Page 70 of Rise of the King (Checkmate 5)

“He was in Infernos that day you…” I clear my throat. “Ya know. The day you died.”

“He was?”

“Yeah. I watch everything, remember? He ran in with Kane, grabbed a blonde, and pulled her out. Not ten minutes later, you were being loaded into an ambulance and rushed out.”

“He’s good?” Holding me against his side, he brings the binoculars up and watches Angelo step back when the front door cracks open. “He’s not gonna hurt my brother, right?”

“No, I don’t think so. He ran into a fiery club with Kane, then came out again with that blonde you were kinda crushing on.”

He chuckles. “The twins? One is Jessie; who’s the other?”

“Laine Lenaghan. She was an Infernos whore.”

His body snaps straighter as he brings the binoculars away. “She was?”

“Yeah, but not because she wanted to be. I tried to help her; I was going to have you deal with Abel and this dude Graham just like you dealt with Cole, but then it all went to shit that day, and the club imploded.”

“Looks like she’s out now.”

“Mm.” I glance out the window and smile when Kane’s front door opens fully and reveals the blonde in oversized sweats and a hoodie. Her hair is dirty and drab, her eyes sunken and sad. She steps into a pair of flip flops and moves past the local mechanic with her arms folded tight. “She looks so sad, Jay. I’m glad she’s out and has that mechanic looking at her the way he does. He looks like he might be here to fix it.”

Staring through the lace curtain, he watches and nods. “He looks at her like he wants to eat her up.”

I laugh and squeeze Jay close. “I think he’s going for the cool, unaffected look. But he sucks at it. Unfortunately for you, thatblonde back homeis unavailable. You gotta find a new girl to dream about.”

Finally, his eyes come away from the window and down to mine. “I dream brunette now.” He presses his lips to mine. “I haven’t thought blonde in a long,longtime.” He tucks my hair back and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You sure you gotta go out alone? I can wear a Chucky mask and hide my identity.”

“Yeah, because that’s inconspicuous. I’ll be back in an hour at the most.” I step out of his arms and move toward my purse. I’ve stuffed my feet into extra pairs of socks today to cushion the pressure on my heels, but that means my shoes are extra tight. “Actually, probably two hours.”

“Sophia!”

“I’m going to buy clothes, then medical supplies, then groceries. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

He follows me toward the internal garage door and scowls. “I’d like it on record that the last time we split up in search of food, our apartment was firebombed, and you were shot.”

“It’s just a graze.” I beep the car open and slide in. Opening the window, I smile and arch my neck to keep him in my sight. “Barelya graze. I’ll be back, and I’ll text you periodically. Do not go outside!” I point at his chest. “I mean it, John D. Hamilton. Don’t blow this. No one knows we’re here. We’re ghosts, so don’t undo this.”

* * *

“Girls!” Blonde, average height, sexy and curvy in a way I’ll never be, a woman seethes at her teenage daughter in the middle of Jonah’s store. “Stop screwing around before I beat your asses.”

“Mom! Go forth and find the chips!” A curly-blonde teen and her brunette counterpart stand in a cart in aisle four wielding French bread sticks in their hands like swords, while the poor blonde woman is stuck pushing and pretending she doesn’t know them. “We need chips, dip, soda, and cake. Uncle Jack said it’s especially important we don’t forget the spicy dip.”

“Your Uncle Jack can kiss my peach ass,” the woman rumbles. “Tell him to get his lazy ass here and buy his own dip. Or better yet, tell him he can adopt you idiots and get you out of my home. You’re embarrassing.”

“Charge, Aunt Tina!” The brunette thrusts her sword forward and nearly topples the whole cart. “We’re not embarrassing. We’re enterprising. Also, Uncle Jack wants salami.”

“Screw it.”Aunt Tinapushes the cart forward with a heaving grunt and releases it so the girls hurtle to their death at the opposite end of the store. They squeal and clutch at each other, but Tina only chuckles and turns away with a clap of her hands.

Until her eyes meet mine. “Oh, shit.”

I laugh and nod toward the girls when they slam against the storeroom doors and flip their cart. Hair flying, legs swinging, arms flailing, they crash to the tile floor with squeals of pain and laughter, then, like car crash survivors, they pull each other from the wreck and dust themselves off.

“I saw that, and your whispered cussing before pushing them implies premeditation.”

“Sophia!” Tina walks forward with a large grin and zero suspicion in her blue eyes. “I haven’t seen you in months. Where’ve you been hiding?”

“Ah, you know. I’ve been working.” I clutch my basket close so I don’t have to hug her if she decides she wants to level up on our friendship. My ribs ache; my arm is still on fire, and then there’s the fact I don’t like hugging anyone.

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