Patrick knew that wouldn’t last for long, but so long as it lasted beyond this case, they’d be fine.
The front door opened right as Jono got out of the Mustang. Sage came out wearing dark skinny jeans and a fitted black T-shirt. Rather than sneakers, she had on ballet flats, which Patrick figured would be easier to lose if she had to shift to her weretiger form. Her necklace with its turquoise artifact hung from her neck, the only bit of color in her entire outfit.
Marek followed her out of the building while Emma and Leon chose to lounge by the front door. Patrick hit the button to roll down the window. “You’re staying put, Marek.”
Marek rolled his eyes. “I know. I just came down to tell you that I have a bad feeling about tonight.”
“Did you have a vision?”
Marek rested his arm on the roof of the car and stared at Patrick through the open window. Behind him, Wade was being ushered up the stairs by Jono and let in by Leon.
“Not so much a vision as a gut feeling,” Marek said slowly. “The Norns still can’t see the future, so whatever is going on, you’re smack in the middle of it.”
“That’s not new.”
“Yeah, well, you have my fiancée watching your back, so don’t do anything stupid.”
Patrick turned to look at Sage’s left hand but didn’t see a ring. “Thatis new. Congratulations.”
“Marriage is one of the oldest forms of contracts. It’s another layer of protection the god pack will have a difficult time breaking,” Sage explained. “And it’s not new. We’ve been talking about it for a while now. Sunday changed everything.”
“I’m shutting down Tiffany’s for Sage to pick out a ring the second this case is over. Don’t ruin my plans, Patrick,” Marek said.
“Now you’re just asking for shit to go down,” Patrick said. “Go feed Wade. He needs another meal.”
“We ordered pizza,” Emma said from the doorway.
Marek pushed away from the car, and Jono took his place, leaning down to tug Patrick into a quick kiss. “Keep your mobile on you.”
“Here’s hoping I won’t need to call in the cavalry,” Patrick said.
“I’d be the first one there.” Jono let out a heavy breath. “Next time you want to piss off a nutter, I’m going with you.”
“I’m kind of hoping there won’t be a next time.”
“You’re helping Lucien take over the Manhattan Night Court. There will be a next time.”
Patrick switched off the hazard lights and lowered the emergency brake. “Don’t remind me.”
“Stay alive,” Jono said in lieu of goodbye.
“Admit it. You’ve been talking to Gerard.”
Jono smirked at the mention of Gerard Breckenridge, Patrick’s old team captain of the Hellraisers. “What’s it you Yanks always say? I plead the Fifth.”
Jono smacked the top of the roof before stepping up onto the sidewalk. Patrick took his foot off the brake and hit the gas, driving down the block to take a left on Fifth Avenue.
“Where are we meeting Einar?” Sage asked.
“At the club,” Patrick replied.
After what happened Monday with the god pack, Patrick had called Lucien to give him a heads-up on what Patrick had planned. Getting agency approval to go forward first meant Lucien couldn’t really tell Patrick no. Patrick’s contract with the SOA superseded his promise to Lucien. It didn’t quite cancel things out and never would, but it was a roadblock Lucien had to work around.
Sage had been the one to come up with that tiny bit of wiggle room. Patrick could honestly say having a lawyer in his corner was actually working out well for once.
Too bad she couldn’t get the DEA off his back.
His phone rang, a number with a Washington, DC, area code flashing across the screen. Patrick answered it, thinking it was from the legal department at the SOA. He was wrong.
