wall next to the door.” There was a grumble of curses, many of which included the f-word. “Yeah, well, here’s the interesting part. Police noted that a Mercedes had been spotted in the parking lot about two hours before the Domino’s manager called in that his employee hadn’t returned to work after delivering to that addy. And one of the neighbors saw a blond man, natch, get into it with another guy who was dark haired. She said it was weird seeing that kind of flashy sedan in the area.”
“A Mercedes?” Phury said from the phone.
Rhage, having ground another lollipop to its royal reward, pitched a little white stick into the wastepaper basket. “Yeah, since when has the Lessening Society put that kind of cash into their wheels?”
“Exactly,” V said. “Makes no damn sense. But here’s the shit. Witnesses also reported seeing a suspicious-looking black Escalade there the night before…with a man in black carrying off…oh, gee, what was it…crates, yeah, four fucking crates from the back of that quartet of apartments.”
As his roommate stared pointedly at Butch, the cop shook his head. “But there was no mention that they got the plates on the E. And we switched the set we had on it as soon as I got back. As for the Merc? Witnesses mistake things all the time. The blond and the other guy could have had nothing to do with the murder.”
“Well, I’m going to keep an eye on things,” V said. “I don’t think there’s any chance the police are going to tie it to something involving our world. Hell, a lot of things leave black stains, but we want to be prepared.”
“If the detective on it is the one I’m thinking of, he’s a good one,” Butch said quietly. “A very good one.”
Wrath got to his feet. “Okay, sun’s down. Get out of here. John, I want to talk to you privately for a moment.”
Wrath waited for the doors to close behind the last of his brothers before he spoke. “We’re going to find him, son. Don’t worry.” No response. “John? What’s doing?”
The kid just crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead.
“John…”
John unfurled his hands and signed something that looked to Wrath’s piss-poor eyes to be, I’m going to go out with the others.
“The hell you are.” That brought John’s head around sharply. “Yeah, so not happening, given the fact that you’re a zombie. And fuck off with the I’m-fines. If you think for even a split second that I’m going to let you fight, you are talking out your damn ass.”
John walked around the study like he was trying to get hold of himself. Eventually he stopped and signed, I can’t be here right now. In this house.
Wrath frowned and tried to interpret what had been said, but all the frowning just made his headache sing like a soprano. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
John wrenched open the door, and a second later Qhuinn came in. There was a lot of hand movement and then Qhuinn cleared his throat.
“He says he can’t be in this house tonight. He just can’t.”
“Okay, then go to a club and get faced until you pass out. But no fighting.” Wrath said a silent prayer of thanks that Qhuinn was grafted to the kid’s side. “And, John…I’m going to find him.”
More signing, and then John turned to the door.
“What did he say, Qhuinn?” Wrath asked.
“Ah…he said it doesn’t matter to him if you do.”
“John, you don’t mean that.”
The kid pivoted and signed and Qhuinn translated. “He says, yes, he really does. He says…he can’t live like this anymore…waiting, wondering every night and day when he goes into that room whether Tohr has—John, slow down a little—ah…whether the male has hanged himself or taken off again. Even if he comes back…John says he’s done. He’s been left behind too many times.”
Hard to argue with that. Tohr hadn’t been a great father lately, his sole accomplishment on that front being the creation of the next generation of the living dead.
Wrath winced and rubbed his temples. “Look, son, I’m not a rocket scientist, but you can talk to me.”
There was a long, quiet stretch marked by an odd scent…a dry, almost stale smell…regret? Yeah, that was regret.
John bowed a little as if in thanks and then ducked out the door.
Qhuinn hesitated. “I won’t let him fight.”
“Then you’ll save his life. Because if he takes up arms in the shape he’s in right now, he’ll be coming home in a