Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6 by Kathleen Brooks (well read books TXT) 📗

Mallory and Blythe joked about even needing to change clothes for the hardcore workout.

“Mitzi, not like that,” Tinsley heard Miss Ruby say.

“Fiddlesticks. I’m better at knitting,” Miss Mitzi said as they approached the door.

“Darn, it sounds exhausting. I should have brought some more water,” Mallory joked.

“No, Mitzi. Like this.” Tinsley and Harper hurried into the room just as Mitzi fired the crossbow. The arrow zoomed through the air and lodged in the door right next to Blythe’s head.

“What the hell?” Blythe cursed as she pulled her gun.

“Can you move a little to the right, dear?” Miss Ruby asked Blythe. “And stand very still. I want to show Mitzi how to line up the sights on the crossbow. Don’t worry, I probably won’t shoot you.”

Mallory didn’t risk standing next to Blythe and leaped into the room doing an action movie-worthy tuck and roll as Miss Ruby fired off the crossbow. The arrow lodged an inch above Blythe’s head.

“I can’t shoot an old lady,” Blythe said standing frozen. “What do I do?”

“You any good with that?” Miss Ruby asked her as she motioned toward the gun.

“Yes. Very.”

“Then come try the crossbow. Mitzi’s much better with a boarding pike anyway,” Miss Ruby told her and motioned for her to join her.

Tinsley went to the armory door and entered a code. The lock slid free and she opened the metal doors wide.

“Your church has an armory filled with swords. I’m at a loss for words,” Mallory muttered in amazement.

“The town and church were founded by pirates. These are what they left the women to defend the town with,” Miss Winnie said as she shuffled toward them with a dagger in her hand. She reached in and handed a cutlass to Harper and then one to Tinsley. “You look like a boarding ax kind of girl. You think you can handle the weight?” Miss Winnie asked Mallory.

“Yes! Rapiers, cutlasses, axes, this is amazing,” Mallory said reverently while Blythe squealed with excitement as she hit the bullseye with the crossbow.

“This is the best class ever!” Blythe yelled out.

Tinsley laughed as she began the introductions. Soon they were all covered in sweat as they practiced their sword work. Time passed and Tinsley found herself feeling better as she worked out her anxiety for Paxton’s safety. So that’s why Harper was in such good shape. She worked out to take her mind off the danger the man she loved was in.

Somewhere between throwing knives and fencing with the rapier, Tinsley had felt the knowledge settle into her heart. My, how things had changed. She took aim and with the flick of her wrist sent the knife flying. The knife landed in the bullseye with a satisfying thunk. She’d been wrong about her first impression of Paxton. It gave her pause as she pulled the knife free from the wood target. Now that she knew the depth of her feelings, what did she do about it?

17

Paxton looked up at the rusted, old plumbers box van. He had never been in the van, and this time he would be exclusively in the van. Opening the back doors, though, didn’t bring him face to face with a dirty interior. No, the interior was shining and full of monitors, computers, and other surveillance devices.

Paxton went to get in when Cy put a hand on his arm and stopped him. “If you see me touching my thumb to my middle finger, cut the surveillance.”

“Got it, but Cy, Peewee isn’t dangerous. He’ll tell you anything for the right price,” Paxton said of the criminal informant both he and Connor had used in the past.

“You never know. This is for now and anytime in the future. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cy flipped up the hood of his black sweatshirt. Nighttime in Atlanta was still hot, so Paxton had no idea how Cy was surviving the heat, but the man didn’t seem bothered by it—or the massive number of weapons he was carrying under his sweatshirt. Including a weapon Paxton had never seen before.

“Ready to roll?” Connor asked from the back of the van.

“Let’s go.” Paxton stepped up into the back of the van to join Connor and Peter as Cy shut the doors. The van took off as Cy and his crew got ready to walk to the corner where Peewee was known for selling drugs.

The van parked a short distance from the corner, but they still had visual and audio on Peewee. He’d earned the nickname because he was tiny—not just short, but scrawny as well.

Kord was the first to approach Peewee with Dare a short distance behind him. Granger and Cy took up positions on each side of the group, effectively surrounding him, but kept their eyes roving the streets behind them.

“Hey, man. I heard you were who we should talk to for information,” Kord said with his patented easygoing smile.

Peewee looked nervous. “What kind of information?”

“Don’t worry, it’s the kind we pay for,” Kord said easily as he pulled a hundred dollar bill from his back pocket.

Peewee took it but Paxton could see the indecision on his face. “What do I have to do for it?”

“We need to know what’s going on with the Myriads,” Kord said. “Can you tell us about them?”

Peewee nodded. “I can, but they’re dangerous. I ain’t putting my life on the line for a hundred bucks.”

Dare peeled off another hundred-dollar bill and handed it to him. “No more negotiating. We’ve paid fairly. I want to know all about their expansion.”

Peewee leaned forward and dropped his voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but they took over six more blocks here in Atlanta. They expanded to Jacksonville, Florida; Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Charleston in the last six months.”

“That takes money. Where did they get it?” Dare asked.

“That’s the thing. Nobody really knows,” Peewee admitted. “There’s talk of a merger with someone from out of town.”

“A national gang?” Dare asked.

“No one knows. I’d tell ya if I did. Word is something big is going down. Lots of money involved and only the