We both curved around a woman with a steaming cup of coffee gripped in her right hand and two leashes for her rowdy dogs in the other. The lady must have been trying to get burned. That was a bad decision altogether.
Bel teetered his right hand in front him. “He…may…have lost an arm somewhere in the middle of our argument. It was about a hundred years ago. Not long enough for him to forget.”
I shook my head in exasperation and asked in a voice full of doubt, “Are you sure he’ll help us?”
“If he doesn’t do it willingly, I’ll make him.”
“That’s the team spirit.” I sniffed. “I don’t have many changes of clothes in my backpack. I ended up bringing more weapons than garments. So make sure to keep the splatterawayfrom me.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll try my very best.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
We took a right at the stoplight. “What’s the street called that we’re looking for?”
“The cross street is Princes Street.”
I nodded primly. “A fine royal name.”
“Don’t expect refinery with Lonzo. He’s more like a mob boss to many of these businesses, and he dabbles in drugs more than not.”
Bel grabbed two apples off a vending cart as we walked by, the human not noticing. He tossed me one, and I caught it. We ambled down the sidewalk and munched on our apples and people-watched for the next five minutes.
My lover tossed his apple core in a trashcan as we passed another intersection. With a mouth full of a hurried last bite, he sputtered, “We’re almost there. Finish eating.”
I bit off the last bit and tossed the apple core into a woman’s purse as she raced past us, her high heelsclick-click-click-click-clickingon the concrete. Highly annoying. With shoes that tall, she should have run on the balls of her feet for added silence.
Bel placed a possessive hand on the small of my back and pointed with his free hand. “Do you see the red cigar shop?”
“Yes.” That was a loud red.
“Lonzo lives beneath that. I hope he lets us in quickly. It’s getting busier out here. The humans may take notice if I start shooting someone in broad daylight.”
As to not be taken unaware again, I questioned delicately, “Is Lonzo an oldfriendof yours?”
“No, he and I have never been together.” He shook his head roughly. “Whatever is running through your head, I want you to flip it. And then twist it. That is Lonzo.”
My lips twitched. “How in the world did you meet him?”
“A bar, I think.” We stopped in front of the cigar shop and faced it. With his hand still on the small of my back, he lifted his right foot and banged down on the sidewalk six times. Anyone who was looking at us on the street instantly turned away as if they had forgotten we were right in front of them. He grunted. “Now, we wait.”
IYAWNED AND LEANEDAGAINST THE KING,pressing my head further against his chest. “This man really doesn’t like you.”
Bel wrapped his arms around my frame. He asked in a tired voice, “How many druids have come and gone so far?”
“Too many to count.”
“This is bullshit.” He lifted his right foot and slammed it down on the ground six times. The sun had set long ago, and the stars were now twinkling above us. “If he doesn’t let us in within the hour, I’m going to break in.”
“He’s sure to help us then.” I snorted and wrapped my arms around him, not giving a shit about my no touching rule right now. He was a furnace against the cold night. “Maybe if I knock, he’ll open it?”
“It can’t hurt to try at this point,” Bel growled.
I tapped my right footsoftlyon the ground six times.
The sidewalk directly in front of us opened up, a set of stone stairs appeared, leading underground.
I jerked away from the king, and growled, “Hurry. Before it closes.”
