No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong Read Free Book Online Page B

might have been soiled in the transition. "You've been trying to get through to her for a while, and obviously something's wrong, so I thought I should find out what you want." He checked his watch.
    "If I'm keeping you, Kristof—"
    "I'm in court, but I requested a ten-minute recess."
    An afterlife with lawyers, three-piece suits and wristwatches. If I ever needed proof that Kristof Nast had ended up in a hell dimension, this was it.
    "Is there some way you can get Eve for me?"
    "I can try. She isn't supposed to be disturbed, but if it's urgent, I can petition for a special allowance. I presume it's urgent?"
    Something in his gaze begged me to say it was, but with Kristof, it was wise to be wary. "Well, I'm not sure it's urgent —"
    "If you say it's urgent, that's all I need."
    Ah. So I wasn't the only one Eve was out of contact with. That's why he was here. Certainly not to help me. My only contact with Kristof in life—not in person, but through his employees, naturally— had not been one to encourage friendship. Eve was the only thing we had in common.
    "If you did get access and it wasn't for something important, would Eve be pissed off?"
    "Hardly. She'd welcome the break." His eyes glittered. "I'd even go so far as to say she'd be grateful."
    "So, wherever she is, she isn't there by choice?"
    His smile faded. "You know I'm not allowed to discuss that. But if you need her, which you obviously do, I can petition—"
    "And if it's not urgent, would Eve get in trouble?"
    That stopped him. "There's no way for her to know what you might consider urgent…" Another pause, then a sigh. "Is it urgent?"
    It was. To me. But I suspected "saving Jaime Vegas from pestering spooks" wasn't a problem you should petition deities to fix, so I said, "Not really."
    He swore under his breath. Then asked, reluctantly, "Is there anything I can do?"
    He hated offering. But she'd want him to offer, and that's what counted.
    I could ask him about ritual sacrifice. But sorcerers like Kristof Nast don't conduct dark magic rites—they hire people to do them. So I thanked him for his time, then watched him go.
    TIME TO reach out to others. Jeremy had suggested Paige and Lucas, and that was the logical next step. Paige was the witch member of the interracial council. At twenty-seven, she was the youngest delegate, as well as the most energetic. Just watching her work was tiring.
    For Paige, helping supernaturals was a life mission. Together with her husband, Lucas, she ran a legal-firm-cum-detective-agency devoted to protecting supernaturals from the Cabals—the corporate Mafia of our world. The fact that Lucas's father was CEO of the most powerful of those Cabals made their lives all the more complicated.
    They would help, of course… as soon as they could. The spirits weren't going anywhere, and I wasn't in mortal danger. Whomever they were helping right now probably was in mortal danger. So they couldn't be expected to drop everything for me, but I knew they wouldn't turn me down if I showed up on their doorstep and only asked for an hour or two of their time. I could run the problem past them, get their input and ask them to point me to their library or computer files, so I could do the research myself.
    According to my schedule, I only had one work obligation today. I was supposed to sit in on some discussions with the parapsycholo-gists—playing "interviewer" as they explained their methods—but Angelique could take my place. In fact, if I suggested it, the offer might go a long way toward easing the animosity between us.
    Now for an excuse… I decided to use my mother, claiming she was ill and needed me. Most people would feel guilty using a parent like that, but the way I see it, it's a fair exchange. She used me for years. Still does. Her spot in the retirement village costs more than my condo in Chicago, and she isn't the one paying for it.
    Last time I heard from my mother had been when she'd decided she wanted to upgrade her