Nightmare City: Book 1 of the Nightmare City Series by P.S. Newman

Author:P.S. Newman [Newman, P.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-26T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Taylor was on the phone when David and I entered. He paced the length of the living room with the nervous energy of a caged tiger. "You need to take me off this case," he growled into the phone. “I’d rather crawl through shade shit than stay here and babysit a shade hugger who—”

He broke off when he caught sight of us. David frowned. Being called a shade hugger wouldn’t offend him; he’d been called worse and had thicker skin than that. But, like me, he was probably worried about the fact that one of his bodyguards seemed to have completely abandoned all pretense at professionalism.

I gripped my spare sword in its sheath a little tighter. I’d picked it up at my place before we left. It was a katana, like Aunt Vy, a beautiful, deadly weapon. But lifeless. Aunt Vy would have gotten a kick out of the nervous tension in the room, so thick you almost had to wade through it.

"No, I didn't make that connection earlier," Taylor barked into the phone. "I switch channels when they so much as mention SHAID on the news... Yes, I asked to be put on this case. Now I'm asking to be taken off it."

It had to be Captain Ganner. She was the only one who could order Taylor off the case. I sent a silent plea to the Universe. Let him persuade her. I could deal with a different hunter as my partner better than this shade-hating robot.

"Fine. Here she is." He came over to me and shoved the phone into my hands. "The captain wants a word. I'll be on the roof, keeping a lookout from there. I'm not staying in here."

I put the phone against my ear as he stomped off. "Please take him off the case," I said, by way of greeting. "He's more explosive right now than anything the doppelgänger could throw at us."

Taylor was halfway up the winding staircase but I could still see his face in the cracks between the steps. He closed his eyes and nodded, as if grateful for my support.

"He'll have to deal," Ganner said. "I don't have anybody else I can send right now. We're understaffed on hunters as it is. I'm not sending a whole team with you or breaking one up."

"Even if it endangers all of us because Taylor and I can't work together?"

"I know Taylor is blowing a fuse right now, but when push comes to shove, when this doppelgänger arrives, he'll focus. He'll kick its ass because that's what he does best and he won't even think about the fact that he's doing it for a member of an organization he loathes. He'll do his job."

"I'm not so sure," I said. "Being a hunter is some sort of vengeance campaign for him." I knew I was on to something when Ganner didn't reply. "It is, isn't it?"

"He just wants to stop innocent people from being hurt or killed," Ganner said.

"No. It's more than that. This single-minded hatred and focus doesn't stem out of a need to protect others.

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