The Detective Inspectors (The Doorknob Society Saga Book 4) Read Free Page A

disadvantage.”
     She watched me like a cat waiting to devour a mouse. She was an idiot if she thought I’d play cat and mouse with her. I raised a clenched fist. “Speak for yourself.”
     “You don’t give up do you?”
    “My father taught me that that was not an option.” Mom’s eyes glazed over for a brief moment and the coldness fell away, yet when she blinked the ice queen quickly returned.
    “You’re as much of a fool as he was.”
    “Good, at least I take after the one parent I care about.”
    “I offered you the world. You could be with us when we achieve victory over the Old Kind.”
    “Just who are us ?”
    “The First Kind of course.”
     “That’s not what I hear.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Word I’ve been hearing is that you’re the lapdog for someone bigger.”
    “And where did you hear that, your friends?” She hadn’t moved or attempted to go for her Skelton Key.
     “Actually no... yours.”
    “What?”
    “Ms. True shared that bit of news with me when she offered me the truce.”
     “Did she now?”
     Her cool exterior cracked for a moment and I could almost see her mind racing. She hadn’t known about my meeting with True and that appeared to worry her.
    “Seems like someone is leaving you out of the loop.”
    “An oversight I will resolve shortly.” She smiled, cold and confident. “Now back to our current situation, daughter. I give you credit for the escape, but it won’t help. I’ve given you too many opportunities as it is and I need this resolved.”
    “Upper management getting on you about me?” I started moving again, very slowly in the direction of my Doorknob.
    “I answer to no one!” she yelled.
    “Right, of course.”
    “Enough of this, I don’t have the time for nonsense.” With a dismissive wave of her hand at me, she looked around. The beach stretched out in front of us, waves crashing only a few yards away “Where are we?”
    Her voice wavered for a moment and I took the opportunity. “The Bahamas... our beach.” We’d come here all the time when I was young. It was one of the few family memories that always stuck with me. I could almost see myself building sand castles while Mom and Dad lounged on beach chairs.
    Mom looked around, as if searching for something. Or was that confusion? I didn’t wait to see. I jumped forward rolling along the sand and snatched up my Doorknob. My forward roll brought me to my feet and I snapped my hand out bringing my energy whip to life. I spun snaking it toward Mom, but she was gone.
     I didn’t see the bolt. It caught me so hard in the side that it sent me flipping through the air and landed me smack into the tumbling waves. I sputtered and spit out water as I struggled to stand and grimaced when my side exploded in pain.
    “Did you think bringing me here would stop me?” She rushed into the water, her Skeleton Key glowing brightly.
     She brought it around in an arc, creating an energy whip of her own and with one crack caught my shoulder. I scrambled away from her toward the beach, covering my retreat by spinning my whip to block any attacks.
    “I know you want to kill me, Talia, just like you did Dad. But that’s not going to happen; I’m going to get you first.” I snapped my whip out and nearly caught her, but she sidestepped at the last moment.
    “Finally you’ve got the killer instinct.” She smiled and it filled me with unrelenting anger. “I was starting to think you weren’t my daughter.”
    Her power rose like a mighty hand ready to lash out at me and I backed away. She was in pure fight mode— I wasn’t—my side was on fire and I knew the best thing was to get the hell out of there if I had any chance of saving Edgar.
    Naturally, I couldn’t leave without saying a few loving words. “Kiss my ass.”
     Then I quickly feigned an attack and when her shield came up, I ran toward the water. I let my whip dissolve and twisted my knob opening a portal into the waves and