Read Online Heart of the Demon by Cynthia Garner - Free Book Online Page B

Four
     
    O ver the next week Finn kept working his contacts. By Saturday afternoon he needed something to take his mind off things, since
     his entire focus was on the text message that he still hadn’t received. Damn it! What more could he do to convince the right people that he was a rogue? Go out and kill someone?
    At three o’clock he pulled his bike into a spot behind one of the local art galleries. It was a favorite of his, a place where
     he could lose himself in beauty. Whenever he was stuck on a case or after he’d had to render ultimate judgment on a demon,
     immersing himself in art put some lightness back into his soul. Regardless of what others might think of him, he wasn’t a
     stone-cold killer. Every life he’d ever taken weighed heavily on him.
    He swung his leg over the bike, stood and stretched. He adjusted the legs of his jeans, then went into the gallery. When he
     pushed open the door, the chime above it sounded. As he walked into the main room, he glanced around. As far as he could tell,
     he was the only patron there.
    Light classical music played softly in the background, and a faint aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg scented the air. The staging
     of the various pieces of art was welcoming, and a few small sofas scattered around the large main room invited people to sit
     and enjoy their surroundings.
    Within a few seconds the gallery owner, no doubt having heard the chime, walked out of the office. “Finn! I was hoping you’d
     stop by this week.” The older man came forward and shook Finn’s hand. “I missed you the other night.”
    “Rudi.” Finn clapped the man on the shoulder. “I wanted to come to the opening but got tied up with work.” Actually, he’d
     been so wrapped up in trying to get into the rogue group that the exhibition gala had completely slipped his mind. “You know
     how much I love putting on my tux.”
    “Ah, well.” Rüdiger Zimmer rolled his eyes a bit. Finn had complained more than once at having to don his monkey suit for
     opening galas, so the gallery owner was well aware of his aversion to tuxedos. “At least you’re here now.” His round face
     wrinkled with his broad smile. Bright blue eyes sparkled from beneath graying eyebrows. “I think you’ll enjoy the guest artist
     exhibit in the Cactus Room.”
    “Oh?” Finn glanced toward the smaller side room to his left.
    Rudi nodded. “The artist does mostly western-inspired landscapes. You’ll like the colors and composition.”
    “I’ll go take a look, then.” Finn patted Rudi’s shoulder and headed toward the exhibit. He entered the room and was immediately
     bombarded with a sense of wild beauty and riotous color. A light citrus scent freshened the air, and Finn realized it came
     from small bowls of dried lemons Rudi had stashed on various tables and nooks in the room.
    He was standing in front of a watercolor of a Monument Valley sunset when he heard the click of high heels behind him. He
     glanced over his shoulder to see Keira walk into the room.
    She wore shiny dark blue, slim-legged pants and a sleeveless button-down blouse the color of lilacs. Pointy-toed turquoise
     spike heels and her gold cuff watch completed the outfit. Her long hair was pulled back in a haphazard knot on one side of
     her neck. As she caught sight of him, her eyes widened. “Finn? What’re you doing here?” She stopped in front of him and looked
     up into his face. “This is the last place I would’ve expected to run into you.”
    He tried to ignore how good she smelled, because it made him want to bury his face in her neck and breathe deeply. “Really?
     Why?”
    She gave a shrug. “You don’t seem like the art appreciation type to me.”
    Finn figured that most people would be surprised to find out he was a man who enjoyed art. When he looked at paintings or
     sculptures, he not only recognized the talent behind them, but also found a calmness of spirit from the study of them. Somehow
     it stung to realize