Masks (Out of the Box Book 9) by Robert J. Crane Read Free Book Online

grew more pronounced, and I could see Reed eyeing me, “while she’s out there.”
    “I’m hoping for something really explosive to happen,” Kat said, bouncing with a little glee behind me. “I need to kick things up a few notches from last season, and a battle with another meta could be just the thing we need to pull out a great season story arc.”
    “Try not to get killed on national television,” I said. “You know, in the name of ratings. And if you get into big trouble, remember to call—”
    “Veronika, yes, I know,” Kat said, and then she switched to a whine, “but she said that if I needed her help, it has to be without cameras, and that would just ruin—”
    I rolled my eyes and ignored the rest of her complaint. Veronika Acheron was a meta I’d run across in Chicago, and one tough lady. She was based out of San Francisco and we’d actually hired her on a couple of jobs out west. She was professional and a total badass, but she, like me, didn’t want to be in the public eye. Probably because her job description also involved assassinating people, which, incidentally, was how we met. I suspect I’m the only target she ever failed to kill.
    “You’ll probably be fine,” I said, cutting Kat off in the middle of a fine whine, “but if you get in trouble, don’t be stupid. Call Veronika.”
    “So I can tell Lieutenant Welch you’re coming to New York?” Ariadne asked.
    “Book me a flight,” I said.
    “Excellent,” Ariadne said, as though something really important had just been accomplished. I could almost envision the green dollar signs springing up in her eyes like one of those old cartoon characters. Since she was the entirety of the finance department, they probably had. The four of us metas were being paid big bucks by our organization, but thus far, we were earning our keep. I had figured we’d mostly sit idle and only take a few big cases that came our way every now and again, when the Federal Government got outmatched. But so far, we were getting called in by the states on a regular basis when the feds passed on helping them—which seemed to be a lot of the time. It made me wonder what kind of lazy jagoff had taken over my old job and exactly how he was filling his days. “Uh, over and out,” Ariadne said, jarring me back into the present. “Or … er … out … err … goodbye?”
    “Goodbye, Ariadne,” I said, trying to put a bullet in this conversation. I heard a rough crunching noise and then static that told me she’d probably pulled off the headset or set it down roughly or something.
    “The gang’s splitting up again,” Augustus said, all false-teary from the back. “This is happening a lot lately.”
    “Because we’re working a lot,” I said, a smile of slow satisfaction rolling across my face. I’d worried about this venture. I’d worried before this opportunity came up, too, about how I’d fit into the world. The answer so far had been: exceedingly well. It looked like I did have a place outside government service—and for a lot more money.
    “Yeah,” Kat said, sounding drained. “I could really use a vacation. Fortunately, I’m scheduled for a getaway to St. Thomas on my show. We’ve got some great stuff set up to happen there, it’s really going to define the back half of the season …”
    Kat chattered away happily behind me and I tuned her out, looking at the Minnesota sun rising over the fields of green. Reed must have noticed my look, because he said. “Everything okay?”
    I was a little lost in my thoughts for a minute, but I turned to him and smiled, trying to displace that look of utter seriousness plastered across my brother’s face. “Everything’s working out, isn’t it? We’re booked up. We’re together, we’ve got … like, lives and stuff … it’s all … working out.” I paused, then shrugged slightly. “Plus, the State Fair starts in a few days.”
    He looked at me suspiciously. “You’re acting a little weird. I