whether I want to or not?” She shook her head firmly. “No. Nuh uh. And, yes, Zack said he’d get an RV,” she said with exasperation. “That’s better than living in your house, but it would be cramped and— ” Distress flickered in her eyes, but she pulled herself together in a flash, as though accustomed to suppressing whatever thought had triggered it. She took a breath and continued, “Here’s the deal. I have a house I love that’s five minutes away from work, not thirty. Zack has it armed to the teeth with wards. I need my space, and I don’t do well with group living. Too much stress. It’s nothing personal. I know you’re trying to help.”
I winced, exhaled. “All right, but the invitation is always out there.” Jill tended to be practical, not stubborn, which told me that more lurked behind her aversion to living in a community than she chose to share. A traumatic event? Family drama? Zack and I would need some insight on the real issue and a sweeter offer than an RV if we wanted her to agree to move here. I’d have another chat with Zack later. “Let’s forget about it for now. You okay with that?”
“Totally. I am so done with it,” she said then flashed me a smile to signal we were complete.
Complete for now. But I went ahead and changed the subject. “I told you about Paul, right? I think you’ll like him. He’s a sweet kid.” I shook my head. “No, not a kid. Twenty-ish, but he comes across with that youthful exuberance.”
Jill laughed. “A kid to you. You areover thirty you know.”
I held back a sigh. “I know. I sure missed spending that milestone with my best friends.” It had passed unnoticed in the demon realm, with Mzatal holed up in the plexus for the days before, during, and after. By the time he came out it seemed silly to even mention it since I knew his focus had been on finding Idris. I couldn’t even blame Mzatal for not making any sort of deal over it. What was thirty years to someone who’d seen thousands of them?
“Yeah, that kind of sucks. Maybe we can make up for it later,” she said with a wink. “You told me Paul and the other guy are super close. Are they a couple?”
“Y’know, I get the feeling Paul is gay, but I’m pretty sure it’s more like a big brother kind of thing between those two.”
“That’s cool,” she said with approval. “With what he’s been through with the kidnapping and everything, sounds like he could use that kind of support.”
“Thatcher was pretty much unconscious the whole time he was here, so I don’t know yet if he’s a dick. However, I do know he took a bullet for Paul without hesitation.” I replayed the scene in my mind. “Dude has some awesome reflexes. He jumped in front of Paul before that stupid security guard even squeezed the trigger.”
“Could be he has Paul dependent on him,” she said. Worry swept over her face. “Same thing that gets me worried about you and Mzatal, and yeah, I know—it’s not like that.”
I winced and shook my head as we headed across the lawn to the house. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it a lot. Stockholm syndrome, all of that.” We walked a moment in silence. “But, I’m not dependent on Mzatal, and he does want the best for me. He dissolved our agreement because he said if we can’t simply trust one another, the whole thing was pointless.” I smiled a bit. “He loves me,” I said, then smiled more. “And yeah, I love him too.”
Jill put on her best fake-tough-girl face. “He hasn’t earned the Jill seal of approval yet. When do I get to check out this so-called loverboy? I missed him last time he was here.”
I laughed. “Come over this afternoon, and you can check him out all you want.”
“I’ll do that,” she said. “I have to go to birthing class this morning, because y’know, she’ll never come out if I don’t have proper training.” Her face fell.