Skylar smiled up at him. “I think you’ll be just as handsome as ever.”
Barry blushed as he mumbled, “Och, I’m nae some braw lad, me.”
I’d found the first aid kit when Regge came back. He crouched in front of Barry and Skylar on the stairs.
“I’ve called Theo,” he said. “He’ll be here when Shorty gets back. We still have the bloody sheets from when Ziggy worked on Julian. I’ll have one of the guys dig them out of the dumpster. Between that and a little psychic suggestion from Theo, Shorty should have a solid story for his boss. One that he’ll believe himself.”
“You think that will be the last of them?” Pery joined us.
Regge nodded. “Theo once convinced twelve men and a coroner that the man they were burying was Christopher Marlowe. Yet Marlowe is alive and living in the here and now. We really need to draw as little attention as possible.”
“Ah’m sorry,” Barry mumbled. “I’m too damned big, too clumsy.”
“Barry.” I patted him on the arm. “You saved us all. Thank you. And we need our electrician, so you’re sticking around, okay?”
The giant sniffed and nodded.
“Why did the guns work?” Pery asked. “I thought this place was warded.”
“It was,” I said. But they must have worn off. I’m not an expert. Theo can redo my sigil work. That should put things right.”
Regge smiled at me. “I’ll add it to our punch list. Everybody else okay?” At nods and smiles, he grinned. “Pery?”
“Yeah, Boss. I’m fine,” Pery answered. “I’ll have one of the guys keep a lookout from now on.”
Regge nodded. “Good. Thanks. Back to work, everyone.” He turned to me. “Now, where were we?”
We headed to the basement. This time we descended the stairs and hallway together.
“Kenny? You down here?” Regge called out. There was no answer.
“Yeah, only Nigel could get Kenny to show up, I think. Still, he keeps things running.”
“I think what we were looking for is here.” Regge stopped in front of an aluminum panel the size of a medicine cabinet. Painted the same dingy gray as the wall, it would be easily overlooked. He popped it with the side of his fist. The door sprang open.
Inside was a rock. The size of a softball, irregular-shaped, dark and rough.
“Wow, that is so underwhelming.” I squinted at it, hoping for more.
Regge snickered. “Touch it. I dare you.”
I recoiled. “No way. You touch it.”
He grinned as he extended a finger into the space. He got about an inch away from the rock when a tiny blue arc leaped out to zap his finger. Jerking back, he swore.
I laughed but grabbed his finger and kissed it better. “See? It’s never a dull minute around here, is it?”
“Nope.” Regge smiled at me.
“Thank you for trusting me with, well, everything.”
“Remember that conversation we had about normal? About people doing ordinary everyday things and it being fun. That it was great because they had someone to do all those mundane things with?”
I nodded. “Yes. Someone that made everything—even the shit things—better, just because they loved you.”
“You are that for me, Hunter. My person to do all the ordinary shit with. And the not-so-ordinary shit too. We’re getting better at that, I think. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side in dealing with wolves and giants and mobsters.” Regge stepped into my arms. “And I love you.” Those last words were murmured into the fleece of my hoodie.
I leaned back so I could look at him. “I love you. More.”
