Page 58 of Deathtoll

“As soon as the police figure out what’s going on,” Kate told Emma, “you can come back.”

“I just got a job.”

“Alice will understand.”

“I can’t believe you’re kicking me out.”

“To keep you safe.”

“Like you faked your death to keep me safe. Like you stayed away for years, letting me grieve. All to keep me safe.” Emma was seething, stepping farther back, putting more distance between them.

“We’ve already talked about that. I explained why.”

“Isn’t it great for you to be deciding what’s best for everyone all the time?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Kate snapped, losing her own patience. “What’s so hard to understand about that?”

“Why are you in charge of my safety?” Emma shouted.

“Because you’re my little sister!” Kate shouted back, getting good and angry. “I can take care of myself better than you can. I spent three years taking self-defense classes from Murph in Ohio.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “So if you won’t let me stay and help because I’m younger and not a ninja, then you’ll let Murph help you, right? He’s older, and I bet he still has better hand-to-hand combat skills than you do, despite all yourextensivetraining.”

Kate gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to say anything she would regret later, but dammit… “Emma, I love you. But I want you to go home to Mom and Dad until this, whatever this is, blows over.”

“You’re seriously uninviting me?”

“Yes. And I’m also going to uninvite Mom and Dad.”

If her family was mad at her, Kate could live with that. But she didn’t know what she’d do if harm came to them.

God, shehatedto have to fight with Emma over this. “Listen. I—”

The doorbell interrupted. Maybe just as well.

Kate strode over to the window to look out. She wasn’t going to open the door without checking first who was out there, not in the foreseeable future.

She swore under her breath.

“Because my day wasn’t complete,” she said as she stepped to the door and opened it.

“What’s that?” Murph tapped his ear with a goofy grin that only made him more ridiculously handsome. “Did you sayYou complete me?”

“So not funny.”

He dropped the grin. “I wanted to make sure you two were all right. I know you want distance, but how about we do the distance thing when you’re safe?”

“She’s protector goddess of all!” Emma shouted from the living room. “Nobody can protect her. Sorry!”

Murph raised an eyebrow.

Kate sighed. “We had a fight. I asked her to go back to LA.”

“Best idea you’ve had lately.”

“Freaking traitor!” Emma shouted.

“We love you!” Murph shouted back, then he lowered his voice. “How do you feel about me moving in? Temporarily.”