Everyone looked at Daniel, who looked at Nicolas, who said, “I taped the burner phone you guys gave me to the underside of Kyle Morris’s car. The location’s turned on, so as long as it didn’t fall off, you should be able to see where he’s going. I’d get eyes on him ASAP, though, because the duct tape I used may not last.”
“We’ll take it in shifts,” Talon said.
“Not it to start,” Shadrach said quickly, putting his index finger to the tip of his nose. Valac looked confused until Julian grabbed his hand and put his finger to his own nose.
Talon sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine, I will start. Eight hour shifts between the three of us, since we can teleport. Ashmedai could chip in, make it six hours.” He looked askance at the sin eater, who nodded.
“I can help, as long as my shift is at night.”
“Of course. Was that all?”
Nicolas sighed. “No. They’re pretty upset about Casey’s death.”
Daniel winced.
“They’re planning an attack of some kind. I don’t know how or when. Sloan went through my phone to make sure I haven’t been in contact with Danny, and someone followed me home. It’s good that they don’t know where you guys live right now. That’ll make it harder.”
“And our wards on the Rink keep it from being invaded,” Nathan said.
“Good, good. That’s something, then,” Nicolas said, passing a hand across his jaw.
“I suggest we all stay away from the Rink for the time being,” Talon said.
“But we have clients,” Alex protested.
“Your day job will have to wait, little bird,” Talon saidgently. “Once we have the kids back, we can reassess. It helps that we know to expect an attack.” He offered Nicolas a nod of appreciation.
“Oh, shit,” Luke said suddenly, like something just occurred to him. He reached automatically for Malachi, who gripped his hand tightly.
“What, treasure?”
“The kids. Angie and Zach. If they can’t find us, they could try to draw us out. What better way than with the bargaining chips they already have?” He looked sick.
“All the more reason to hurry up and find them,” Ashmedai said. “Besides… I’m getting hungry.”
Shadrach grinned eagerly, and Nathan shivered. Nicolas, if possible, sagged even more firmly against him, like the threat in his words was reassuring. The golden light of his soul spilled from his very pores, and Ashmedai couldn’t resist leaning in, pressing his face into Nicolas’s unruly curls and inhaling deeply, his honey sweet scent filling Ashmedai’s lungs.
“Hey, why don’t you all come over tonight?” Julian suggested. “We can’t patrol, and we can’t go to the Rink. We might as well bide our time with steaks and beer. The paladins don’t know where our house is, so we’ll be safe there.”
“That sounds great,” Daniel said. “I could use the distraction.”
Talon jerked his chin at Ashmedai. “I’ll bring you a burner phone. You’ll need it to coordinate with us for our shifts. For now, I’ll take Alex back home and then go find the human.” He pointed sternly at Shadrach. “Be ready in six hours.”
Shadrach saluted drolly. “Yessir.”
Chapter 21
Nicolas
Nicolas hadmany fond memories of helping Julian fix up his old house. Nestled in a nice neighborhood that wasn’t quite old enough to be considered historical, he bought it for a steal when he was just twenty years old because it was in near shambles. The front porch had been falling in, the windows busted, the floors and walls scuffed and dirty. The wallpaper had been peeling from the bathroom walls, the plumbing was ancient, the kitchen cabinets dated and dreary. Nicolas, newly appointed captain of his very first—and very young—squad, had offered to help, and it turned into a team-building activity. The whole squad spent just as much time at Julian’s as they did at HQ. It became a second home for all of them. They were thick as thieves, at least for a time.
Julian’s new house was far different. Located outside the city, it was a quiet farmhouse with a wraparound porch hidden beyond a copse of trees that converged around the edge of the property. The sounds of the city seemed mutedand distant, the surrounding greenery giving the illusion of solitude. It was peaceful.
The house itself was in need of work. Some of the siding was broken in places, and the corner of the porch was being held up by fresh, unpainted slabs of wood, because one of the pillars was broken. It wasn’t the only place where work was obviously being done. Paint cans were stacked on the front porch. Some of the window shutters had been removed and were laying across a pair of sawhorses out in the yard.
It was different, but it reminded him so much of that happy time that his heart ached.
And then Julian opened the front door, beaming at him, with Valac standing over his shoulder and Daniel visible in the room beyond them, and the ache became a growing warmth. It was funny how things could be so different and yet so much the same.
