Bodyguard
Page 15
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"What the f**k? Damn it, Pablo, if you override my order, I'll never have any cred."
"Cred. You watch too many movies. Get them back here, now. I can still bust your ass, and I'll do it."
Julio said a few dark things, but he took out his cell phone.
Pablo sat back down and started making calls of his own. He needed to do something about the woman with the store, because she was a witness against Julio, and Pablo couldn't afford to have his brother going to prison right now. He'd put the bitch in her place, but he'd do it more subtly than Julio ever could. As for the Shifter--well, Pablo knew how to take care of Shifters. The Shifter would be the least of their problems.
He ignored his sulky little brother, gathered the reins of his power, and went to work.
Chapter Seven
Spike came back in to report around three. Ronan talked to him alone in the office, Elizabeth busy out front. She had expressed concern that people would stay away when they found out there'd been an attempted robbery at her store, but apparently, curiosity was a greater motivator than fear.
"Saw a car with two guys," Spike said. "They went by a couple of times, slowing down to watch the shop. Fourth time they went by, one of the guys was on the phone, then all the sudden, they take off. Haven't seen them since."
"Did they see you?" Ronan asked.
"No one sees me if I don't want them to."
"Anything else?" Ronan asked.
"No, just those guys. I'll keep an eye out for them."
"Thanks."
Spike shrugged. "Hey, it's my job." He went out the back door to the alley, his movements spare and quiet.
Ronan watched from the office doorway as Elizabeth went about her business. She was a natural at selling, he decided. He watched her greet her customers, talking to them in a friendly way without getting too personal. This was a novelty store, which meant she sold everything from T-shirts with funny logos to plastic handcuffs. Nothing distasteful, just fun stuff that people mostly bought as gifts for friends. The customers tended to be upbeat, laughing with each other over the zany thing they'd give whoever for a birthday, retirement, anniversary, bridal shower, bachelor party.
Elizabeth had a way of putting people at their ease, helping them find exactly the right thing. Ronan saw, though, that she maintained a distance. That made sense while she sold things to perfect strangers, but he'd noticed it at the house too. Elizabeth didn't let anyone get too close. She was friendly, yes, but any personal question was deftly turned aside or evaded.
Ronan had asked Sean to run her name in the database. Sean had access to a vast network, built by Guardians over the last two decades, which contained more information than any non-Shifter could possibly imagine. Humans didn't know about this network, which ran on a lot of technical know-how coupled with a little bit of magic. Only Guardians knew how to access it, and only Guardians were allowed to use it--Guardians being those Shifters who stuck their swords into the bodies of dead or near-dead Shifters to send their souls to the afterlife.
Sean had run Elizabeth's name but turned up nothing. She had no police record, not even a minor traffic ticket, and neither did Mabel. Elizabeth was thirty, according to her driver's license, and had lived in Austin for about six years, owning the store called SoCo Novelties for five. She'd bought the business as a whole from the previous owner who'd retired.
Ronan thought about how she'd skillfully plucked Kim's card from his pocket, and wondered again. Elizabeth Chapman had picked pockets before, and she fought like a street kid. Juvenile records were sealed, sure, but not to the Guardians. They could hack anything.
Sean had added the little detail that there was no record of Elizabeth at all before her move to Austin. A reference to an address in El Paso when she'd rented an apartment upon her arrival in Austin, but that El Paso address turned out to be bogus. She'd used her store as proof of residence or proof of income for everything else, including the small house she'd purchased a few years ago. She paid all her taxes, no under-the-table dealings, and had a social security number, bank accounts, and IRAs for herself and Mabel.
So who had Elizabeth Chapman been before she'd become Elizabeth Chapman? And why had she needed to turn into someone else?
The store did brisk business, but Elizabeth closed down at eight when the crowd started to thin. People still wandered the streets to seek restaurants or to walk down to the bridge to watch the bats emerge, but all but the most dedicated shoppers departed. Elizabeth turned off her sign and locked up.
"I'm making this deposit tonight," she said, heading toward the office. "You've been here all day, Ronan. Don't you have a job of your own?"
"Starts at nine," Ronan said. "I'll take you to the bank on my way."
"You go. Spike can drive me. I don't want you to be late because of me. You've already done so much."
Ronan stepped squarely in front of her. "Spike drives like a maniac, and he's heading the same place I am. You're stuck with me, sweetheart."
"What place?" Elizabeth caught up her lock bag and turned out the lights. "Where do you work, anyway?"
"Shifter bar." He opened the back door for her but walked outside first, as Shifters did, to check that the way was safe. "I'm the bouncer. Come and say hi to everyone."
*** *** ***
Ronan took her on his motorcycle to the bank around the corner and stood close guard--at the same time keeping himself out of sight of bank cameras--while Elizabeth put the deposits into the slot. After that, she was free.
As Ronan pulled out onto Congress and headed for the bridge and downtown, Elizabeth again felt the heady joy of simply riding with him. She wished they could go on through the city and keep on riding, to the long, empty stretches of highway Texas had so much of. Out there, in the darkness, they could find freedom.
But Ronan had people to take care of, as did she. Responsibility was a tether, but at least in Elizabeth's case, it was a tether of love. She thought, as they sped toward the illuminated dome of the capitol building and the Saturday night craziness of Sixth Street, that the tether Ronan had found here had become one of affection, even if it hadn't started that way.
Ronan drove through downtown and out again into darkness and more derelict streets. He pulled up in front of a bar near the open field that led to Shiftertown. The bar was a squat, dark building with no windows and a small parking lot already filled with people. No, not people . . . Shifters.
"Cred. You watch too many movies. Get them back here, now. I can still bust your ass, and I'll do it."
Julio said a few dark things, but he took out his cell phone.
Pablo sat back down and started making calls of his own. He needed to do something about the woman with the store, because she was a witness against Julio, and Pablo couldn't afford to have his brother going to prison right now. He'd put the bitch in her place, but he'd do it more subtly than Julio ever could. As for the Shifter--well, Pablo knew how to take care of Shifters. The Shifter would be the least of their problems.
He ignored his sulky little brother, gathered the reins of his power, and went to work.
Chapter Seven
Spike came back in to report around three. Ronan talked to him alone in the office, Elizabeth busy out front. She had expressed concern that people would stay away when they found out there'd been an attempted robbery at her store, but apparently, curiosity was a greater motivator than fear.
"Saw a car with two guys," Spike said. "They went by a couple of times, slowing down to watch the shop. Fourth time they went by, one of the guys was on the phone, then all the sudden, they take off. Haven't seen them since."
"Did they see you?" Ronan asked.
"No one sees me if I don't want them to."
"Anything else?" Ronan asked.
"No, just those guys. I'll keep an eye out for them."
"Thanks."
Spike shrugged. "Hey, it's my job." He went out the back door to the alley, his movements spare and quiet.
Ronan watched from the office doorway as Elizabeth went about her business. She was a natural at selling, he decided. He watched her greet her customers, talking to them in a friendly way without getting too personal. This was a novelty store, which meant she sold everything from T-shirts with funny logos to plastic handcuffs. Nothing distasteful, just fun stuff that people mostly bought as gifts for friends. The customers tended to be upbeat, laughing with each other over the zany thing they'd give whoever for a birthday, retirement, anniversary, bridal shower, bachelor party.
Elizabeth had a way of putting people at their ease, helping them find exactly the right thing. Ronan saw, though, that she maintained a distance. That made sense while she sold things to perfect strangers, but he'd noticed it at the house too. Elizabeth didn't let anyone get too close. She was friendly, yes, but any personal question was deftly turned aside or evaded.
Ronan had asked Sean to run her name in the database. Sean had access to a vast network, built by Guardians over the last two decades, which contained more information than any non-Shifter could possibly imagine. Humans didn't know about this network, which ran on a lot of technical know-how coupled with a little bit of magic. Only Guardians knew how to access it, and only Guardians were allowed to use it--Guardians being those Shifters who stuck their swords into the bodies of dead or near-dead Shifters to send their souls to the afterlife.
Sean had run Elizabeth's name but turned up nothing. She had no police record, not even a minor traffic ticket, and neither did Mabel. Elizabeth was thirty, according to her driver's license, and had lived in Austin for about six years, owning the store called SoCo Novelties for five. She'd bought the business as a whole from the previous owner who'd retired.
Ronan thought about how she'd skillfully plucked Kim's card from his pocket, and wondered again. Elizabeth Chapman had picked pockets before, and she fought like a street kid. Juvenile records were sealed, sure, but not to the Guardians. They could hack anything.
Sean had added the little detail that there was no record of Elizabeth at all before her move to Austin. A reference to an address in El Paso when she'd rented an apartment upon her arrival in Austin, but that El Paso address turned out to be bogus. She'd used her store as proof of residence or proof of income for everything else, including the small house she'd purchased a few years ago. She paid all her taxes, no under-the-table dealings, and had a social security number, bank accounts, and IRAs for herself and Mabel.
So who had Elizabeth Chapman been before she'd become Elizabeth Chapman? And why had she needed to turn into someone else?
The store did brisk business, but Elizabeth closed down at eight when the crowd started to thin. People still wandered the streets to seek restaurants or to walk down to the bridge to watch the bats emerge, but all but the most dedicated shoppers departed. Elizabeth turned off her sign and locked up.
"I'm making this deposit tonight," she said, heading toward the office. "You've been here all day, Ronan. Don't you have a job of your own?"
"Starts at nine," Ronan said. "I'll take you to the bank on my way."
"You go. Spike can drive me. I don't want you to be late because of me. You've already done so much."
Ronan stepped squarely in front of her. "Spike drives like a maniac, and he's heading the same place I am. You're stuck with me, sweetheart."
"What place?" Elizabeth caught up her lock bag and turned out the lights. "Where do you work, anyway?"
"Shifter bar." He opened the back door for her but walked outside first, as Shifters did, to check that the way was safe. "I'm the bouncer. Come and say hi to everyone."
*** *** ***
Ronan took her on his motorcycle to the bank around the corner and stood close guard--at the same time keeping himself out of sight of bank cameras--while Elizabeth put the deposits into the slot. After that, she was free.
As Ronan pulled out onto Congress and headed for the bridge and downtown, Elizabeth again felt the heady joy of simply riding with him. She wished they could go on through the city and keep on riding, to the long, empty stretches of highway Texas had so much of. Out there, in the darkness, they could find freedom.
But Ronan had people to take care of, as did she. Responsibility was a tether, but at least in Elizabeth's case, it was a tether of love. She thought, as they sped toward the illuminated dome of the capitol building and the Saturday night craziness of Sixth Street, that the tether Ronan had found here had become one of affection, even if it hadn't started that way.
Ronan drove through downtown and out again into darkness and more derelict streets. He pulled up in front of a bar near the open field that led to Shiftertown. The bar was a squat, dark building with no windows and a small parking lot already filled with people. No, not people . . . Shifters.
