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Chapter 7

Ethan Kane wasn’t as tall as he seeht, but always seeer, as if he took upto do with physical size His short hair was a dark brunette, allasses with no frames, so they were almost invisible on his face Ethan should have been handsome He was broad shouldered, athletically built, square jaith a deep di-lashed and hazel His clothes were tailored to his body so he’d fit in with the stars he usually ran with He had everything going for hi of so; a perpetual sour expression stole all his char the other wrist, feet wide apart, balanced He frowned down at us froe double doors We were all standing at the foot of the marble steps that led up to those doors Ethan’s raceful sweep of white pillars that supported the roof of Maeve Reed’s narrow porch It was huge and i, but there was no roohts It was a porch for looking at, not for enjoying

Four ed on the steps between us and Ethan, and the door I recognized one of theuard in Hollywood most of his adult life He was an inch shy of six feet and built like a box, all angles, squares, including huge knuckled hands His grey hair was cut in a long butch cut, which e, but Max had had the same haircut for forty years His nose had been badly broken enough times that it was crooked and just a little squashed He probably could have traded his designer suit for a nose job and fixed it, but Max thought it h It did

"Hi, Max," I said

He nodded at me "Ms Gentry, or should I say, Princess Meredith?"

"Ms Gentry is just fine"

He smiled, a quick flash of humor, before Ethan’s voice cut across us both, and Max’s face went back to blank bodyguard stare That stare says we see nothing and will re and will react at the blink of an eye Your secrets are safe with us, and so is your body Bodyguards do not work in Hollywood if they get a reputation for tattling to the press, or anyone else

"What are you doing here, Meredith?"

Ethan and I didn’t know each other well enough to use first na to do the same to him "We’re here at Ms Reed’s invitation, Ethan Why are you here?"

He blinked athiht "We’re Ms Reed’s bodyguards"

I nodded, s"

"What ot most of your muscle here If Kane and Hart were all booked up, we’d be getting ot a lot more than just four employees, Meredith, and you know it" He said my name like it was a bad word

I nodded I did know it "Is there a reason you’re keeping us out here, Ethan? Ms Reed was very concerned that we see her today, not tonight, but today" I glanced up at the sun sinking behind a stand of eucalyptus trees near the distant sweep of wall "It’s late afternoon, Ethan If you keep us out here eration; we had hours of daylight left, but I was tired of standing around

"State your business and hed I was about to be blunt even for a hu; it was beyond blunt for a fey, but I just didn’t care I wanted to go away so a little back and to one side, and Doyle mirrored him, but they both stood so that they were souards on the steps Rhys was standing nearly in front of Max, grinning at hiart fan as Rhys They’d spent one long afternoon trapped together on a long bodyguard job, different clients, trading film noir trivia They’d been friends ever since

Kitto did not face off with the last bodyguard He stood just a little behindHe looked oddly out of place in his short-shorts, tank top, and child-size Nikes He’d put on black wraparound sunglasses, but aside from that he could have passed for someone’s nephew, the kind that usually isn’t a nephew at all but a boy toy Kitto always ive off the vibe that he was subservient, someone’s toy, or victioblins

I looked at everyone facing off, Ethan standing on the steps like sohtly taller version of Napoleon, and shook my head "Ethan, you want to knohy Ms Reed called us, when she’s already hired you You’re wondering if you’re all about to be replaced"

He started to protest

I said, "Ethan, please, save it for someone who cares I’ll save you all the power plays Ms Reed hasn’t told us exactly why she wants us here, but she wanted to talk toshe doesn’t want us for bodyguard duty"

If his frown deepened any ht actually hurt his forehead "We don’t do just bodyguard work, Meredith We’re detectives, too Why does she need you?"

The unsaid part, when she has us, hung in the air between us I shrugged "I don’t know, Ethan, truly, I don’t But if you let us inside, we can all find out together"

The frown ser, and puzzled "That’s almost nice of you, Meredith" Then he looked suspicious, as if wondering what I was up to

"I can be very nice if people give me the chance, Ethan"

Max spoke low so that Ethan couldn’t hear him "And how nice can you be?"

Rhys answered, voice low, "Very, very nice"

The two of thehs that women never seem to be able to participate in, but are always the subject of

"Is so funny?" Ethan asked, the sour look back in place, his voice whip sharp

Max shook his head, as if he didn’t trust hi the time of day, Mr Kane"

"We’re not paid to pass the tiave a look that so sweep "We’d be piss-poor bodyguards if we let all of you inside the house, especially armed"

I shook o anywhere without bodyguards, and you also know that they won’t give up their guns"

He set in"

Standing on the hard driveway into make sweat bead on my skin, I just didn’t want toI’ve ever done I started yelling at the top of my voice, "Maeve Reed, Maeve Reed, coe" I kept yelling the first part "Maeve Reed, Maeve Reed, come out to play"

Ethan tried to yell , years of public speaking -- I was louder None of Ethan’s people knehat to do I wasn’t hurting anyone, I was just yelling Fivewoman opened the door She was Marie, Ms Reed’s personal assistant Would we like to coet us through the door because Ethan wanted to take our weapons It took Marie hinting that Ms Reed would fire the so hard that we had to leave the on to each other like a couple of drunks At least so theer than my entire apartment Off-white carpet stretched like a vanilla sea down the steps to the sunken living rooh to roast small elephants The mantel alone took up most of one white stuccoed wall, with red and tan bricks punctuating the rough whiteness of the wall A white sectional sofa big enough to seat twenty curved in front of the fireplace Tan, gold, and white pilloere thrown around artfully There was a grouping of white chairs with a small pale wood table between them A chessboard with oversize pieces sat between the two chairs, and a curving Tiffany floor lamp provided a splash of color in the otherwiseto one side of the fireplace echoed the laroup of white chairs and cushions was set on the raised edge of the rooe white Christmas tree stood in the center of the chairs The tree was covered in white lights with gold and silver ornaments that should have livened the room but didn’t The tree was just another decoration without life or feeling to it A table was pushed to one side to make room for the Christmas tree, hat looked like les were scattered, throughout the roo the color scheme of the lamp The roo about Maeve Reed except that she had money and let other people decorate her ho in a rooht on the Christmas tree, then it’s not real It’s just for show

Marie was tall, slender, dressed in a sleek oyster-white pantsuit that did not flatter her olive coh-heeled boots she was a touch over six feet, a tall, s us presently Would anyone like refreshments?" She motioned toward the table set with tea and lemonade

Actually, it would have been nice, but it was a rule that you never took any food or drink from a fellow fey until you were sure they meant you no harm It wasn’t poison you had to worry about, but spells, a little potion mixed in with the lemons

"Thank you Marie, is it? We’re fine," I said

She smiled, nodded "Then please sit down Make yourselves comfortable while I tell Ms Reed you’re here" She raceful stride down the steps and across to the far opening that led into a white hallway that vanished solanced at Ethan and his two muscle men He’d left one of his people outside with Max and Rhys Marie hadn’t offered theuess you didn’t have to entertain the hired help Which begged the question, if eren’t going to be hired help, then e going to be? Did Maeve Reed really just want to visit with other high-court sidhe? Would she risk breaking a century of taboo to have small talk? I didn’t think so, but I’d seen royals of the high courts do sillier things for less reason

I went down the steps to the large sectional sofa Kitto followed lanced back at the men "Come on, boys, let’s all sit down and pretend that we like each other" I moved about seven feet froold pillows, sh Goddess knew there were enough couches for everyone I didn’t lasses I could see his nervousness The big white living roooraphobia He sat pressed up againstthe in the large open archway, eyeing one another

"Gentleuard doesn’t relax on the job," Ethan said