Edward smiled. "Neither would Harley."
Edward and Jean-Claude left to fetch Edward's friend. I tried standing while they were gone, just to see if I could do it. I always like to meet new people, especially new hired muscle, on my feet.
Richard tried to help me, and I pulled away. I had to grab for the wall to keep from falling.
"I was trying to help," he said.
"Don't try so hard."
"What is the matter with you?"
"I don't like being helpless, Richard."
"You aren't superwoman."
I glared at him. "I fainted, for God's sake. I never faint."
"You didn't faint," he said. "Whatever it was threw you out of Damian. I was still tied to you when it happened, Anita. I felt it brush me." He shook his head, hugging his arms to his chest. "You didn't faint."
I leaned my back against the wall. "It scared me, too."
"Did it?" He came to stand in front of me. "You don't seem scared."
"Are you scared about joining with Jean-Claude?"
"That bothers you more than me killing for the first time tonight, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
The door opened before we could continue the conversation. It was just as well. We'd found something else we disagreed on. Letting someone tie themselves to my mind, my soul, frightened me a lot more than killing someone.
The man that followed Edward didn't look that impressive. He was slender, only a couple of inches taller than Edward. He had curly brownish red hair receding in a soft circle to nearly the middle of his head. He slouched even when he walked, and I couldn't tell if it was habit or some sort of spinal problem. Brown T-shirt over black corduroy pants, and sneakers. Everything looked like it had come from the Salvation Army. He wore a patched leather aviator's jacket that might have been original World War II issue. Under the jacket, I got a glimpse of guns.
He was wearing a double shoulder holster so that he had a 9 millimeter under both arms. I'd seen holsters like it, but never knew anyone who actually wore one. I thought they were mostly for show. Very few people are equally good with both hands. There was a crisscross of straps beneath the T-shirt that I didn't understand, but I knew it was for carrying something lethal. He had a duffel bag in one hand, crammed full and big enough to carry a body in. He wasn't even straining. Stronger than he looked.
I met his eyes last. They were pale and greyish green with lashes so gingery red they were almost invisible. The look in the eyes was the emptiest I'd ever seen in another human being. It was as if when he looked at me, he wasn't seeing me at all. It wasn't like he was blind. He saw something, but I wasn't sure what he saw. Not me. Not a woman. Something else. That one look was enough. I knew that this man walked in a circle of his own creation. Saw a version of reality that would send the rest of us screaming. But he functioned, and he didn't scream.
"This is Harley," Edward said. He introduced us all, as if it was an ordinary meeting.
I stared at Harley's pale eyes and realized that he scared me. It had been a long time since another human being frightened me just by entering a room.
Richard offered his hand, and Harley simply looked at it. I wanted to explain to Richard why he shouldn't have made the gesture, but I wasn't sure I could.
I did not offer to shake hands.
"I found out the name of the money man behind the attempts on your life," Edward said. He said it without preamble.
Three of us stared at him. Harley, disquietly, kept staring at me. "What did you say?" I asked.
"I know who we have to kill."
"Who?" I asked.
"Marcus Fletcher. The head of our local werewolf pack." He smiled, pleased with himself, on the effect the news was having on Richard.
"You're sure?" Richard said. "Absolutely sure?"
Edward nodded, studying Richard's face. "Does he hate you enough to kill Anita?"