Bedtime came around far too fast, and not fast enough.
I tucked her in. “Remember Folk will be here in the morning, so be careful if you jump on my bed, in case you jump on him by mistake.”
Ivy giggled. “Rubi said I might bounce through the roof if I land onhim.”
“Well, he’s probably right. So be careful, okay?”
Her answer was noncommittal but as good as I was going to get. I found her fox and handed him over. Then I left her to sleep while I went downstairs and paced around, clock watching, before it occurred to me to check my bedroom. It had been a while since I’d been in it longer than it took to raid the washing basket.
Since I’d slept in my bed.
I stopped in the doorway and viewed the room with new eyes. Aside from the washing basket, it looked like no one lived here, but in my defence, I didn’t have much stuff. Only Folk probably had less.
Saint.
Locke.
Okay. Maybe I wasn’t as unique as I thought.
I ventured further in and drew the curtains.
Opened them again.
What are you doing?
Honestly, I had no idea.
13
FOLK
Nine o’clock wasn’t typically an hour that meant much to me. Most nights it came and went without me noticing.
Tonight I watched the hours, minutes, and seconds count down like my life depended on it, and I was on my Fat Boy at the stroke of quarter to.
On Decoy’s doorstep fifteen minutes later with a foil-wrapped package Rubi had pressed into my hands at the last minute.
“Dinner.”
“You already fed me.”
“It’s for tomorrow. Deeks gets stressed about feeding Ivy all proper like, and I know she likes this.”
“What is it?”
“Officially? Cheesy-peasy pasta bake, so you can eat it too. Now off you fuck.”
Only Rubi could talk to me like he was twenty years older instead of a few years younger, but as the door to Decoy’s house swung open, I forgot all about it. Forgot just about everything in the face of the visceral reaction my body had to him. “Hey.”
Decoy gave me a tight grin. “Hey yourself. Come in.”
“Can we do a walk-around first?”
“A what?”
I passed him Rubi’s magic parcel and the bag on my back. “I need to check your security.”
For a minute, I thought he might refuse. Then his expression cleared and he nodded. “Give me a sec.”
