look and reeling in the paper target to hand it to me. He had laced the bull’s-eye, whereas I had merely peppered the center ring.
“Would it really matter?” I asked sarcastically, “If it were a person I was shooting at?”
“Take the Taser,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “At least I know you’re proficient with it.”
I thought I detected the tiniest hint of a smile playing about his lips, and I tried unsuccessfully to suppress my own. Paul had trained me on the Taser, volunteering Yuri to be my practice target. I think he noticed that I got a little twinge of satisfaction when I zapped him, thinking of Lorelei as I watched Yuri flopping about on the floor like a fish. Payback, I thought.
Paul and I left the shooting range, locking it behind ourselves. The soundproofed room opened up onto a huge command center, a compound that took up the basement floor of Evie’s apartment building. Comfortable couches were grouped on one side of the room, and the walls were lined with closed-circuit cameras that focused on every entrance into the high rise. From here, the comings and goings of all the tenants could be observed and analyzed.
I’d been in and out of Evie’s apartment building my whole life, and never imagined that this place even existed. I was surprised when I was first allowed a glimpse into Boris’s inner sanctum, as I had not once given any thought to exactly where in the building he lived.
I could never allow myself the luxury of such ignorance again.
Yuri was sitting on one of the couches, and snapped to attention when I entered the room. Madame Fatima’s latest prophecy flashed through my mind, and I looked away pointedly.
“See you next week,” Paul said with a nod, dismissing me.
We shook hands, and I exited the room through a door that led directly into Evie’s underground parking garage.
“Marina! How goes it?” Boris was standing guard as usual, and strode over to escort me to my car.
“I’m doing okay,” I smiled, holding up my paper targets. Boris nodded, impressed.
A shiny silver Jaguar pulled up next to us, and I waved with a smile. Cruz was driving, with Bradley riding alongside him.
He bounded out of the car and embraced me, all black clothes and spiky hair, “How’d the training go? Is that Paul guy still kicking your butt?”
“Yeah,” I said, wincing when he squeezed my shoulders.
I looked up to see Brad come around from the passenger side. “Hi Marina,” he volunteered tentatively. He always seemed a little hesitant to engage me, maybe because his estranged father happened to be my worst enemy. I was also indirectly responsible for the death of his aunt, making me wonder if he resented me, and it made us dance around each other even more. The whole situation was tortuously convoluted.
Just as I was uncertain of Yuri, I doubted Brad. Evie’s fortune teller Fatima had said was that there would be two new men and two new women in my life, two dark and two light; prophesizing that one in each pair would betray me. Fatima had been eerily prescient before, and I couldn’t help but wondering if Brad was one of the bad ones. I’d already decided that I needed to keep an eye on Yuri.
“Have an open mind,” Evie advised me when I told her of my suspicions, adding, “One must trust, but verify.” I didn’t find that sentiment particularly soothing, but I held my tongue for Cruz’s sake.
“Will you stay for dinner?” Brad asked politely.
“No, Ethan is expecting me… but thank you anyway.”
“Tell mom I said Hi,” Cruz kissed both of my cheeks in the manner of Evie, and I watched, amused, as he jauntily bounded to the elevator. My cousin was happier than I’d ever seen him, and it made me feel better despite my misgivings.
I took the scenic route home, enjoying the drive that wound along the coastline. The waves were crashing onto the shore like an invitation, and I briefly toyed with the idea of squeezing in a quick surf before dinner. The thought of seeing Ethan made the impulse pass.
Once he’d witnessed the majesty of surfing with the mermaids, Ethan no longer questioned my desire to be out there. He talked about the experience with reverence, and he supported my decision to protect them. Though he no longer seemed to be quite so afraid they’d spirit me away, he still worried that I might put myself in danger. Given my track