Sly stopped reading, laid the book face down to hold his place, and strolled over to answer the knock at his door.
“Merry, you’re back. Did Jules have anything to say for himself?”
Merry sagged against the door jam. “Oh, Sly. I hate to put you on the spot so soon, but do you think you could go upstairs and keep an eye on the second-floor apartments, just for a few minutes.”
“Sure. Why? Was he a jackass about it? Are you afraid he’ll vandalize the place?”
“No. Well, not on purpose and no more than he already has.”
Sly zoomed around Merry and up the stairs faster than she could say, ‘please’.
Morgaine was just descending the stairs and they met in the middle. “Is everything okay?” she asked. “I sensed some very unsettled energy.”
“Stick around. I may need you.” He pounded on the door to 2B, Jules’s apartment. There was no answer.He must be at Lily’s. That’s why Merry said to keep an eye on both places.
Sly strode across the hall and banged on 2A.
Lily opened the door a crack and peered through it.
“Step back,” Sly said authoritatively.
Lily took a giant step backward and waited for Sly to come in. He couldn’t enter without being invited, but did she know that?
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“No,” she answered meekly and pulled her robe tighter.
Morgaine strolled over to Sly and placed a calming hand on his arm.
He relaxed for a moment and heard the sound of the elevator and figured Merry must be heading back up to her apartment. Probably for some necessary paperwork. What had she told them? He should have waited for her to finish her sentence.
“Is Jules here?”
“Not anymore.”
Sly glanced around Lily and spotted the ugly floors. It looked as if the finish had been partially sanded off in some places, and the wood was taken down to the nails in others.
He gestured to the floor. “What happened here?”
“Jules was sanding it.”
“Damnation, where is he?”
Jules opened his door and Sly whirled to face him. He pointed to Lily’s damaged floor. “What were you trying to do here, Jules? Were you looking for carpet under the hardwood?”
Jules stared at his feet. He had a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. “I don’t want any trouble. Mrs. Falco asked me to leave, and I will. I just wanted to stop here first and ask Lily to come with me.”
Lily rushed to the door and gaped at Jules. “But the bird and the fish...where will they live?”
“You leave that to me,” he said.
Sly narrowed his eyes. “I knew there was something off about you. You’re a fish?”
“Sort of. I’m a merman.”
“That makes sense,” Morgaine said. “But why did you choose to live here? Why not in the ocean like the rest of your kind?”
“I was kicked out of my pod, so I won’t be going back to the ocean. Safety in numbers and all that. It’s especially true for Mermen and women.” He smiled at Lily. “But as a human, I can manage just fine. What do you say, beautiful? Want to come with me?”
