The librarian’s face took on a solemn expression. “That’s pretty cold.”
“I try to spend as much time as I can with the child, but she feels the loss of her mother.”
“I like kids,” Chris remarked thoughtfully. “Of course, I don’t expect I’ll ever have any of my own, but I like them anyway. It’s a real shame the way your wife is treating your little girl. You have to step in and do something about it.”
Daniel stood abruptly. In order to relieve his agitation, he began pacing around the room. “Yes, I know. I’ve been racking my brain for a way to help the child without incurring Annabeth’s wrath and making the situation worse.” He paused, staring blankly at one of the illuminated manuscripts. “Now you understand why I’ve been unable to concentrate on the task at hand.”
“I had no idea,” Chris said sympathetically. “When I see you in the library working by yourself, it’s easy to forget that you have this kind of baggage waiting for you at home.”
Daniel spread his arms wide, encompassing the entire room. “This library is my refuge. I cling to it like a life raft.” He wheeled about to face Chris. “You have no idea what this place means to me. What your friendship means to me!”
The librarian stood up and advanced toward the scion. He placed his hands on Daniel’s shoulders. “I’m always here for you. Whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” Daniel murmured. Impulsively, he wrapped his arms around Chris. The librarian returned his embrace. They stood together that way for a long time, just holding one another. Daniel felt all his anxieties draining way. It was a rare experience for him to derive comfort from the touch of another person. He usually recoiled from physical contact of any kind. He couldn’t fathom the strange effect his friend had on him.
Eventually, Chris held him at arm’s length and searched his eyes. Daniel didn’t know what the librarian was looking for but, apparently, he didn’t find it. Chris released him. “I imagine, by the rules of the Nephilim, you’re doing pretty well for yourself. Three wives, four kids.”
Daniel returned to his seat. “I never wanted any of it. I would have been content to live like one of the medieval monks who penned these beautiful manuscripts. No wives, no children. Just my precious books.”
Chris returned to sit beside him. “What about your physical needs? Conjugal visits?”
Daniel flinched. “I could easily do without marital relations.”
The librarian raised a skeptical eyebrow. “So, you’ve never been sexually attracted to anybody in your whole life?”
“I have never desired any woman in that way. Not once.”
“Maybe that’s because your interests lean in another direction,” Chris suggested quietly.
Daniel registered puzzlement. “I don’t know what you mean.”
The librarian grinned at his friend. “Oh, Danny Boy, you’re a babe lost deep in the woods and you can’t even see the forest for the trees. Someday you and I are going to have a long talk about the birds and the bees and the fairies.”
“What?”
“You aren’t ready yet. You’ll know when it’s time for that conversation.”
“How on earth will I know that?” Daniel asked earnestly.
Chris gave a sly smile. “Trust me, you’ll know.”
Chapter 23—Steak Out
Chopper peered anxiously over the top of his menu toward the door of the restaurant. Eyeing the clock on the wall, he realized Leroy was ten minutes late. Just as he was starting to fret that his plan might be a bust, he saw the maȋtre d’ threading his way down an aisle of linen-covered tables followed by a man in a western jacket and string tie. The maȋtre d’ seated the new arrival opposite Bowdeen and silently handed him a menu before departing.
Hunt glared after him. “God damn fancy man in the penguin suit snatched my hat right off the top of my head.” He held up a claim check accusingly. “And he’s holdin’ it for ransom. I ain’t never seen the like!” Leroy swept a hand over the top of his head to make sure the wave in his hair hadn’t gotten mussed.
Chopper decided to ignore Leroy’s pique. “So how you been keepin’?”
The cowboy shrugged, “Can’t complain. Wouldn’t do no good anyhow.” He flipped the menu open and scanned the selections. His eyebrows rose. “Pretty high-toned establishment with prices like these.”
“Your money’s no good tonight, pard,” Bowdeen replied.
Hunt withdrew his attention from the menu long enough to treat his companion to a suspicious stare. “What’s the occasion?”
Bowdeen shrugged. “I feel like I owe you. This gig with the preacher lasted a lot longer than I expected. I made a bundle off it.”
A waiter arrived to take their drink orders.
Just as Bowdeen expected, Hunt ordered whiskey. The mercenary had called ahead to make sure the restaurant kept several bottles of the cowboy’s favorite brand on hand. Everything was proceeding according to plan.
“A bundle, huh?” Hunt asked. “What’s the old man got you doin’ now?”
“Weapons training at every compound between here and Siberia. On top of that, he had me set up surveillance equipment at all those places too.”
Hunt relaxed at the explanation. He chuckled appreciatively. “Brother, it sounds like he’s keepin’ you busier than a cat tryin’ to cover crap on a marble floor.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Bowdeen agreed jovially. “It’s all to the good though. More work means more pay. I figured taking you out for a steak dinner was the least I could do to thank you for hooking me up.”
Their drinks arrived. Leroy raised his glass. “Now that’s a proper ‘thank you.’ I guess the last time I schooled you on manners, some of it sunk in.”
Bowdeen winced briefly at the memory of Hunt’s previous etiquette lesson, but he offered no comment. Instead, he raised his glass. “To flush times.” He took a small sip.
As expected, Leroy finished half his drink in one gulp.
They paused their conversation long enough to study the menu and place their orders. Two prime rib dinners with all the trimmings. When the waiter left, Leroy leaned in closer.
“Now that you’re back stateside, I imagine the old preacher’s got you tailin’ that whistlepig out in the sticks.”
Bowdeen stared at him. Leroy wasn’t far enough into his cups to be talking crazy quite yet. “Come again?’
“You know. That little foreign doctor. Lives in a hole in the ground some twenty odd miles from the compound.”
The mercenary gawked at Leroy blankly.
“He ain’t told you nothin’?” The cowboy mirrored his surprise.
“What doctor?”
Leroy leaned in further. “Well, it ain’t like I’m talkin’ out of turn. The old man said he’d put you on the job soon as you got back. It was like this. He had me stake out this hole in the ground to keep tabs on some Ayyy-rab doctor goes by the name of Aboud. He’s workin’ on somethin’ so hush-hush that it’s underground and hid in the woods miles away from the compound. I tailed him to the city where he met up with a shady lookin’ Russian feller. Probably mob.”
Bowdeen took another sip of whiskey—a bigger one than he’d intended as he considered this strange information. “That’s the first I heard about any of this.”
Hunt grinned knowingly. “So that’s how it is. The old man don’t want the right hand knowin’ what the left hand is doin’. Maybe he got enough intel from what I saw so he didn’t need you to dig any deeper.”
“What did you find out?”
“Not too much. Looked like the Ayyy-rab and the Russian struck some kind of deal. Then the little doc drove back to the sticks and climbed inside his hole in the ground. And that’s all she wrote.”
“Can you remember where this place was?’ Bowdeen figured any bit of information he could glean, no matter how irrelevant, might be useful.
“Ain’t I the best tracker you know?” Hunt sounded insulted at the
question.
Bowdeen soothed his friend’s injured pride until the cowboy was mollified enough to give detailed directions to the mysterious site.
Keeping a watchful eye on Hunt’s whiskey glass, Chopper beckoned the waiter over to order the cowboy another drink. Fortunately, Leroy was too focused on his personal comforts to notice that Chopper’s glass was still two-thirds full.
By this time, their salads arrived. Even though Hunt snorted in derision at what he called “rabbit food,” he did a good job of cleaning his plate.
Bowdeen wasn’t quite ready to push for any specific information. He’d wait awhile. They spent the next half hour talking about old friends in the army and back home in Alabama. The two continued to reminisce all the way through their main courses and, in Hunt’s case, a few more glasses of whiskey.
By the time the dessert cart arrived, the cowboy was mellow enough that Chopper was on the verge of starting his inquiry. Much to his surprise, Hunt had a few questions of his own.
The cowboy pulled two wrapped toothpicks out of his jacket pocket. He offered one to Chopper who declined. Leaning back in his chair, he picked his teeth. “Surveillance cameras, huh,” he began conversationally.
The comment came out of the blue and took Chopper by surprise. “Yeah,” he replied cautiously. “In every damn compound I visited.”
“I expect the old man set up a string of ‘em in the main compound seein’ as how that’s where his little bride ran away from.”
“More there than anyplace else,” Chopper agreed. “He had me cover all the hallways, the entrances, the outbuildings. Every place but the bedrooms and bathrooms. He went overboard in his office though. I don’t know what he expected anybody to steal from there. Just a bunch of dusty sermon books.”
Hunt’s face took on a veiled expression. “Now that is a right puzzle. So he had you set up cams facin’ his bookshelf?”
Not knowing where the conversation was headed, Bowdeen replied, “No. That was the odd part. He had me set them up facing the paneled wall opposite the bookshelf.”
“Did he now?” Hunt’s tone was still conversational, but there was an edge to it.
“There’s no accounting for crazy,” Chopper said. He had the sneaking suspicion that he had just revealed something important to Leroy. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what that something was. Another disconnected piece of information that might come in handy later.
The mercenary spent the rest of the coffee and dessert course trying to steer the conversation in a direction that might be more useful. Every time he nudged the topic toward what Leroy was working on, the cowboy somehow managed to bring the subject back to surveillance. How many cameras were set up at the main compound? Where was the control panel? How big was the security staff? How many cameras were in the old man’s study? Where were they positioned?
Chopper wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but he knew he was giving more information than he was getting in spite of the cowboy’s intoxication. By the time the check arrived, Leroy was three sheets to the wind and humming a medley of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s greatest hits. Chopper figured that he’d better hustle him out of the restaurant before he jumped on a table and belted out a chorus of Free Bird.
The mercenary hailed a cab and steadied his old buddy until it pulled up to the curb. As he poured Leroy into the back seat, the cowboy began to chuckle. He seemed to have forgotten Chopper’s presence as he murmured to himself, “Yep, no doubt about it. Payday’s comin’ soon. Once Dan’l snags that last doodad for his daddy, ole Leroy is gonna cash in his chips.”
Hunt slid down sideways in the seat while Chopper gave the cabbie directions and paid him off. As the mercenary slammed the car door, he caught a few final snatches of song.
Leroy was softly crooning himself to sleep. “Go on, take the money and run. Go on, take the money and run.”
Chapter 24—Fireworks
“That was... um... different.” Hannah climbed out of the roller coaster seat. She listed to one side as Zachary rushed to prop her up.
“I guess the first time you ride one of these things it can make you a little dizzy,” he admitted.
“I think it made me a little sick to my stomach,” the girl said, heading for a bench across the street from the ride.
Zach held her arm for support until they were both seated. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid idea to bring you here.” They were spending Saturday night at a local amusement park. Zach insisted that Hannah needed to experience “thrills” as an important part of her education in all things Fallen. They’d sampled most of the rides the park had to offer though Zach had intentionally steered them away from anything too intense until the end of the evening. The park was due to close in half an hour, and he thought he’d push the envelope by getting Hannah to ride “The Screaming Terror.” In retrospect, he realized it might have been a bad move.
“Can I get you anything? A soda? A valium?” he joked.
She smiled weakly, her complexion ashen. “No, thank you. I’ll be alright in a few minutes if I just sit here.” Eyeing the next batch of riders climbing into the roller coaster’s cars, she added, “They certainly got the name right. On both counts.”
“I’m really sorry, Hannah. Most kids our age like to be scared.”
“They do? I find walking out of Granny Faye’s house every day terrifying enough.”
“Yeah, I forgot how new everything still is to you. All of it must be scary.” Now he felt really stupid. He’d wanted to put her in a good mood because there was something important he needed to ask her. So much for that idea. As it was, he’d have to spend the rest of the evening trying to calm her down. Just as his own mood began to spiral, a new thought struck him. “I’ve got it!”
“What?”
“A ride I know you’ll really like.” He checked his watch. “Especially now.”
“No more rides, Zach. Please,” she implored.
He sprang to his feet and held out his hand. “Just one more. I guarantee you’ll love it.”
“Alright.” She sighed and stood up. “But remember that we have to be leaving soon. I promised Granny Faye we’d be home by eleven.”
“We will be,” he assured her. “C’mon.” He led her away from the roller coaster and down a short avenue. Looking toward their destination, he added, “Great, there’s no line.” He tugged at her hand to quicken her pace.
Hannah’s eyes traveled upward, studying the wooden structure looming ahead. “What is this?”
“It’s called a Ferris Wheel, and it moves really slow. Just goes around in a big circle but when you’re near the top of the wheel, you get a fantastic view of the whole park.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” she observed cautiously.
“It’s great. Get in.”
They sat down in one of the cars and Zach pulled the safety bar across them both. “See, you can’t fall out.”
She tested the bar’s sturdiness before nodding uncertainly.
Their car moved up a few feet as the next group of passengers was loaded. Then up a few more feet. Each time they moved, Hannah gasped and clutched the bar. Several minutes later, the wheel began to revolve.
“Oh, my!” the girl exclaimed at the sensation of being lifted in the air.
When they reached the apex, the wheel paused, giving the couple a panoramic view of the park and surrounding countryside.
“You’re right. You can see everything from here,” Hannah agreed. Her voice held a note of wonder. “All the lights twinkling. Like stars that fell on the ground. It’s beautiful.”
“That’s not all. Look over there.” Zach pointed to the left where fireworks were shooting up into the night sky.
“Amazing!” the girl exclaimed. “I’ve never seen real fireworks before though I read about Fourth of July at school.”
“People put on fireworks displays for all sorts of reasons and not just in July. They do this show right before the park closes eve
ry night. That’s why I wanted us to ride the Ferris Wheel. So you could see the light show from up here.”
“That was very considerate of you, Zach.” She reached out and squeezed his hand.
One moment of encouragement was all he needed. Now was the time to ask her.
“Um, Hannah, I got you something.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet jewelry box.
She eyed it curiously.
He opened the lid and held out the box for her to see its contents. “It’s a Promise Ring.”
Taking the ring out of its container, she tilted her head to study it. The design was simple. A band of silver twisted into a double looped knot at the front. Each loop was studded with diamond chips. She transferred her attention from the ring to Zach. Peering at him in the glow of the fireworks, she asked, “What does it mean?”
Zach paled at the direct question but forged ahead. “It can mean lots of different things. It’s a kind of pledge. Like for instance when two people promise to be friends forever.” Then he added in a rush, “Or sometimes it means a couple is an item.”
“An item?” she repeated. “I haven’t heard that term before.”
“It’s no big deal.” He tried to sound nonchalant. “It just means they agree not to date other people, only each other.”
“Why would they do that?” she asked, scrutinizing the ring in the darkness but not slipping it on.
“Because... uh... maybe... I don’t know!” he finally exclaimed in frustration. “Because a guy might think that the girl he likes is getting hit on by too many other guys and this is a way to make all the other guys back off.”
“So, it’s like an engagement ring?”
“Engagement!” he squeaked. “Who said anything about engagement?”
“Well, it’s the same idea, isn’t it? A couple plights their troth to one another.”
“Hey, I’m not plighting anything here, alright. It’s just a silly ring.”
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