Kid stood before a wooden rail to the stairwell that led to the second floor, where Maggie’s room was. His gaze flashed to Treycore.
Kinzer figured Kid was smitten. Treycore’s physique was impressive, even to immortals. He could only imagine how it affected a mortal.
“This is bullshit.” Treycore shoved his cell in his pocket. “Where the fuck is everyone?”
Dedrus ducked beneath the coffee table. He rose, his hands filled with white cracker bags. He set them on the table.
“Dedrus, seriously? Are you gonna keep cleaning, or are we gonna figure out what the fuck we’re gonna do?”
“Voicemail,” he said. “Maybe someone already warned them.” He pressed his thumb against his phone screen and set it beside the cracker bags.
They’d been attempting to reach their contacts, Donna and Krimson, for the past half an hour. Anxiety rushed through Kinzer. Something was up.
“Yeah. They’d warn them and not us?” Treycore said. “Doubtful.”
“We need to get her out of here,” Kinzer said. “If the Raze is on to the Leader’s Allies, they could come here.”
“No way.” Dedrus, still kneeling, picked up wrappers and Styrofoam coffee cups off the floor and added them to his collection on the table. “All our work is tied to another location. We don’t use this house for any transactions. Not with the Council. Not with the Leader’s Allies. There’s no way they can find us.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, we’re sure.” Treycore stepped toward Kinzer, broadening his shoulders like he was trying to intimidate Kinzer. “You think we’re morons?”
“Not both of you,” Kinzer said.
Treycore’s face flashed red. A ripping sound filled the air as his biceps flexed against his sleeves. He balled his fists and marched at Kinzer.
Dedrus leapt up from the floor and wedged between them, as he’d done back at Dick Dongs. “Are we seriously gonna do this all night? Treycore, Janka’s dead. Give him a break.”
Those words pained Kinzer. They made him want to tear into Treycore, not because of anything Treycore had done, but because he wanted to beat the shit out of something—anything.
“Whatever,” Treycore said. “We’re done with this shit. I’m gonna go to bed.”
“Good,” Kinzer said. “Let the grown-ups handle the planning.”
“Kinzer,” Dedrus hissed.
Treycore shoved Dedrus’s shoulder to the side as he headed across the room. He slipped by Kid and started up the stairwell.
“Will you get Kid settled?” Dedrus asked.
Treycore stopped halfway up the stairs. He rolled his eyes and turned his wince to Kid.
“What am I? A babysitter?”
Dedrus didn’t respond. He just eyed him until Treycore finally said, “Get your ass up here, smelly.”
Kinzer thought it was harsh to call a mortalsmelly. It was true, but it wasn’t their fault that the Almighty had been so sloppy with their creation.
Kid turned to Kinzer, his eyes filled with concern, as if he was psychically saying,“This guy’s not gonna kill me, right?”Kinzer tossed his head to the side, indicating that he should follow Treycore.
Treycore was an ass, but he wasn’t going to hurt him.
Kid’s jeans flashed behind the wooden rail posts as he made his way up the stairs.
***
“Again, sorry about the mess,” Dedrus repeated.
