Read Online Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison - Free Book Online

innocently. “But they are.”
    â€œThat doesn’t mean we talk about them!” I said, exasperated.
    Tammy was eyeing us between glances at the door, the phone still in her hand. “Did my mom send you? Is this her perverted way of checking up on me?” she asked. “God! It’s like a police state around here. You can tell her to stay out of my life! I’m not a baby!”
    Her mom? I wish. “Your mom doesn’t know we’re here,” I said, thinking it would help.
    Barnabas threw the dog’s toy, and the little thing tore after it. “Is that Soap Scum?” he asked, and I stared until I realized he was talking about the music.
    â€œYeah,” Tammy said, losing her aggressive stance again. “You’ve heard of them?”
    He smiled. “I saw them in concert in Chicago, right before the drummer died from a heart attack.”
    Nakita snorted. “Did you mess up his scythe prevention, too?”
    Barnabas frowned, taking the dog’s toy as the animal jumped at his knees. “No. I was there for one of the kids in the audience.”
    â€œScythe prevention?” Tammy whispered. She looked at the phone in her hand and took a step back. “What are you guys trying to be? Grim reapers?”
    â€œNo,” Nakita said before I could tell her to shut up. “We’re dark reapers.” She hesitated, then added, “I think. Madison, if we’re trying to save lives, then are we technically light?”
    â€œNo,” I said, worried about Tammy’s expression. This was going sour fast. There were too many people mucking it up, and I couldn’t get to why I was here. “Tammy, two minutes,” I said. “That’s it. You listen for two minutes, and we’ll leave. I know this looks weird, but we’re trying to help. If you don’t listen to me, you’re going to die tonight. Johnny, too.”
    Her expression blanched, and Barnabas leaned toward me. “Uh, that might not have been the best thing to say,” he whispered.
    Tammy gestured violently. “Get out!” she shouted. “Get out, or I’m calling the cops!”
    She was frantic, and I stumbled when Barnabas took my shoulder and drew me back.
    â€œTammy, there’s a fire!” I said loudly, not caring if I sounded crazy or not. The horror had been too real. “I watched you both die. You need to leave tonight. Just go somewhere else! Anywhere!”
    â€œAnd you think me talking about souls makes us sound crazy,” Nakita said.
    â€œGet out!”
    Tammy was screaming, and Johnny had opened his door, staring at us with one eye through the crack.
    â€œI told you this wouldn’t work,” Barnabas said, his grip on my elbow tightening as he pulled me back another step.
    â€œOkay, okay!” I said, scrambling. We were backing up past the fridge, and I grabbed the little sticky note from it that had a grocery list on it. The little pencil tied to it swung, and I caught it. “I’m going to give you a number,” I said, writing it down. “Call this guy, okay? His name is Shoe. He’s in Iowa. I helped him last month. Well, I helped his buddy Ace, but Ace is in a mental institution right now, so you’re going to have to talk to Shoe.” You can shut up anytime now, Madison.
    â€œYou’re just like friggin’ Mary Poppins, huh?” Tammy said sarcastically, clearly feeling braver now that we were backing toward the door.
    â€œJust call him,” I said. “He was going to be accused of killing three people when his friend dumped a computer virus he made into a hospital system and screwed it up. We managed to fix that. We’re trying to help, Tammy!”
    She stood with her arms crossed, phone tucked against her. “You’re crazy.”
    I bumped into Nakita, and the warmth of the hall soaked into me. “Just call him, okay? And here’s my cell number. Call me