Chapter 13
A crash from the living room met Noah’s ears. Half-dressed, he popped out of his bedroom and saw their front door in pieces and two strangers standing inside—only they weren’t strangers. Here in his living room were the two guys from Kizzy’s backyard. That was something he hadn’t remembered until now. These two guys had been after something…and Kizzy had stopped them. With magic.
“What the hell do you want?”
The older of the two strode right up to him. “Where’s the book?”
“Goddammit. Everyone’s asking me about a book. I don’t know anything about it. What book are you talking about? I have textbooks. I have cookbooks…” With a sweep of his hand, he gestured to their bookshelves. “I have all kinds of fiction, but I don’t know what book you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what we’re talking about. And it isn’t fiction. You were holding one of the books this morning at your girlfriend’s house.”
Noah tried to remember holding any kind of book this morning, but he couldn’t. He saw in his mind these two armed and dangerous thugs, coming after Kizzy. He had tried to block her, then she had done something behind his back that resulted in the two guys flying backward. They had been holding guns but dropped them. Then Kizzy had just extended her arms, and the weapons flew into her hands. She was a witch. He remembered that. He remembered teasing her about being a witch doctor.
Okay. He was getting some context, at last. So what the heck did these guys want with him? Were they after a book she had, thinking she’d given it to him?
The younger one leaned around Noah and asked, “Is there someone else here?”
“Yeah. My brother’s taking a shower.”
“Tell him to get dressed. Unless you can just hand us the book. Then we can be gone without his even seeing us or knowing we were here. That would be best for him.”
“What the hell do you mean by that? How did you find me, anyhow?”
The guy had a sinister smile. “I think you know.”
Noah had no idea, but he had to concentrate on getting them to leave. Maybe Kizzy knew how they learned his address. He’d ask her later. “As I recall, you lost your guns. I don’t know why you’re threatening me in my own home. It seems like you’re at a disadvantage here.”
“No.You’reat the disadvantage,” the elder one said. “You don’t know what else I might have at my disposal.”
Noah shrugged. “And you don’t know what I have at mine. I think you should go.”
At that moment, Dante exited the bathroom with a towel around his middle. He glanced at the living room. “Whoa. I didn’t know we had company.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call them company. They broke in here.”
The two strangers laughed. “Instead of making introductions, which would just be worse for you later, why don’t we just get to it? Where. Is. The. Book?” the older one demanded again.
Dante glanced at Noah. Noah said with firm conviction, “I don’t know what book you’re talking about. Seriously. I don’t.”
The intruders turned their gazes on Dante. The younger criminal said, “You know though, don’t you, towel boy?”
Dante scrunched the towel tighter. “No, I don’t. You want a book? What kind of book?”
The older one stomped his foot. “Thebook! Goddammit, the ancient book! It’s in Latin. It looks as if it’s leather-bound. Actually, it’s bound in skin. Human skin.”
“Gross.” Dante wrinkled his nose.
Noah had the same reaction. “Human skin? Why? Why would anyone bind a book in humanskin?”
The two guys just laughed.
“Look, guys. We’re getting ready for work. We have to be there in less than half an hour. We’ll be missed if we’re not there. I have to go put on my uniform now.” Dante turned and strode down the hall.
“I’m coming with you,” the younger one said.
“Keep an eye on him,” the elder man ordered. “He knows something. I can tell.” Then the guy whirled on Noah and demanded, “If you want to keep your brother safe, you’ll hand over the book right now.”
Noah stared at the ceiling and tried counting to ten. This whole thing was frustrating as hell.
