Dusk Avenger (Flirting with Monsters #3) - Eva Chase Page 0,32

turn up at the last meeting. I’m not sure if he’s sided with this Company of Light completely now.”

I hadn’t gotten her warning soon enough—not in time to save us from getting T-boned by an armored truck, anyway. And my ex-FWB hadn’t shown up because he must still be staked out in his townhouse wearing boxers on his head and drinking cold, stale coffee as Ruse had instructed him to do for his “protection.” It seemed better not to mention either of those facts, the former for Ellen’s benefit and the latter for mine.

“Who knows, with him?” I said with a stilted chuckle. “I really appreciate you looking out for me, especially considering the state you were in. Are you doing okay?”

“Oh, yes, no permanent damage here. I’m made of stronger stuff than those criminals realized.”

A sporadic crackling sound carried from the background. Was that… popcorn popping? A smile tugged at my lips despite my guilt. If Ellen was experimenting with popcorn flavors again, she couldn’t be feeling too bad.

Lord only knew when I’d get to sample any of her new combos again. When would I be welcome at another Fund meeting? Assuming I made it back home in the first place…

I shook off the gloom of that thought and focused on my main objective. “About those criminals—we’ve found out that their operations are spread out much farther than we’d guessed: across the country and even overseas. I know a lot of the Fund members aren’t feeling all that friendly toward me or that cause right now, but if any of you would be willing to lend a hand even in some teeny tiny way… We’d make sure you stayed out of the line of fire, of course.”

The moment the words came out of my mouth, I felt like a shit heel. She’d just been beaten to bits, and here I was suggesting she might do me another favor. What had I been thinking when I’d come up with this ridiculous plan?

Well, I’d been thinking that Ellen was just about the only ally with much in the way of resources that I still had that I could call on, but that didn’t make it an act of compassionate genius.

Ellen was silent for a moment. I was debating asking Ruse if he could take a break from shoving assorted paraphernalia in front of Snap to charm the Fund leader into forgetting I’d ever brought up the subject when she finally cleared her throat. “Something needs to be done about them. I don’t know what we’d be able to offer on our end, but—I’ll give it some thought and make some discreet inquiries.”

“Very discreet,” I emphasized. “I don’t want anything else happening to you. Don’t—don’t mention the Company or take any action against them, not right now. Just let me know when you know if you’ve got anyone who still wants to take action, and I’ll work out the details from there.”

Even with that cautioning and Ellen’s willingness, I ended the call with a lump of nausea in my stomach.

Ruse was now dipping his fingers into a cup of water and sprinkling droplets over Snap’s head. “There was this time it started raining while we were scouting out one of the disappearances, and you were so surprised you stayed right in it instead of vanishing into the shadows like a sensible being.”

Snap laughed, shaking his head as the drops hit his curls. “I wish I could remember that. The water falls right from the sky?”

“Unfortunately,” Thorn muttered. I couldn’t tell whether his grimness was due to the devourer’s continued forgetfulness or his distaste for mortal realm weather. Maybe a little of both.

Past him, near the driver’s seat where Omen was at the wheel, Antic the imp was hopping from one foot to the other like a kid trying to avoid the urge to pee. She turned a map in her hands. “The next exit,” she said determinedly in her squeaky voice. “You want to get on the 24. Oh, it’s a pretty one.”

“I don’t care what it looks like as long as it’s going to get us to Austin,” Omen said.

I didn’t know where Pickle had gotten to. He hadn’t come scampering to me for pets since the accidental burning this afternoon. So much for two years of back rubs and bacon.

My phone, still in my hand, pinged with an incoming text. Another one from Vivi. I know you’re probably very busy saving the world, but could you shoot me a quick