also keeping me out of the line of fire.
It was just so hard. There was nothing to get a hold of, nothing solid to work with. I had only my raging
desire to be of use, to be able to keep Edward, Renesmee, and as much of my family as possible safe
with me. Over and over I tried to force the nebulous shield outside of myself, with only faint, sporadic
success. It felt like I was wrestling to stretch an invisible rubber band—a band that would change from
concrete tangibility into insubstantial smoke at any random moment.
Only Edward was willing to be our guinea pig—to receive shock after shock from Kate while I grappled
incompetently with the insides of my head. We worked for hours at a time, and I felt like I should be
covered in sweat from the exertion, but of course my perfect body didn't betray me that way. My
weariness was all mental.
It killed me that it was Edward who had to suffer, my arms wrapped uselessly around him while he
winced over and over from Kate's low" setting. I tried as hard as I could to push my shield around us
both; every now and then I would get it, and then it would slip away again.
I hated this practice, and I wished that Zafrina would help instead of Kate. Then all Edward would have
to do was look at Zafrina's illusions until I could stop him from seeing them. But Kate insisted that I
needed better motivation—by which she meant my hatred of watching Edward's pain. I was beginning to
doubt her assertion from the first day we'd met—that she wasn't sadistic about the use of her gift. She
seemed to be enjoying herself to me.
"Hey," Edward said cheerfully, trying to hide any evidence of distress in his voice. Anything to keep me
from fighting practice. "That one barely stung. Good job, Bella."
I took a deep breath, trying to grasp exactly what I'd done right, i tested the elastic band, struggling to
force it to remain solid as I stretched it away from me.
"Again, Kate," I grunted through my clenched teeth.
Kate pressed her palm to Edward's shoulder.
He sighed in relief. "Nothing that time."
She raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't low, either."
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"Good," I huffed.
"Get ready," she told me, and reached out to Edward again.
This time he shuddered, and a low breath hissed between his teeth.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I chanted, biting my lip. Why couldn't I get this right?
"You're doing an amazing job, Bella," Edward said, pulling me tight against him. "You've really only been
working at this for a few days and you're already projecting sporadically. Kate, tell her how well she's
doing."
Kate pursed her lips. "I don't know. She's obviously got tremendous ability, and we're only beginning to
touch it. She can do better, I'm sure. She's just lacking incentive."
I stared at her in disbelief, my lips automatically curling back from my teeth. How could she think I
lacked motivation with her shocking Edward right here in front of me?
I heard murmurs from the audience that had grown steadily as I practiced—only Eleazar, Carmen, and
Tanya at first, but then Garrett had wandered over, then Benjamin and Tia, Siobhan and Maggie, and
now even Alistair was peering down from a window on the third story. The spectators agreed with
Edward; they thought I was already doing well.
"Kate…，" Edward said in a warning voice as some new course of action occurred to her, but she was
already in motion. She darted along the curve of the river to where Zafrina, Senna, and Renesmee were
walking slowly, Renesmee's hand in Zafrina's as they traded pictures back and forth. Jacob shadowed
them from a few feet behind.
"Nessie," Kate said—the newcomers had quickly picked up the irritating nickname, "would you like to
come help your mother?"
"No," I half-snarled.
Edward hugged me reassuringly. I shook him off just as Renesmee flitted across the yard to me, with
Kate, Zafrina, and Senna right behind her.
"Absolutely not, Kate," I hissed.
Renesmee reached for me, and I opened my arms automatically. She curled into me, pressing her head
into the hollow beneath my shoulder.
"But Momma, I want to help," she said in a determined voice. Her hand rested against my neck,
reinforcing her desire with images of the two of us together, a team.
"No," I said, quickly backing away. Kate had taken a deliberate step in my direction, her hand stretched
toward us.
"Stay away from us, Kate," I warned her.
"No." She began stalking forward. She smiled like a hunter cornering her prey.
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I shifted Renesmee so that she was clinging to my back, still backing away at a pace that matched
Kate's. Now my hands were free, and if Kate wanted to keep her hands attached to her wrists, she'd
better keep her distance.
Kate probably didn't understand, never having known for herself the passion of a mother for her child.
She must
not have realized just how far past too far she'd already gone. I was so furious that my vision took on a
strange reddish tint, and my tongue tasted like burning metal. The strength I usually worked to keep
restrained flowed through my muscles, and I knew I could crush her into diamond-hard rubble if she
pushed me to it.
The rage brought every aspect of my being into sharper focus. I could even feel the elasticity of my
shield more exactly now—feel that it was not a band so much as a layer, a thin film that covered me from
head to toe. With the anger rippling through my body, I had a better sense of it, a tighter hold on it. I
stretched it around myself, out from myself, swaddling Renesmee completely inside it, just in case Kate
got past my guard.
Kate took another calculated step forward, and a vicious snarl ripped up my throat and through my
clenched teeth.
"Be careful, Kate," Edward cautioned.
Kate took another step, and then made a mistake even someone as inexpert as I could recognize. Just a
short leap away from me, she looked away, turning her attention from me to Edward.
Renesmee was secure on my back; I coiled to spring.
"Can you hear anything from Nessie?" Kate asked him, her voice calm and easy.
Edward darted into the space between us, blocking my line to Kate.
"No, nothing at all," he answered. "Now give Bella some space to calm down, Kate. You shouldn't goad
her like that. I know she doesn't seem her age, but she's only a few months old."
"We don't have time to do this gently, Edward. We're going to have to push her. We only have a few
weeks, and she's got the potential to—"
"Back off for a minute, Kate."
Kate frowned but took Edward's warning more seriously than she'd taken mine.
Renesmee's hand was on my neck; she was remembering Kate's attack, showing me that no harm was
meant, that Daddy was in on it…
This did not pacify me. The spectrum of light I saw still seemed tainted with crimson. But I was in better
control of myself, and I could see the wisdom of Kate's words. The anger helped me. I would learn
faster under pressure.
That didn't mean I liked it.
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"Kate," I growled. I rested my hand on the small of Edward's back. I could still feel my shield like a
strong, flexible sheet around Renesmee and me. I pushed it farther, forcing it around Edward. There was
no sign of a flaw in the stretchy fabric, no threat of a tear. I panted with the effort, and my words came
out sounding breathless rather than furious. "Again," I said to Kate. "Edward only."
She rolled her eyes but flitted forward and pressed her palm to Edward's shoulder.
"Nothing," Edward said. I heard the smile in his voice.
"And now?" Kate asked.
"Stillnothing."
"And now?" This time, there was the sound of strain in her voice.
"Nothing at all."
Kate grunted and stepped away.
"Can you see this?" Zafrina asked in her deep, wild voice, staring intently at the three of us. Her English
was strangely accented, her words pulling up in unexpected places.
"I don't see anything I shouldn't," Edward said.
"And you, Renesmee?" Zafrina asked.
Renesmee smiled at Zafrina and shook her head.
My fury had almost entirely ebbed, and I clenched my teeth together, panting faster as I pushed out
against the elastic shield; it felt like it was getting heavier the longer I held it. It pulled back, dragging
inward.
"No one panic," Zafrina warned the little group watching me. "I want to see how far she can extend."
There was a shocked gasp from everyone there—Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Garrett, Benjamin, Tia,
Siobhan, Maggie—everyone but Senna, who seemed prepared for whatever Zafrina was doing. The
others' eyes were blank, their expressions anxious.
"Raise your hand when you get your sight back," Zafrina instructed. "Now, Bella. See how many you
can shield."
My breath came out in a huff. Kate was the closest person to me besides Edward and Renesmee, but
even she was about ten feet away. I locked my jaw and shoved, trying to heave the resisting, resilient
safeguard farther from myself. Inch by inch I drove it toward Kate, fighting the reaction that fought back
with every fraction that I gained. I only watched Kate's anxious expression while I worked, and I
groaned quietly with relief when her eyes blinked and focused. She raised her hand.
"Fascinating!" Edward murmured under his breath. "It's like one-way glass. I can read everything they're
thinking, but they can't reach me behind it. And I can hear Renesmee, though I couldn't when I was on
the outside. I'll bet Kate could shock me now, because she's underneath the umbrella. I still can't hear
you… hmmm. How does that work? I wonder if…"
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He continued to mumble to himself, but I couldn't listen to the words. I ground my teeth together,
struggling to force the shield out to Garrett, who was closest to Kate. His hand came up.
"Very good," Zafrina complimented me. "Now—"
But she'd spoken too soon; with a sharp gasp, I felt my shield recoil like a rubber band stretched too far,
snapping back into its original shape. Renesmee, experiencing for the first time the blindness Zafrina had
conjured for the others, trembled against my back. Wearily, I fought back against the elastic pull, forcing
the shield to include her again.
"Can I have a minute?" I panted. Since I'd become a vampire, I hadn't felt the need to rest even once
before this moment. It was unnerving to feel so drained and yet so strong at the same time.
"Of course," Zafrina said, and the spectators relaxed as she let them see again.
"Kate," Garrett called as the others murmured and drifted slightly away, disturbed by the moment of
blindness; vampires were not used to feeling vulnerable. The tall, sandy-haired Garrett was the only
non-gifted immortal who
seemed drawn to my practice sessions. I wondered what the lure was for the adventurer.
"I wouldn't, Garrett," Edward cautioned.
Garrett continued toward Kate despite the warning, his lips pursed in speculation. "They say you can put
a vampire flat on his back."
"Yes," she agreed. Then, with a sly smile, she wiggled her fingers playfully at him. "Curious?"
Garrett shrugged. "That's something I've never seen. Seems like it might be a bit of an exaggeration___"
"Maybe," Kate said, her face suddenly serious. "Maybe it only works on the weak or the young. I'm not
sure. You look strong, though. Perhaps you could withstand my gift." She stretched her hand out to him,
palm up—a clear invitation. Her lips twitched, and I was pretty sure her grave expression was an attempt
to hustle him.
Garrett grinned at the challenge. Very confidently, he touched her palm with his index finger.
And then, with a loud gasp, his knees buckled and he keeled over backward. His head hit a piece of
granite with a sharp cracking noise. It was shocking to watch. My instincts recoiled against seeing an
immortal incapacitated that way; it was profoundly wrong.
"I told you so," Edward muttered.
Garrett's eyelids trembled for a few seconds, and then his eyes opened wide. He stared up at the
smirking Kate, and a wondering smile lit his face.
"Wow," he said.
"Did you enjoy that?" she asked skeptically.
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"I'm not crazy," he laughed, shaking his head as he got slowly to his knees, "but that was sure
something!"
"That's what I hear."
Edward rolled his eyes.
And then there was a low commotion from the front yard. I heard Carlisle speaking over a babble of
surprised voices.
"Did Alice send you?" he asked someone, his voice unsure, slightly upset.
Another unexpected guest?
Edward darted into the house and most of the others imitated him. I followed more slowly, Renesmee
still perched on my back. I would give Carlisle a moment. Let him warm up the new guest, prepare him
or her or them for the idea of what was coming.
I pulled Renesmee into my arms as I walked cautiously around the house to enter through the kitchen
door, listening to what I couldn't see.
"No one sent us," a deep whispery voice answered Carlisle's question. I was immediately reminded of
the ancient voices of Aro and Caius, and I froze just inside the kitchen.
I knew the front room was crowded—almost everyone had gone in to see the newest visitors—but
there was barely any noise. Shallow breathing, that was all.
Carlisle's voice was wary as he responded. "Then what brings you here now?"
"Word travels," a different voice answered, just as feathery as the first. "We heard hints that Volturi were
moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were
true. This is an impressive gathering."
"We are not challenging the Volturi," Carlisle answered in a strained tone. "There has been a
misunderstanding, that is all. A very serious misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we're hoping to clear
up. What yousee are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn't—"
"We don't care what they say you did," the first voice interrupted. "And we don't care if you broke the
law."
"No matter how egregiously," the second inserted.
"We've been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged," said the first. "If there
is any chance theywill fall, we will be here to see it."
"Or even to help defeat them," the second added. They spoke ina smooth tandem, their voices so similar
that less sensitive ears would assume there was only one speaker. "If we think you havea chance of
success."
"Bella?"Edward called to me ina hard voice. "Bring Renesmee here, please. Maybe we should test our
Romanian visitors' claims."
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It helped to know that probably half of the vampires in the other room would come to Renesmee's
defense if these Romanians were upset by her. I didn't like the sound of their voices, or the dark menace
in their words. As I walked into the room, I could see that I was not alone in that assessment. Most of
the motionless vampires glared with hostile eyes, anda few—Carmen, Tanya, Zafrina, and
Senna—repositioned themselves subtly into defensive poses between the newcomers and Renesmee.
The vampires at the door were both slight and short, one dark-haired and the other with hair so ashy
blond that it looked pale gray. They had the same powdery look to their skin as the Volturi, though I
thought it was not so pronounced. I couldn't be sure about that, as I had never seen the Volturi except
with human eyes; I could not make a perfect comparison. Their sharp, narrow eyes were dark burgundy,
with no milky film. They wore very simple black clothes that could pass as modern but hinted at older
designs.
The dark one grinned when I came into view. "Well, well, Carlisle. You have been naughty, haven't
you?"
"She's not what you think, Stefan."
"And we don't care either way," the blonde responded. "As we said before."
"Then you're welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Volturi, as
we said before."
"Then we'lljust cross our fingers," Stefan began.
"And hope we get lucky," finished Vladimir.
In the end, we had pulled together seventeen witnesses—the Irish, Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie; the
Egyptians, Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia; the Amazons, Zafrina and Senna; the Romanians, Vladimir
and Stefan; and the
nomads, Charlotte and Peter, Garrett, Alistair, Mary, and Randall—to supplement our family of eleven.
Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, and Carmen insisted on being counted as part of our family.
Aside from the Volturi, it was probably the largest friendly gathering of mature vampires in immortal
history.
We all were beginning to be a little bit hopeful. Even I couldn't help it.Renesmee had won over so
many in such a brief time.The Volturi only had to listen for just the tiniest second___
The lasttwo surviving Romanians—focused only on their bitter resentment of the ones who had
overthrown their empire fifteen hundred years earlier—took everything in stride. They would not touch
Renesmee, but they showed no aversion to her. They seemed mysteriously delighted by our alliance with
the werewolves.They watched me practice my shield with Zafrina and Kate, watched Edward answer
unspoken questions, watched Benjaminpull geysers of water from the river or sharp gusts of wind from
the still air with just his mind, and their eyes glowed with their fierce hope that the Volturi had finally met
their match.
We did not hope for the same things, but we all hoped.
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33. FORGERY
"Charlie, we've still got that strictly need-to-know company situation going. I know it's been more than a
week since you saw Renesmee, but a visit is just not a good idea right now. How about I bring
Renesmee over to see you?"
Charlie was quiet for so long that I wondered if he heard the strain beneath my fagade.
But then he muttered, "Need to know, ugh" and I realized it was just his wariness of the supernatural
that made him slow to respond.
"Okay, kid," Charlie said. "Can you bring her over this morning? Sue's bringing me lunch. She's just as
horrified by my cooking as you were when you first showed up."
Charlie laughed and then sighed for the old days.
"This morning will be perfect." The sooner the better. I'd already put this off too long.
"Is Jake coming with you guys?"
Though Charlie didn't know anything about werewolf imprinting, no one could be oblivious to the
attachment between Jacob and Renesmee.
"Probably." There was no way Jacob would voluntarily miss an afternoon with Renesmee sans
bloodsuckers.
"Maybe I should invite Billy, too," Charlie mused. "But… hmm. Maybe another time."
I was only half paying attention to Charlie—enough to notice the strange reluctance in his voice when he
spoke of Billy, but not enough to worry what that was about. Charlie and Billy were grown-ups; if there
was something going on between them, they could figure it out for themselves. I had too many more
important things to obsess over.
"See you in a few," I told him, and hung up.
This trip was about more than protecting my father from the twenty-seven oddly matched vampires
—who all had sworn not to kill anyone in a three-hundred-mile radius, but still… Obviously, no human
being should get anywhere near this group. This was the excuse I'd given Edward: I was taking
Renesmee to Charlie so that he wouldn't decide
to come here. It was a good reason for leaving the house, but not my real reason at all.
"Why can't we take your Ferrari?" Jacob complained when he met me in the garage. I was already in
Edward's Volvo with Renesmee.
Edward had gotten around to revealing my after car; as he'd suspected, I had not been capable of
showing the appropriate enthusiasm. Sure, it was pretty and fast, but I liked to run.
"Too conspicuous," I answered. "We could go on foot, but that would freak Charlie out."
Jacob grumbled but got into the front seat. Renesmee climbed from my lap to his.
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"How are you?" I asked him as I pulled out of the garage.
"How do you think?" Jacob asked bitingly. "I'm sick of all these reeking bloodsuckers." He saw my
expression and spoke before I could answer. "Yeah, I know, I know. They're the good guys, they're
here to help, they're going to save us all. Etcetera, etcetera. Say what you want, I still think Dracula One
and Dracula Two are creep-tacular."
I had to smile. The Romanians weren't my favorite guests, either. "I don't disagree with you there."
Renesmee shook her head but said nothing; unlike the rest of us, she found the Romanians strangely
fascinating. She'd made the effort to speak to them aloud since they would not let her touch them. Her
question was about their unusual skin and, though I was afraid they might be offended, I was kind of glad
she'd asked. I was curious, too.
They hadn't seemed upset by her interest. Maybe a little rueful.
"We sat still for a very long time, child," Vladimir had answered, with Stefan nodding along but not
continuing Vladimir's sentences as he often did. "Contemplating our own divinity. It was a sign of our
power that everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, those seeking our favor. We sat on our thrones and
thought ourselves gods. We didn't notice for a long time that we were changing—almost petrifying. I
suppose the Volturi did us one favor when they burned our castles. Stefan and I, at least, did not
continue to petrify. Now the Volturi's eyes are filmed with dusty scum, but ours are bright. I imagine that
will give us an advantage when we gouge theirs from their sockets."
I tried to keep Renesmee away from them after that.
"How long do we get to hang out with Charlie?" Jacob asked, interrupting my thoughts. He was visibly
relaxing as we pulled away from the house and all its new inmates. It made me happy that I didn't really
count as a vampire to him. I was still just Bella.
"For quite a while, actually."
The tone of my voice caught his attention.
"Is something going on here besides visiting your dad?"
"Jake, you know how you're pretty good at controlling your thoughts around Edward?"
He raised one thick black brow. "Yeah?"
I just nodded, cutting my eyes to Renesmee. She was looking out the window, and I couldn't tell how
interested she was in our conversation, but I decided not to risk going any further.
Jacob waited for me to add something else, and then his lower lip pushed out while he thought about
what little
I'd said.
As we drove in silence, I squinted through the annoying contacts into the cold rain; it wasn't quite cold
enough for snow. My eyes were not as ghoulish as they had been in the beginning—definitely closer to a
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dull reddish orange than to bright crimson. Soon they'd be amber enough for me to quit the contacts, i
hoped the change wouldn't upset Charlie too much.
Jacob was still chewing over our truncated conversation when we got to Charlie's. We didn't talk as we
walked at a quick human pace through the falling rain. My dad was waiting for us; he had the door open
before I could knock.
"Hey, guys! It seems like it's been years! Look at you, Nessie! Come to Grampa! I swear you've grown
half a foot. And you look skinny, Ness." He glared at me. "Aren't they feeding you up there?"
"It's just the growth spurt," I muttered. "Hey, Sue," I called over his shoulder. The smell of chicken,
tomato, garlic, and cheese issued from the kitchen; it probably smelled good to everyone else. I could
also smell fresh pine and packing dust.
Renesmee flashed her dimples. She never spoke in front of Charlie.
"Well, come on in out of the cold, kids. Where's my son-in-law?"
"Entertaining friends," Jacob said, and then snorted. "You're so lucky you're out of the loop, Charlie.
That's all I'm going to say."
I punched Jacob lightly in the kidney while Charlie cringed.
"Ow," Jacob complained under his breath; well, I'd thought I'd punched lightly.
"Actually, Charlie, I have some errands to run."
Jacob shot a glance at me but said nothing.
"Behind on your Christmas shopping, Bells? You only have a few days, you know."
"Yeah, Christmas shopping," I said lamely. That explained the packing dust. Charlie must have put the
old decorations up.
"Don't worry, Nessie," he whispered in her ear. "I got you covered if your mom drops the ball."
I rolled my eyes at him, but in truth, I hadn't thought about the holidays at all.
"Lunch's on the table," Sue called from the kitchen. "C'mon, guys."
"See you later, Dad," I said, and exchanged a quick look with Jacob. Even if he couldn't help but think
about this near Edward, at least there wasn't much for him to share. He had no idea what I was up to.
Of course, I thought to myself as I got into the car, it wasn't like I had much idea, either.
The roads were slick and dark, but driving didn't intimidate me anymore. My reflexes were well up to
the job, and I barely paid attention to the road. The problem was keeping my speed from attracting
attention when I had company. I wanted to be done with today's mission, to have the mystery sorted out
so that I could get back to the vital task of learning. Learning to protect some, learning to kill others.
I was getting better and better with my shield. Kate didn't feel the need to motivate me anymore—it
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wasn't hard to find reasons to feel angry, now that I knew that was the key—and so I mostly worked
with Zafrina. She was
pleased with my extension; I was able to cover almost a ten-foot area for more than a minute, though it
exhausted me. This morning she'd been trying to find out if I could push the shield away from my mind
altogether. I didn't see what the use of that would be, but Zafrina thought it would help strengthen me,
like exercising muscles in the stomach and back rather than just the arms. Eventually, you could lift more
weight when all the muscles were stronger.
I wasn't very good at it. I had only gotten one glimpse of the jungle river she was trying to show me.
But there were different ways to prepare for what was coming, and with only two weeks left, I worried
that I might be neglecting the most important. Today I would rectify that oversight.
I'd memorized the appropriate maps, and I had no problem finding my way to the address that didn't
exist online, the one for J. Jenks. My next step would be Jason Jenks at the other address, the one Alice
had not given me.
To say that it wasn't a nice neighborhood would be an understatement. The most nondescript of all the
Cullens' cars was still outrageous on this street. My old Chevy would have looked healthy here. During
my human years, I would have locked the doors and driven away as fast as I dared. As it was, I was a
little fascinated. I tried to imagine Alice in this place for any reason, and failed.
The buildings—all three stories, all narrow, all leaning slightly as if bowed by the pounding rain—were
mostly old houses divided up into multiple apartments. It was hard to tell what color the peeling paint was
supposed to be. Everything had faded to shades of gray. A few of the buildings had businesses on the
first floor: a dirty bar with the windows painted black, a psychic's supply store with neon hands and tarot
cards glowing fitfully on the door, a tattoo parlor, and a daycare with duct tape holding the broken front
window together. There were no lamps on inside any of the rooms, though it was grim enough outside
that the humans should have needed the light. I could hear the low mumbling of voices in the distance; it
sounded like TV.
There were a few people about, two shuffling through the rain in opposite directions and one sitting on
the shallow porch of a boarded-up cut-rate law office, reading a wet newspaper and whistling. The
sound was much too cheerful for the setting.
I was so bemused by the carefree whistler, I didn't realize at first that the abandoned building was right
where the address I was looking for should exist. There were no numbers on the dilapidated place, but
the tattoo parlor beside it was just two numbers off.
I pulled up to the curb and idled for a second. I was getting into that dump one way or another, but how
to do so without the whistler noticing me? I could park the next street over and come through the back…
There might be more witnesses on that side. Maybe the rooftops? Was it dark enough for that kind of
thing?
"Hey, lady," the whistler called to me.
I rolled the passenger window down as if I couldn't hear him.
The man laid his paper aside, and his clothes surprised me, now that I could see them. Under his long
ragged duster, he was a little too well dressed. There was no breeze to give me the scent, but the sheen
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on his dark red shirt looked like silk. His crinkly black hair was tangled and wild, but his dark skin was
smooth and perfect, his teeth white and straight. A contradiction.
"Maybe you shouldn't park that car there, lady," he said. "It might not be here when you get back."
"Thanks for the warning," I said.
I shut off the engine and got out. Perhaps my whistling friend could give me the answers I needed faster
than breaking and entering. I opened my big gray umbrella—not that I cared, really, about protecting the
long cashmere sweater-dress I wore. It was what a human would do.
The man squinted through the rain at my face, and then his eyes widened. He swallowed, and I heard his
heart accelerate as I approached.
Tm looking for someone," I began.
"I'm someone," he offered with a smile. "What can I do for you, beautiful?"
"Are you J. Jenks?" I asked.
"Oh," he said, and his expression changed from anticipation to understanding. He got to his feet and
examined me with narrowed eyes. "Why're you looking for J?"
"That's my business." Besides, I didn't have a clue. "Are you J?"
"No."
We faced each other for a long moment while his sharp eyes ran up and down the fitted pearl gray
sheath I wore. His gaze finally made it to my face. "You don't look like the usual customer."
"I'm probably not the usual," I admitted. "But I do need to see him as soon as possible."
"I'm not sure what to do," he admitted.
"Why don't you tell me your name?"
He grinned. "Max."
