Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files #8) - Jim Butcher Page 0,57
can of worms with the Summer Knight.
* * *
Chapter Eighteen
» ^ «
At my request, Murphy dropped me off a couple of blocks from home so that I could give Mouse at least a little chance to stretch his legs. He seemed appreciative and walked along sniffing busily, his tail fanning the air. I kept a watch out behind me, meanwhile, but my unknown tail did not appear. I kept an eye out for any other people or vehicles that might have been following me, in case he was working with a team, but I didnt spot anyone suspicious. That didnt stop me from keeping a paranoid eye over my shoulder until we made it back to the old boardinghouse, and I went down the stairs to my apartment door.
I muttered my defensive wards down, temporarily neutralizing powerful constructions of magic that I had placed around my apartment shortly after the beginning of the war with the Red Court. I opened the dead bolt on the steel door, twisted the handle, and then slammed my shoulder into the door as hard as I could to open it.
The door flew open to a distance of five or six whole inches. I kicked it a few times to open it the rest of the way, then tromped in with Mouse and looked up to find the barrel of a chopped-down shotgun six inches from my face.
Those things are illegal, you know, I said.
Thomas scowled at me from the other end of the shotgun and lowered the weapon. I heard a metallic click as he put the safety back on. Youve got to get that door fixed. Every time you come in it sounds like an assault team.
Boy, I replied, letting Mouse off his lead. One little siege and you get all paranoid.
What can I say. He turned and slipped the shotgun into his bulging sports bag, which sat on the floor by the door. I never counted on starring in my own personal zombie movie.
Dont kid yourself, I said. Mister flew across the room and pitched all thirty pounds of himself into a friendly shoulder block against my legs. It was my movie. You were a spear-carrier. A supporting role, tops.
Its nice to be appreciated, he said. Beer?
Sure.
Thomas sauntered over to the icebox. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a white cotton T-shirt. I frowned at the sports bag. His trunk, an old military-surplus footlocker, sat on the ground beside the bag, padlocked shut. Between the trunk and the bag, I figured pretty much every material possession he owned now sat on the floor by my door. He came back over to me with a couple of cold brown bottles of Macs ale, and flicked the tops off of both of them at the same time with his thumbs. Mac would kill you if he knew you were chilling it.
I took my bottle, studying his face, but his expression gave away little. Mac can come over here and install air-conditioning, then, if he wants me to drink it warm in the middle of summer.
Thomas chuckled. We clinked bottles and drank.
Youre leaving, I said a minute later.
He took another sip, and said nothing.
You werent going to tell me, I said.
He rolled a shoulder in a shrug. Then he nodded at an envelope on the fireplaces mantel. My new address and phone number. Theres some money in there for you.
Thomashellip; I said.
He swigged beer and shook his head. No, take it. You offered to let me stay with you until I got on my feet. Ive been here almost two years. I owe you.
No, I said.
He frowned. Harry, please.
I stared at him for a minute, and struggled with a bunch of conflicting emotions. Part of me was childishly relieved that I would have my tiny apartment to myself again. A much larger part of me felt suddenly empty and worried. Still another part felt a sense of excitement and happiness for Thomas. Ever since he started crashing on my couch, Thomas had been recovering from wounds of his own. For a while there, I had feared that despair and self-loathing were going to cause him to implode, and I had somehow known that his desire to get out on his own again was a sign of recovery. Part of that recovery, I was sure, was Thomas regaining a measure of pride and self-confidence. Thats why hed left the money on the mantel. Pride. I couldnt turn down the money without taking that pride from him.