Page 12 of Property of Crypt Keeper

Boomslang got to his feet, and Killswitch was right behind him. They approached her and her eyes practically bugged out. Nervously, she wrung her hands.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Boomslang asked her.

“I… um… I… is there somewhere we can talk privately?” she softly stammered.

Boomslang and Killswitch shared a glance. Then Boomslang motioned for her to follow, and he led her back to his office.

“What the hell do you think that’s about?” Dexter asked.

“No clue.”

“She doesn’t exactly look like the type to just happen to be out this way,” Clutch remarked.

“What is it with women just wandering into our shit lately?” Zeus asked as he scratched the side of his jaw.

Mako chuckled. “I can’t say I’m upset that Lyra did.”

“I bet you aren’t,” Zeus retorted with a snort. We all laughed.

Killswitch came around the corner, and his gaze immediately locked on mine. Something about that look made my spine stiffen. “Crypt, can you please come back here?”

“Uh oh. What did you do?” Mako asked with a crooked grin.

“Fuck you,” I muttered as I set my cue down and made my way to where my VP waited.

“What’s up?” I quietly asked.

“You’ll see,” he vaguely replied.

When we entered the prez’s office, I saw the woman sitting on the edge of one of the chairs, looking highly uncomfortable and ready to bolt at any moment. Like she was a lamb in a room full of wolves.

Perhaps not an inaccurate description.

“Ms. Yarbarrow, this is Dallas,” Boomslang introduced.

Not completely forgetting my manners, I held out a hand to her.

She glanced at it like it was a viper about to strike her. As I was about to give up, she tentatively reached out and shook my hand but quickly released it. She looked at Boomslang, then at me, then back.

“But I was told I needed to find a man named Gideon,” she explained.

Though inside I cringed at the use of a name I hated, I tried not to show it.

“That’s me, ma’am,” I drawled, tacking on what I hoped was a comforting smile. “Name’s Gideon Dallas Bourque… at your service.”

Relief drooped her shoulders. “I know this is probably not a good idea, but I don’t know what else to do. The woman I consulted told me I needed to find you, or things wouldn’t end well for my… niece.”

Now she had my attention. “Okay?”

“Maybe I should explain.” She took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “My brother… half-brother… was a bit… wild. He dated this woman for a time. She was much younger than he was. Anyway… they had a child.”

She paused and appeared flustered.

“I’m not sure what this has to do with me,” I said uncomfortably.

“They were killed about three months ago. Murdered.” Tears welled in her eyes before she blinked them away. “We weren’t close. I’d only met their child once when she was a baby. That was over four years ago. Since I’m her only living relative, they brought her to me. I never had children. So it’s been a struggle to begin with. But now… well, it’s gotten… scary.”

“Scary?” Fuck, we weren’t a daycare.