Shadow Walker by Mel Favreaux Page A

telling you what you already know. Honest Case, I don’t know what the woods have done to you, but you are smokin’ right now!”
    Amber laughed at Casey’s reddening cheeks. “It’s all the herbal medicines Braedyn’s mom has pumped us full of.”
    Dori raised her brows again and turned her attention to her. “You’re an herbalist, right? Any chance of me getting my hands on some of that…and is it legal? And if not…how easily can it be concealed?”
    Laughing even harder, she shook her head. “I’ll see what I can get my hands on for you. I think the largest part of it is being out in the fresh air as much as possible. Just getting away from all the stress and the pollution will do wonders for you. I might be able to find some things here at a whole foods place I can fix up for you.” Amber shrugged. “If not I can send you some from the shop. We have a website you can check out, too.”
    “Cool. You’ll have to show me.”
    They sat in silence for a while after that. Amber stared out the window and watched the busy city disappear behind them. Furrowing her brows she looked up at the driver. “Where are we going, driver?” she asked when she caught his gaze in the rearview mirror.
    “I’m sorry, I’d assumed that Mr. Weiss had informed you the meeting would take place just outside of Seattle. We’ll be there shortly, I assure you,” the driver said, his tone laced with apology.
    Casey frowned when she and Amber exchanged a glance.
    Dori shook her head and sighed. “Gary has never been this bad about a client before, has he?”
    “No, he hasn’t.” Casey sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “But you know how he is with privacy. He’s wanting to keep everyone away who ferrets out any information before it’s done. His goal is to show…a different side of the client than what has been shown before.”
    “Ah.” Dori nodded. “All grown up, right?”
    The scenery changed into a cute little suburb, and then became rural. Amber was surprised to see the car slow and take a dirt road that wound into the trees. Furrowing her brow, she allowed the Tigress to rise, checking for danger. She cleared her throat and gave a slight shake of her head at Casey and shrugged her shoulders.
    The forest thinned a bit and they saw the beautiful three-story mansion. In the center of the drive was an enormous water fountain, a cherub held buckets and was pouring the water into the pool at her feet. Though vines grew up the side of the home giving it an aged look, it couldn’t be more than ten years old. It had to have been the work of an incredibly skilled gardener.
    Once the vehicle was parked, the driver walked around and opened the door for them. Amber watched a short, tubby, balding, and profusely sweating middle-aged man waddle down the steps to greet them. He stopped and took a double take at Casey before extending his arms in surprise.
    “My, my, that vacation has done wonders for you!” The man grinned and took both of her hands. “You are absolutely glowing!” Perspiration dripped from his temples despite the cool weather and his face was flushed.
    A blush rose in her friend’s cheeks. “Thank you, I needed that vacation more than anything. I hate to inform you, but this will be my final shoot.”
    “You’re not retiring already?” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow.
    “My husband writes a lot for nature magazines and we’re considering joining forces. Nature photography has always been my passion.”
    He let out a deep breath and mopped his brow again. “New blood pressure medication the doctor put me on recently. It’s giving me hot flashes that rival my wife’s, I’m afraid.”
    Amber tried hard to hide her frown when Casey finally introduced them. “Amber, meet Gary Weiss. This is Amber Vaughn, a very good friend of mine. She works with my husband. And you remember my assistant, Dori Xanthis.”
    He smiled and extended the same double handed shake to her.