Read Online In the Shadow of Vengeance by Nancy C. Weeks - Free Book Online Page B

Adam stood still, his shoulders tense. Of course he’d known the instant Noah drove up and had been watching him.
    “Hey, is this a bad time?”
    “What’s happened?” he asked, and moved away from the door, allowing Noah to enter.
    “Not family related. I know it’s late, but I need to talk to you.”
    There were times Noah needed to eat a little crow and this was one of them.
    A blob of pink sprinted down the stairs. Anna took a flying leap off the third step into Noah’s arms and he stumbled backward. Adam stuck out a hand and balanced him.
    “Uncle Noah, you missed everything.”
    Shit.
This was Anna’s big recital day. Of course, his niece celebrated every moment in her life from grand tea parties to Macy dog’s pretend birthday.
    “Yes, I did. I had to work.”
    Calista came from the kitchen with a dish towel in her hands. “I taped it. Your uncle Noah can watch it over and over again with you.”
    He swallowed, which made his brother shake with unleashed laughter.
    Adam raised his arms and Anna jumped into her father’s arms. “Let’s not torture Noah, or he won’t come back.” He set Anna down and glanced at Calista. “Whose turn?”
    “I’ll take this one,” she said, and reached for Anna’s hand. “Kiss your dad and Uncle Noah good night.”
    “Can’t Uncle Noah put me to bed?”
    “Maybe another time.” Calista took her daughter’s hand.
    Adam kissed her on the cheek. When Noah leaned down for a kiss, she placed her hand at his cheek and whispered, “You can like her. She’s nice, Uncle Noah.”
    “Who?”
    Anna cupped a small hand over her mouth and again whispered, “The woman you like to kiss. It’s okay to like her.”
    Noah’s heart rate pounded hard between his ears as he stared at Anna.
    Adam reached for his daughter and she went to him. “Is that all you need to tell him?” he asked.
    She nodded, then grabbed Calista’s hand. “’Night, Uncle Noah.”
    He followed their progress up the stairs. Once out of sight, he said, “I thought she stopped doing that?”
    “It comes and goes.”
    “Still freaks me out.”
    “Yeah, but it changes how I see the world, too. I have a great bottle of Scotch that should help.”
    He followed Adam into the living room. A drink was the last thing he needed but he accepted it, taking a sip. “This supernatural crap is going to turn me into an alcoholic.”
    His brother let out a low, deep laugh. “Wait until you have children. The supernatural crap will be a walk in the park.” He placed his glass on the table and studied Noah. “You look like shit. What’s going on?”
    Noah gulped down the rest of his drink and briefed Adam on the events of the last few hours. When he mentioned Danny’s attack, the friendly, loving father and husband sitting across from him morphed into an angry, dangerous soldier. Adam was lethal when he needed to be. The gang members better hope he got to them before Adam.
    “Danny is going to be fine in a couple of weeks. As for his attackers, I’ll give you everything I have on them, but don’t kill them until I get a chance to talk to them.”
    Adam twirled the shot glass between his palms. “So who is messing with Elizabeth Merlot, and does it have anything to do with Danny?”
    “On the surface, everything fits. Some junkie targeted Elizabeth on the train because she was the closest to him. Maybe the whole teapot thing was just your ordinary break-and-enter. We showed up unexpectedly and the guy took off before he could really take anything. But why her place? Elizabeth is raising two kids on her own and doesn’t have a lot of money.”
    “And Danny went looking for these guys, and that pissed them off so they beat the crap out of him,” Adam added. “So what has you so wound up?”
    Noah pressed his thumbs at his temples. “More supernatural crap I can’t explain.” He met his brother’s gaze. “How much do you remember about Jared’s interaction with Evan