“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she said.
“Have a nice night.”
“You, too.” As she walked away, she was grinning.
She didn’t happen to notice he’d slipped his hand into her purse during their exchange and stolen her wallet.
“Did you see that?” I asked Bishop with shock. “Not really lost and wandering aimlessly, is he?”
He squeezed my hand tighter. “We can’t lose him. Come on.”
We picked up our pace and followed the pickpocket down the street, past the crowd and around a corner. The other two had been lost, confused and grateful for anyone who noticed them. This kid seemed like he knew the city like the back of his hand.
He stopped in front of a store window with a display of glittering jewelry, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black leather jacket, which looked new and expensive. Bishop slowed as we approached him, and I sensed his wariness. This boy was different from the others.
“Hey,” Bishop said.
The kid glanced at us with disinterest. “Hey yourself.”
“Saw what you did back there.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“You stole that woman’s wallet.”
An edge of unfriendliness glittered in his dark eyes. “So what? Are you a cop?”
“Do we look like cops?” I asked.
He flicked a glance at me. “She was rich, I could tell. She’ll survive just fine.”
“Is that what you’re trying to do, too?” Bishop asked. “Survive?”
“Aren’t we all?” His gaze moved to me again and swept the length of me. “Why don’t you do yourselves a favor and leave me alone now?”
Bishop finally, and a bit reluctantly, let go of my hand. “Because I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t feel like talking.”
Something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. I’d been positive he was the right guy, but now I wasn’t sure. I didn’t feel anything from him, even when I met his eyes and concentrated. But maybe I wasn’t close enough.
Or maybe I’d tagged the wrong person. The real one could still be out there in the crowd.
“Where are you from?” I asked. Bishop shot a glance my way. He probably thought I’d just be the silent, well-behaved finder of searchlights. It just showed how little he knew about me. Staying quiet had never been one of my greatest strengths.“Around.”
“Around Trinity? Or somewhere else?”
He gave me a tight smile and turned away. “Great talking to you. I’m going now.”
“Where?” I asked. “Do you have somewhere to stay? Do you have any friends?”
His shoulders tensed as he glanced back at us. “Don’t follow me.”
He started walking.
I grabbed Bishop’s arm. “Maybe I was wrong about him.”
“You weren’t.”
“How do you know? You said you couldn’t tell what Kraven was until you saw the imprint.”
“Gut instinct. He’s a team member—I’m guessing a demon. Remember how I told you Kraven wasn’t as bad as he could have been?” He kept his focus on the departing pickpocket in the leather jacket. “Well, this one just might be.”
That sent a chill right down my spine.
Bishop began trailing after the kid. “You should go home now. You’ve done everything I asked and I know you hate what I have to do now.”
For a moment, I considered my options. I could go home and try to forget everything, but just because it wasn’t easy didn’t mean I should run away with my tail tucked between my legs. This wasn’t over until my soul was restored, until my hunger was gone once and for all and I could focus on my normal life again.
So I didn’t go home. I followed Bishop as he trailed after the boy with the bad attitude.
As Bishop rounded the next corner, the kid was waiting for him. He grabbed hold of Bishop and threw the angel into an open space, a parking lot in front of a large grocery store. Bishop slammed into a car, setting off the alarm.
Two people wandered past, but they didn’t seem like they could see us or hear the blaring noise. I’d be willing to bet, even with his decreased abilities, that Bishop had managed to cloak us.
“What do you want from me?” the kid demanded.
“To talk, for starters. You could have made this easier on yourself.” Bishop leaped up from the ground, his eyes blazing with anger. He kicked the car hard, which somehow managed to shut off the alarm.
“It was just a damn wallet. I needed the money, okay? Now you need to leave me alone or I’m going to hurt you.” He cast a cold look over his shoulder. “Or her.”
Bishop wasn’t wasting any time. He pulled the golden dagger out of the sheath strapped to his back. “You’re not hurting anyone tonight.”
The kid barked out a laugh. “You’re kidding me, right? You think you can cut me with that?” He pulled his own knife out of a holder at his waist. “Think again.”
Panic gripped me at the sight of the other knife. It wasn’t all gold, glowy and supernatural, but it was still sharp and deadly.
“You’re lost.” I stepped forward, trying to bring some sort of control back to this situation before things went too far. The ritual was bad enough without extra conflict. “We’re here to help you.”
He moved so fast I wasn’t able to scramble away from him in time and he grabbed a thick handful of my long hair to hold me in place, my back crushed up against his chest. I let out a shriek of pain because it felt like he was literally going to yank it out of my scalp. “Maybe your boyfriend needs a louder warning to leave me alone. Drop the knife or I’ll cut her.”