“Are you Killian Delaney?”
A frown tugged at Killian’s eyebrows. Not another Incarnyx recruiter? “I am. Have we met?”
The woman held out her hand. Killian took it. “No. I’m Maryl Blake. I was a huge MMA fan in high school. I’ve seen you fight. You were awesome.”
For a brief time Killian had entertained the idea of being a professional fighter, but then life happened, and then prison happened, and that was the end of that. Funny, how she still ended up getting paid to do violence, just not in front of a crowd.
She smiled at the younger woman. “Thanks. That’s nice to hear.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. I mean… why would you need a self-help class?” Maryl held up her hand. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m here because I thought Incarnyx might have something to offer me. Same reason you’re here, right?”
Maryl hesitated. “Yeah, sure. My fiancé bought me the weekend for my birthday. He thinks the program will help me.”
“Does he?” Killian kept her tone light.
“Yeah. I think he’s right. Just listening to Mina and Lyria makes me want to be a better person.”
Killian willed herself not to cringe. “They were inspirational.”
A second of awkward silence fell between them. Maryl smiled. “Well, it was awesome meeting you. Would it be okay if I said hello to you tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’ll appreciate a friendly face.”
The younger woman’s smile brightened. “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Killian watched her walk away. What was it about her that attracted people who were abused by others?
“Everyone, may I have your attention, please?” Mina called out. All eyes turned toward where she stood at the front of the room, Lyria by her side. God, the girl looked exhausted.
“I want to thank you all for joining us today, and tell you how much all of us at Incarnyx look forward to taking these first steps of self-discovery with you. A reminder that we start tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, so please plan to be here a few minutes early. We’ll have coffee, tea, and a continental breakfast, and we’ll provide lunch as well, during which we’ll have a very special guest speaker. So, go have yourselves a lovely rest of the evening, and we’ll see you in the morning!”
Everyone else applauded, so Killian did, too. Lyria shot her a quick glance, but it was pointed enough for Killian to know that they’d have to continue their conversation the next day. The girl had started to tell her something, but what?
Killian followed the crowd out of the room—much like a herd of sheep, she realized—and collected her belongings from the locker where she’d left them. She had a text from Dash on her phone, just checking in. She’d call him when she reached the hotel.
On the way to her car, she caught sight of Maryl in the parking lot. She was with a guy who had ahold of her by the arm. Maryl had to hurry to keep up with his longer stride. He had to be the fiancé, the asshole who wanted that sweet thing to be a “better person.” He was the one who needed the attitude adjustment. Christ, he practically tossed Maryl into the car like she was luggage instead of a person.
Killian hated bullies. But she loved smacking them around.
She unlocked the door to the Impala with the hint of a smile. It just might make the weekend worthwhile if she got to knock Maryl’s fiancé on his ass before the end of it. She’d consider it a bonus.
THREE
Well,” Joe began as he closed the truck door. “How did that go?”
Maryl rubbed her arm where he’d grabbed her. Tossing her around like a bag of flour was part of the deal, but it still hurt. “Good, I think. I told her I was an MMA fan and recognized her from her fighting days. I think she bought it.”
“She doesn’t look that tough.”
She snorted. “Seriously? Did you watch the videos of her fighting?”
He started the engine and put the truck in reverse. “No. I’ve been spending most of my time surveilling our power couple.” He twisted his torso to look out the back window. The truck began to move backward. “Explain to me why she is a person of interest again?”
Maryl sighed. Joe was a great partner who always had her back, but he really wasn’t one for doing any kind of homework unless he had to. He let her do it. “She’s friendly with Ilyana Woodward’s girlfriend. She’s got a criminal record and she was visited by Woodward’s girlfriend just a few days ago. Also, a third party paid the registration fee for her to be here this weekend. Doesn’t that seem a little too coincidental to you?”
“Yeah, but what’s her objective? Did Woodward hire her to protect her daughters, or to get revenge on her ex? Or is it something else?”
“I don’t even have a guess, but when someone like her suddenly shows up in the middle of one of our operations, it’s worth looking into.”
“True. Hopefully she won’t be trouble.”
“Oh, she’s going to be trouble regardless. I just hope neither one of us has to go up against her.”
Joe smirked. “Seriously?”
Maryl rolled her eyes. “You’re the one she thinks is abusive. I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you. Maybe she doesn’t like bullies.”
He shrugged. “I’m not too worried. What was she locked up for anyway?”
“How have you not gotten yourself or someone else killed yet? She beat a man to the brink of death with her bare hands and an assortment of other weapons.”
Joe cast her a narrow glance out of the corner of his eye. “You shitting me?”
Maryl shook her head. Now he was paying attention. Good. “Remember Rank Cirello?”
“Crime boss who offed himself a few months back? Yeah, no one cried for that guy. He looked like Dr. Frankenstein put him together.”
“Yeah, Delaney did that.”
“Fuck off.” His expression was comical. “That was her?”
Maryl laughed. “You know, you really should read the files we’re given. You’d know all of this if you had done the homework you were supposed to do.”
Joe grinned. “No reason for me to have to do it when you’ve done it. Shit. I guess she’s tougher than she looks.”
“I guess so. Anyway, I think I can get close to her without making her suspicious.”
“Careful. If she did time she might have developed a preference for taco.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Jesus. If I made a joke like that to you, you’d be all indignant for your asshole.” Maryl shook her head with a smile. “Pull into a drive-through. I’m starving.”
The first fast-food place they found was a Wendy’s, so Joe pulled into the line. “So, what if Delaney proves to be trouble rather than an asset? What’s the plan?”
“We remove her from play,” Maryl replied resolutely. “Bringing down Incarnyx could make both of our careers. I’m not about to let some bitch get in the way of that, no matter how much respect I have for her skills.”
Joe turned to look at her with an arched brow. “All right. What do you want to eat? I’m guessing not taco salad?”