Last Light by C. J. Lyons Read Free Book Online

shooting stance. Lucy didn’t move, simply held both hands out wide, away from her body. She met TK’s gaze, gave her a small nod of understanding. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
    TK blew her breath out, adrenaline jangling through her entire body, returned the Beretta to the lockbox, secured it, and yanked her ear buds out. “Didn’t hear you.”
    “Obviously. What are you listening to? Pucifer?” She nodded to TK’s tee.
    Ignoring Lucy’s attempt at chit-chat—how the hell would someone her age even know who Pucifer was?—TK hoisted her ruck and marched through the door without looking to see if Lucy followed. She jogged down the steps and over to where Wilson worked the speed bag.
    “Watch my bike for me?” She tossed her keys so they landed beside his water bottle.
    “Sure. Where you going?” He looked past her to where Lucy was emerging from TK’s cubbyhole of a room, pulling the door shut behind her. “Who’s your friend?”
    “Texas. And she’s not my friend. She might be my new boss if I don’t fuck this up.”
    Lucy’s gait down the steps was uneven; the problem appeared to be with her left foot. Great, that’s all TK needed. Bad enough Lucy would be dogging her heels, now she was going to have to slow down for the privilege.
    “Good luck,” Wilson said.
    “Thanks.” TK headed to the door, making it there at the same time as Lucy. She pulled it open and went through first then stuttered to a stop, uncertain if she should hold it for Lucy. Technically, Lucy outranked her, plus she was older and obviously somewhat disabled. It would have been the proper thing to do.
    By the time she turned back, it was too late, Lucy was already through. She clicked a remote, popping the trunk on a bright blue Subaru. TK stowed her gear and climbed into the passenger seat, surprised by the music blasting when Lucy turned the engine on.
    Pucifer. TK leaned back, taking a good look at her new boss. Lucy mouthed the words to “The Humbling River,” obviously familiar with them, not putting on a show for TK.
    Maybe there was hope for this mission not to be a complete disaster.
    All she had to do was pretend to be normal for a few days, try to act like she knew what the hell she was doing, and not let Lucy witness any of her almost-nightly freak-out sessions.
    Piece of fucking cake.
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
Chapter 6
     
     
     
    LUCY TOOK ROUTE 60 , avoiding the congestion on the interstate. They were in no rush as their flight didn’t leave for another hour and a half. TK sat in silence beside her and Lucy wasn’t ready to push. Not yet.
    She’d noticed from the schedule posted on the gym’s bulletin board that TK taught classes there: mixed martial arts fighting, self-defense, and parkour. Now there was a sport that Lucy wouldn’t dream of ever attempting. The thought made her feel old. She wasn’t sure if the feeling came from her age—although thirty-nine wasn’t that old, not really—or the fact that she’d retired from the one job she thought she’d never leave, or the pain tap-dancing along the frayed nerve endings in her foot.
    TK’s living quarters had been...Spartan was the only word that fit. The room had obviously been repurposed from some kind of utility closet. But it was clean, neat; clearly its occupant craved simplicity. Monastic was another word that came to mind. A place of reflection.
    The room wasn’t what bothered Lucy, made her wish she could call Nick to ask for his advice. It was the door’s clasp and stout padlock. Shiny and new. And on the inside.
    From her interactions with the man in the gym, it was clear TK felt at home, wasn’t afraid of him. So who was she afraid of? Was she locking someone out? Or herself in?
    “Valencia told me you were a Marine MP.” A neutral conversation starter, she hoped.
    “Yeah, well obviously, we’re rank amateurs compared to the FBI.”
    Okay, maybe not so neutral after all.
    TK glanced into the back seat at