Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Nate growled in the back of his throat. “Always patient first.”
Maura laughed at him and went straight to Kierse. “Hello, darling. It’s been a while. What have you done to yourself to end up in my infirmary?”
“Hi, Maura,” Kierse said. She’d never get used to someone being able to handle Nate the way that Maura did. “Knife to the ribs.”
“Of course.” Maura got to work, cutting Kierse’s shirt open and cleaning the wound.
Maura had left Jersey City to become a wartime nurse in Manhattan. She was still close to her parents and brothers back home, and they were proud that she’d done something so selfless. She’d met Nate one of the many times he’d needed to be stitched up, and he’d convinced her to get on his payroll. He’d charmed his way into her life, her bed, and her heart ever since.
“This will need a few stitches. It’s going to suck. Nate, give her the whiskey.”
“I’m good.”
“I have tequila,” Maura offered.
Kierse shook her head. “Nah.”
“Your call.”
Kierse gritted her teeth while Maura sewed up the wound and expertly tied it off. It hurt like a bitch. But afterward, Maura provided her with a change of clothes, and she felt more human once she pulled her jacket back on.
“Now, to the topic at hand,” Maura said with a smile. “What brings you to our doorstep?”
“She met him, Mar,” Nate said.
“Him?”
“That scary motherfucker I told you about.”
“Oh,” Maura whispered.
“Wait,” Kierse said with growing alarm, “you know him?”
“I know of him. A lot of people know of him,” Nate confirmed. “He’s the guy who can get you anything you want for a price.”
“Well, he’s hiring me to get something for him,” Kierse said.
“I heard he makes people sign their name into his black book so that you’re bound to your deal with him and sworn to keep his name secret.”
Kierse froze. Was that what he’d meant when he said that it wouldn’t do anything to her? She’d signed that book, but she’d been able to say his name clear as day. She’d only held his secrets, but that was because she didn’t want to endanger her friends, not because she had to hold them. More proof that she had magic he couldn’t control. No wonder he was after her.
“Oh, and he helped get the Treaty signed.”
Kierse stared at him, speechless. “Are you saying he’s . . . a good guy?”
“No,” Nate said carefully but then shrugged. “I’m sure he did it for his own benefit. But I wouldn’t say he’s all bad, either.”
Kierse chewed on her lip at the news. Well, she hadn’t expected that. Not that it changed her calculus. Not when he was also this dangerous.
“What do you think I should do?” Kierse asked.
“He’s terrifying,” Nate said. “He can control the flow of politics and shit. But he also helped humanity. I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side.”
“So, I should take the job?”
“If he wants you to do it, he’s the kind of person who gets what he wants. It’d be better to do it on your terms.”
Kierse breathed out. That was the truth at least. She didn’t think it was ever going to be that simple. Get in and get out. But she didn’t think Graves was going to stop, either. Not when he saw his prize in reach. It’d be better to do it her way.
“Plus, think about what this could mean for the cause,” Nate continued.
Kierse arched an eyebrow. “You and the cause.”
He smirked. “Look, we all know that the Treaty didn’t solve all the problems. There are still monsters out there who want it to be like the old days. They don’t want any interference from the humans. If you steal this prize from them, it could only help us going forward, right?”
That was a take that she hadn’t considered in all of this. She hated the monsters for all they had done to her and her city. For everything they had taken. Not all humans were saints by any means—Jason was proof enough that men could just as easily be monsters—but any blow to monsters who wanted to wreck her city again was a good one.
“True. I’ll have to be careful, though,” she said. “I don’t think he’s going to be an easy mark.”
“Yeah, but he’s never sparred with our Kierse, has he?” Nate asked.
Maura laughed at them both. “Lord help the man or monster who goes up against Kierse McKenna.”
“Thanks,” Kierse told her sincerely.
“But I’m coming off a twelve-hour shift and need to sleep,” she said with a yawn. She ran a hand down her pallid face, and Kierse could see the strain of her job in that look. “Be safe and check in. It’s been too long.”
“Good night,” Kierse said.
Maura kissed Nate once on the lips before leaving the pair of them alone.
Nate touched her hand, and she didn’t pull away. “Whatever you decide about this job, I’ll be here for you if you need anything. I have contacts and the pack. You don’t have to disappear again. We’re family.”