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they’d been there since the wooden planks were cut from the forest. It wasn’t until he was reaching out for the edge of the door leading into the storage room that Cole noticed an illuminated sign hung up behind the bar that looked like a beer advertisement with a few glyphs worked into the background.
    “You will pay for this!” Christov shouted.
    Tensing his muscles in preparation for a fight, Cole stormed into the back room and asked, “What’s the problem now?”
    “The bridge to Louisville,” Paige explained. “He wants us to pay for it. A hundred bucks.”
    “Seems reasonable, considering how much you save in time and gas or plane ticket,” Christov said.
    Seeing the scowl on both Skinners’ faces, Kate said, “It’s not too big of a jump. We’ve got the energy stored up.”
    “You are my employees!” Christov barked. “Times are rough and I must make a living. Do you know how much I needed to spend to get this place up and running properly? Do you have any idea how expensive it is to turn this building into an A-frame?”
    “Plus all that purple paint, huh?” Cole scoffed.
    The bald man turned as if he was about to take a swing at him. “You’re damn right. I don’t care what else is going on outside, I have a business to run. I have seen wars in other countries and life must still go on. The people who aren’t fighting or dying must still struggle to pay for food and electricity just like before. Only now they must do so while waiting to hear about the next battle or get a call about the next person they know who is dead. I have to make ends meet and now it is harder than ever!”
    Cole looked at Paige and asked, “What’s the problem?”
    “I only have fifty bucks on me.”
    He dug into his pocket and came up with a few twenties. “We’ve got ninety between us,” he said while extending a hand with the cash in it. “Can’t the rest be counted as the car?”
    “I was keeping the car in mind.” Christov’s gaze drifted to the weapons strapped to Cole’s back and the ones holstered in Paige’s boots. “Why are you going to Louisville?”
    “To meet up with some other Skinners who might know something about the creatures that have been tearing us all up.”
    “You are soldiers,” he sighed. “Sometimes I forget. Go ahead and do what you need.”
    “How’d you come up with that figure anyway?” Cole asked.
    Christov shrugged. “The energy my special girls collect is used for some of the regulars who pay top dollar.”
    “Yeah,” Cole said as he slapped the twenties into Christov’s hand. “I can only imagine. Hopefully this makes up for some of what you’ll lose for not being able to put on one of those shows.”
    The bald man smiled and nodded. “It does, my friend. Plus, there is some purple paint to buy. Go with God.”
    “Appreciate it.”
    Once Christov and the bouncers were gone, Cole was finally able to appreciate the space that had been added to the makeshift temple. Before, the glyphs and beaded curtain marking the entrance to the bridge that allowed someone to instantly travel from one spot to another competed for space with piles of napkins and stacks of chairs. Now, after losing at least one wall, there was enough room for the three of them to stand comfortably with those same supplies piled up to the ceiling on either side of them.
    “I’m sorry about him,” Kate said. “Christov has been impossible after buying this place from the last owner. He seriously got reamed in that deal, but he’s still fighting to rebuild this into a place half as good as the old Bunn’s Lounge.”
    “Step one,” Cole said with a grin, “go back to the old name. That’s a classic.”
    “I agree,” Kate replied. “I called ahead and there’s a club in Louisville waiting for you. The only catch is that you’ll need to be quiet about how you got into town. At least, you can’t mention us. We’re still trying to lay low since you guys are still technically