Free Whisper of Shadows (The Diamond City Magic Novels) by Diana Pharaoh Francis Page A

boobs. I also had an emergency pack strapped around my thigh. It contained a couple hundred bucks, a knife, and some ChapStick.
    He handed me a pair of gloves. “Take these.” With that, he shut the back of the SUV and pushed me toward the rail, out of sight of the road.
    “Get going.” He hesitated. “If this does go sideways, I’m counting on you to help my brother.”
    “I told you I wasn’t backing off,” I said. “For the record, if this goes sideways, I’ll come for you, too.” I flashed a slightly malevolent grin. “You’d better hope I’m not as incompetent as you think.”
    I didn’t wait for his answer, since he’d probably have argued that he didn’t need my help, and there was no time for that. More cars were stopping and already the traffic jam extended to the top of the rise in both directions. If this was a trap, the bad guys had planned it well, and they’d be moving in already. They’d be looking for us and expecting us to run. They’d be lying in wait. I needed to go carefully.
    I did have one option they didn’t know about, if they didn’t stop me first with binders. Like Touray, I could travel. Different road, different mechanism, but I’d recently found out that I could pull myself from one place to another through the realm of the dead. It was dangerous. Possibly fatal. The spirit realm didn’t exactly welcome live people. Staying too long was a sure ticket to the morgue, and you could count too long in seconds. I was still recovering from my recent injuries and adventures in the spirit realm. I wasn’t sure I could actually pull myself through at the moment. I felt okay, but it had only been a few days since I’d been through hell fighting off Percy Caldwell and his goons. If I risked it and failed, I’d be too dead to help Price. On the other hand, trying it was better than getting captured.
    I tucked the option in my back pocket and looked around. First I’d try for a good old-fashioned escape. Guilt twisted in my chest. I ignored it. Touray could take care of himself. Besides, someone needed to run away to return and fight another day.

Chapter 5
    I DUCKED BACK behind the SUV, then jogged down the sidewalk. Maybe jog is too strong a word. I went as fast as I could without slipping and breaking my ass. I wasn’t far above the berm where the elevated road met dirt. Unfortunately, mounded snow made it impossible to go that way. We’d had a thaw and then a freeze followed by some snow. The layer of ice beneath the new snow made for dangerous trekking. Traversing it wasn’t a great option in snow boots and ski pants, much less in a dress and high heels.
    I decided to stay on the sidewalk. I’d be too visible on the white expanse of snow to make a good getaway, and at least I had cars to hide behind.
    Trying to keep an eye on Touray distracted me from my own escape. He’d strode up the road, pushing past the rubberneckers and into the thick of the accident, not making any attempt to hide. Probably he hoped our enemies would focus on him while I got away. He headed for the ambulance first. It still lay on its side, having done one and a half revolutions. He was first to get there and yank open the doors.
    I skidded on some ice and remembered I was supposed to be fleeing the scene. I glanced back up into traffic. I knew Mason and the other guards were somewhere in the jam. I guessed they’d abandoned their vehicles and were coming on foot. I didn’t have time to wait.
    Beside me, a blue sedan sat idling, the people inside keeping warm. I moved past. The snick of doors opening sent chills up my spine. I didn’t wait to see if they were enemies. I broke into a run, dodged in front of the next car, and then sprinted down toward the intersection. I slipped on ice. My arms windmilled, and I lurched sideways against the back end of a truck. The driver’s door flung open.
    “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” A bulky gray-headed man launched out of the seat. He