the fuck should I know? It’s my first time seeing one of those things, too.”
“Seriously. Read the encyclopedia, for all our sakes.”
“Whatever.” Colt dialed Ronnie’s number, muttering to himself in irritation when the younger ghoul didn’t answer. The last thing he needed was him and Jason missing.
“So, who’s Ronnie?”
“He’s family,” Colt said sharply. “And he’s off limits.”
“Ah, that’s right. Stan Brown’s son. I remember him from the station.”
“I mean it. You fuck with Ronnie, you fuck with me, and I guarantee you don’t want that.”
“I do hope the little monster is as loyal to you as you are to him.”
“Ronnie’s different. He’s not a typical ghoul, not even like his parents,” Colt muttered. “He hasn’t even gone through his first shift, and it’s not gonna be easy for him when he does.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
“What?” Colt snapped.
“It’s just that when Jason said he was jealous of your friend, I thought he was insane. I mean, you’d have to be an idiot to even think about anyone else if you managed to land a guy like him.”
Colt wanted to argue, but it would have been for the sake of arguing. He happened to agree with Andrew’s assessment. “Jealous? Of Ronnie? He’s a kid. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Mhm,” was all Andrew said, which pissed Colt off even more.
“Just fucking drive.”
An hour later, Andrew pulled up to Colt’s old apartment. Fortunately, the lot was mostly empty. After shoving the unconscious ghoul into a giant contractor bag he had in his storage space, Colt had Andrew help him lug the body upstairs. He chained Christopher up for good measure and dumped him in the bathtub. He also swapped the doorknob out so it locked from the outside. It wasn’t going to stop him, but it couldn’t hurt, and maybe it would make Andrew feel better.
“How long will he be out?” Andrew asked nervously.
“Few hours, maybe five.”
“What happens then?”
“His heart’ll start to grow back, and I’ll rip it out again.”
“Seriously? You regenerate?”
“I really need to give you a seminar at some point,” Colt said, trying Ronnie’s number again. Still no answer. He went into his room, opened the case under his bed, and pulled out the curved machete he kept there just in case. Andrew flinched when he approached with it, but Colt offered the handle to him. “Stay here and watch him. If he gets out, which he shouldn’t, try to go for the limbs. If he ends up dead, I’m comin’ for your ass.”
“Where the fuck are you going?” Andrew demanded.
“To find Ronnie.”
“Is there at least another bathroom in this place?” he asked, looking warily at the door that was all that separated him and Christopher if the ghoul slipped his chains.
“Nope. But I’m pretty sure there’s an empty coffee can somewhere you’re more than welcome to.”
Before Andrew could argue further, Colt opened the door only to find the very ghoul he was searching for standing in his doorway with a bag over one shoulder. Ronnie looked equally surprised to see him.
“You’re back.”
“And you left New Hampshire,” Colt scolded. “I thought I told you to stay with my parents.”
“No, you told me to get them somewhere safe, and I did. I’m your second-in-command’s kid. If someone really is out to get the people you care about, I’m way further up the list than they are, so sticking around was only putting them in more danger.”
He had a point. “And what if I wanted you in New Hampshire because it’s safe?”
“Tough shit,” Ronnie said, flinging his bag onto the couch. He eyed Andrew. “Who’s the suit?”
“Andrew Wilbur, District Attorney,” Andrew said pointedly.
“Ronnie Brown, not impressed,” Ronnie said without missing a beat, collapsing on the couch. He pulled a laptop out of his bag. “Petty crimes went up three percent since you took office, you know. You’re not doing so good in the polls, either.”
“Is that what they tell you in ghoul school?” asked Andrew.
“Stats,” he replied without looking away from his screen. “Mind if I crash here for a while, Colt?”
Colt frowned in confusion. “You already live with me.”
“Yeah, and so do my parents. That’s why I asked if I could crash here.”
“What, you guys managed to get into a fight in the one afternoon I was gone?”
“Yup,” Ronnie said unapologetically, typing something furiously on the screen in front of him. “So, I think I found where the changeling was before he came here.”
“What? Seriously?” Colt asked, walking over to the back of the couch to look over Ronnie’s shoulder.
“Wasn’t that hard,” Ronnie snorted.