chair. She shook the computer mouse to wake up the system, then began to dig around the files.
“We don’t have the time to waste,” he said grimly. “We both need to be working. Just listen carefully. We’ll hear them coming.”
“Uh . . .” She frowned at the screen, her brain focused on finding what they needed as quickly as possible. “Listen?”
“Yeah.” Alec moved to the filing cabinet. A moment later he asked in an amused voice, “Angel? Are you listening?”
“Huh?”
“That’s what I thought. You don’t multitask well.”
“What?” She glanced at him. “Hush. I can’t concentrate when you’re talking.”
He laughed.
Eve worked silently, assisted by her newly efficient body. Before being marked she would have been sweating, her heart racing, her fingers shaking. Now the only effect of their illegal activities was a powerful sense of excitement.
“I have the manufacturer’s name here,” she said, glancing aside at Alec. “Gehenna Masonry.”
He pushed the drawer shut. “Then let’s go.”
There was something in his voice that disturbed her.
“What’s wrong?” She closed the windows she’d opened on the computer and put it back to sleep, then she pushed back from the desk.
“That masonry. Ever heard of them?”
“Sure.” Eve searched for the property management’s business cards in one of three holders on the desk. They weren’t there. Opening a drawer she found the box the cards came in, but it was empty aside from a “time to order more” reminder. “They’re out of the biz cards.”
“We got what we need.” He opened the door. “I don’t think the name of the masonry is a coincidence.”
“Oh?” She stepped outside and breathed a sigh of relief when no one seemed to pay them any mind.
“In the Bible, Gehenna was a location near Jerusalem where forbidden religious activities were practiced. It was condemned, and became a place of punishment for sinners.”
“Oh.” Pausing at the end of the ramp, she looked up at the two gargoyles barely visible from her vantage point. She concentrated hard, willing her enhanced sight to kick in. Like an adjusting magnifying glass, the stone creatures came into view. They crouched, frozen, their faces carved with broad grins. And they were identical to the one that peed on her.
She sniffed the air.
Alec caught her arm and laughingly pulled her toward the gate. “You look silly.”
“I’m trying to use my superpowers.”
“We’re done here.”
They reached the gate and Eve explained to the guard that they were out of business cards. Then she and Alec started walking back toward the church.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she said softly.
He looked at her. “What?”
“I’d been thinking about some kind of change in my life. Maybe a new employer, a shorter haircut, or a redesign of my condo.”
“You’re an adventurous woman.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “The way we got together proves that.”
“I’ve never really thought of myself that way.”
“Do you want a family?”
There was something in his tone, a kind of tense anticipation.
Her lips pursed. “This is the twenty-first century, Alec. A woman can have a successful career and a family.”
“Don’t get defensive, I’m just asking.”
“I have to go into the office tomorrow,” she said instead, “and hope Mr. Weisenberg hasn’t fired me.”
They paused at a streetlight and waited to cross.
“You want to go back to work?” Alec’s brows rose above his shades. “Knowing all that you know, you’re just going to go about your business? What if your boss is a Nix? Or your coworker is a succubus? You’re just going to ignore that?”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s not meant to be.” He leaned his shoulder into the lamppost and watched her. “They can smell you. They’ll know what you are.”
“What am I supposed to do? I have to work. I have bills to pay.” Eve shoved her hands into her pockets. “Until I get called to class, I can’t do anything else, right? There’s no one I can talk to about getting out of this mark thing until then?”
“You can help me check out Gehenna Masonry.”
“Why? You don’t need me.”
Alec straightened. “It’s not about that. It’s about right and wrong, and something is wrong here.”
He caught her elbow and led her across the street. A group of tourists passed them, heading in the opposite direction. The women in the group stared at Alec, their heads turning to follow him with appreciative eyes.
“If I’m right about the tengu being in that building, will identifying him bring him up in the queue?” she queried. “Is taking a leak on a Mark worthy of getting your number called?”
“His number isn’t up.”
“Reed said