Ilona Andrews - Fate's Edge

“Feel better, doll?” Kaldar asked her.

Audrey let go of Jack, leaned forward, and Kaldar kissed her, carefully so as not to smudge her lipstick. Their lips barely touched, but for once he was grateful for the tailored trousers of his suit. Most men didn’t go erect from a casual kiss from their wives.

“Yes, I do. Thank you, darling.”

“Livie, this is Ed Yonker. He’s in charge here.”

“Nice to meet you, preacher.”

Audrey beamed. Kaldar was prepared for the smile, but it took even him off guard. Ed Yonker blinked. Paul had to have a private moment studying the floor. Kaldar slid his arm around Audrey and cupped her butt possessively, a fact Ed Yonker noticed and obviously filed for further reference. Dear Gods, Audrey had a nice ass.

“I do miss going to church,” Audrey prattled on. “Jonny has been so busy lately. One day we’re in Seattle, then in Nevada, now here. We never get to worship anymore. Especially in such a lovely church. Y’all seem like such nice people, and your kids are darling.”

Ed finally collected his wits. “As you can see, only a small group of our younguns stay here. Most of them stay with us at the camp.”

Audrey opened her eyes wider. “What kind of camp?”

“That’s where most of our services take place. The Blessed Youth Witness Camp and the Wooden Cathedral.”

Audrey turned to Kaldar. “Can we see the camp, darling?”

“Not today, doll,” he told her. “I have a business meeting.”

“I don’t mean to be rude or to upset you,” Ed said. “But the Wooden Cathedral is a special place for our congregation. That’s where we worship and meet in fellowship. One must aspire to be a member of our church to visit there.”

They were losing Ed’s attention.

Audrey pretended to pout and made a small dog noise. Nicely done, but Ed still didn’t seem involved.

“No, Livie,” Kaldar shook his head. “As I said, I have an auction to attend today. Ed has his congregation to look after. He can’t exactly give us a grand tour. I do apologize again for the interruption.”

“No problem at all.” Ed nodded, amicable. The hint had flown clear over his head. Ed was swimming away and fast. “What is it you said you did?”

“Real estate,” Kaldar said.

“My husband provides housing for poor people,” Audrey said proudly, petting his shoulder. “He owns apartments, and when people can’t pay their rent, he buys them back and turns them into stores.”

Kaldar grimaced. “Livie . . .”

“It’s something to be proud of,” she said.

Slum lord, tons of money, beautiful wife without a brain, and loads of guilt. Come on, Ed. Come on. Take the bait.

Ed considered it. The thought flashed in his eyes for a moment and dulled. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you folks. Paul here will show you out.”

Damn it.

“Later!” Kaldar raised his hand and steered Audrey to the exit.

“I really wanted to see the camp,” Audrey pouted.

“Sorry, doll. Besides, tonight we have to go visit Magdalene, remember? Your brother recommended her?”

Behind them, Ed Yonker came to life like a shark sensing a drop of blood in the water.

Three.

Kaldar put a little pressure on the small of Audrey’s back. And we’re walking away. Walking away . . .

Audrey let out a cute sigh. “I suppose. It will be boring. Those people are always boring.”

“It’s supposed to be inspiring,” Kaldar said. “I’m sure you’ll like it. Supposedly, she gets great results. One session, and your mind is sharper. Your brother swears by her.”

Two.

“You’re already the sharpest man I know.” Audrey leaned into him, slipping her arm around his waist. It felt like heaven.

“Thank you, doll.”

One.

“Mr. Berman!” Yonker called.

Audrey squeezed his side a little. Kaldar turned. “Yes?”

Yonker came toward them. “If you folks attend tonight’s service, I can see to it that you can come and worship with us tomorrow at the Wooden Cathedral.”

Got you, you greedy sonovabitch.

“We don’t want to be a bother,” Kaldar said.

“Please!” Ed raised his hand, as if blessing them. “As a fellow Christian, I’d hate for you to miss out on the opportunity to witness God’s glory. I won’t take no for an answer. Tonight at seven. I’ll be looking for you.”

Fifteen minutes later they were out in fresh air. They stayed in part, strolling leisurely to their Hummer. Kaldar opened the door and helped Audrey into her seat, then unhurriedly got in, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.

The church disappeared behind the buildings.

“The kids did great,” Audrey said.

“The kids did fantastic,” he agreed.

“Risky mentioning Magdalene,” Audrey said.

“We were losing him.”

“Still risky. You take chances, Kaldar.”

“Fortune favors the brave.”

“Or the prepared.” Audrey pulled a prepaid cell from her purse and punched in a number.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Calling Magdalene to let her know we’re canceling our evening appointment. Who knows how long Ed’s reach is? He might have someone in her office.”

JACK watched Kaldar and Audrey exit the building.

“The Witness work is over for the day,” Paul called out. “Go on.”

The kids around them scattered. Some went back to the dormitory, others headed for the exit. In a moment, only Jack and George were left standing. Farther down the hall, Ed Yonker stuck one finger into his ear and raised his cell phone to the other.

“No dinner today. Sorry, boys.” Paul spread his arms. “That rich woman messed up all of our plans. But you had McDonald’s anyway.”

“It’s fine,” George said.

Jack grimaced. “Thanks for nothing. We’ll be going now.”

Paul reached into his pocket and peeled off a small rectangle of paper. “This is the address of the Children Services Center. If you go there and register, you can come here and hand out more flyers. If you do really well, you can sleep in the dormitory here, too.”

“Dude!” George leveled a look of pure scorn at him. “We’ll find our own place to sleep.”

Ed Yonker snapped the cell phone closed and stomped down the hall toward them. A heavy stink of cloves clung to his clothes and hair. Jack moved out of Yonker’s way. George occasionally smelled like that after a session in the estate laboratory. Ed was playing with heavy-duty magic.

Ed’s gaze snagged on Jack. “You!”

Jack cringed. “I didn’t do nothing.”

“Leave my brother alone!” George moved forward.

Ed pointed at Jack. “The Berman woman likes you.” He turned to Paul. “Clean them up. I need them on their best behavior tonight and tomorrow.”

“What? But they aren’t registered with the Center . . .”

“I don’t give a goddamn if they’re registered or not. That bastard Berman is trying to buy the Graham Building from under me. No wonder that slick sonovabitch was trying so hard to slip away. That’s fine. He might have fifteen million, but I’ve got my hooks into his wife. Before long, he’ll be signing Graham over to me. Mark my words.” Ed stabbed his finger in Jack’s direction. “Get them cleaned up, Paul. I want them at tonight’s service and tomorrow at the camp front and center.” He turned and stomped down the hall.

Paul stared at them helplessly.

“A hundred bucks,” George said. “Fifty for my brother, fifty for me.”

Haeh-heh. “For fifty bucks we’ll be nice to the rich lady.” Jack nodded. “She likes my hair.”

“And if we stay overnight, we get our own room. With a lock,” George said. “And we sleep light.”