Page 92 (1/2)

“What do they need froston asked

“They need them to kill the e or into the back of a cruiser This job isn’t police work at all It’s closer to special operations units like SEALs or Delta Force Or es, like Blake says, but whatever we are, it’s not police When they nickna honest about what the preternatural branch does It’s war It’s deep, dark, behind-eneht here on American soil But you have to want to be a SEAL, and you have to knohat one is and what one does Same for any of the other special operations units You don’t end up on one of theular service and then throw you out into the dark with Delta Force and expect you to be okay” When New at any of us but staring off into space, and whatever he was seeing inside his head wasn’t anything good

I looked at the side of Newman’s face I wanted to touch his arht, but it would have been a lie I caught Livingston looking at hiht the sa: Newman needed a new job

“Newular police or transfer to the other side of the Marshals Service,” I said

“You said ‘back to’ like it’s a step backward, lesser”

I openedto say “I’ular cop I don’t have the te for it”

“And I don’t have what it takes to be an assassin with a badge,” he said, and looked at me His eyes were shiny, and if it had been allowed, I’d have said he was nearly in tears But I pretended I couldn’t see them, and he pretended they weren’t there Even if the tears started, we’d all pretend we couldn’t see thee them

He excused himself for the bathroom Olaf and I would have moved, but Kaitlin started the scoot-out first, so we let Livingston and her clear the way for Newman I watched hiht

I don’t knoe would have said out loud, because the juice and the food all came at once The bacon was perfectly crisp, like a hard look would reat We all ate as if Newman hadn’t bared his soul ry and the food was that good Two, hoould it have changed anything to talk about it?

When Newman came back to the table with his face da had happened That was our cue to do the same We talked about the food and one and Hazel ca else we needed Why, yes, there was Let’s talk murder

32

HAZEL DIDN’T WANT to sit doith us “I have tables to wait on”

“You knohat Kaitlin and I do for a living, Hazel?” Livingston asked

“Yeah,” she said, and the one as sullen, like a shadow of the rebellious teenager she ht once have been

“Do you know Marshal Newston nodded toward New next to each other, it was a sesture