Raphael hadn’t killed my brother while I was gone, Andy did have a visitor.
I let the door slam closed behind me, tossing my keys onto a side table and counting backward slowly from a hundred. I took another look at Adam and decided to start at a thousand instead.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, ever the gracious hostess. Habit and longing made me glance quickly at the answering machine, my baser nature hoping Brian had called no matter how much I told myself I didn’t want him to. But there were no messages.
Adam had made himself at home, settling into the couch, helping himself to one of my bottles of expensive birch beer, and propping his feet on my coffee table. Andy, tension radiating from his every pore, sat on the love seat with his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze fixed on the carpet.
At least Adam hadn’t shot him again, I thought sourly as I once again fantasized about Tasering the hell out of Adam. He liked pain, but he felt it was far better to give than receive, and I was sure he wouldn’t enjoy the Taser. Certainly he hadn’t seemed to the last time I’d used it on him.
Adam swung his feet off the coffee table and sat up straight, but he drained the remains of the birch beer before answering. He sighed in satisfaction as he put the empty bottle down. “Almost as good as a real beer.”
I started counting backward again, this time from a million. I figured I could go all the way down to zero without feeling much less irritated.
“Unless you’d like me to practice some innovative uses for empty bottles,” I growled, “you’d better tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my apartment.” I gave Andy a dirty look, wondering why he’d let Adam in.
Andy held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t open the door,” he said. “Your friend got a key from the super.”
Adam’s eyes gleamed, and he ignored the interplay between me and my brother. “Just what kind of innovative uses do you have in mind?”
Naturally, I blushed like a little girl. “Cracking it on your head seems like a good idea.”
He exaggerated a frown. “And here I thought you were creative.”
“Adam…”
“Come sit down,” he said, patting the couch beside him.
I figured I had two options. I could Taser him and drag him out into the hall, or I could sit and listen to whatever he had to say. I’d prefer the Taser option, but since he’d gotten into the apartment once without my help, I supposed he’d be able to do it again, so all I’d accomplish was to piss him off.
I took a seat next to Andy, who still showed no inclination to acknowledge Adam’s presence. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“You all right, bro?” I asked softly.
He nodded, but didn’t answer. I couldn’t blame him for being reticent around the man who’d shot him. Of course, I also knew the level of brutality Adam was capable of. If he suspected Andy knew things he wasn’t telling…
I gave Adam my best marrow-freezing glare. “If you ever hurt my brother again…”
He gave me another one of those faux-innocent looks in return. “I can’t imagine what you’re talking about.”
I gritted my teeth. “Like hell you can’t! Now tell me what you’re doing in my apartment before I get impatient with you.”
He snickered. “I don’t have a time machine.”
“You’re in my place—I’m the only one who gets to be a smart-ass here.”
His expression told me he was sorely tempted to continue the comedy routine, but he managed to control himself. “I have news for you.”
The way my life was going, I subscribed to the “no news is good news” theory, but I was running out of excuses to bury my head in the sand. Tension thrumming through my body, I sat up straighter and waited for him to continue.
“This may have nothing to do with us, or with Lugh,” Adam said, “but we’ve had a rather…strange case come up.”
“By ‘we,’ do you mean Special Forces?” I asked.
He nodded. “This isn’t
I let the door slam closed behind me, tossing my keys onto a side table and counting backward slowly from a hundred. I took another look at Adam and decided to start at a thousand instead.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, ever the gracious hostess. Habit and longing made me glance quickly at the answering machine, my baser nature hoping Brian had called no matter how much I told myself I didn’t want him to. But there were no messages.
Adam had made himself at home, settling into the couch, helping himself to one of my bottles of expensive birch beer, and propping his feet on my coffee table. Andy, tension radiating from his every pore, sat on the love seat with his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze fixed on the carpet.
At least Adam hadn’t shot him again, I thought sourly as I once again fantasized about Tasering the hell out of Adam. He liked pain, but he felt it was far better to give than receive, and I was sure he wouldn’t enjoy the Taser. Certainly he hadn’t seemed to the last time I’d used it on him.
Adam swung his feet off the coffee table and sat up straight, but he drained the remains of the birch beer before answering. He sighed in satisfaction as he put the empty bottle down. “Almost as good as a real beer.”
I started counting backward again, this time from a million. I figured I could go all the way down to zero without feeling much less irritated.
“Unless you’d like me to practice some innovative uses for empty bottles,” I growled, “you’d better tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my apartment.” I gave Andy a dirty look, wondering why he’d let Adam in.
Andy held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t open the door,” he said. “Your friend got a key from the super.”
Adam’s eyes gleamed, and he ignored the interplay between me and my brother. “Just what kind of innovative uses do you have in mind?”
Naturally, I blushed like a little girl. “Cracking it on your head seems like a good idea.”
He exaggerated a frown. “And here I thought you were creative.”
“Adam…”
“Come sit down,” he said, patting the couch beside him.
I figured I had two options. I could Taser him and drag him out into the hall, or I could sit and listen to whatever he had to say. I’d prefer the Taser option, but since he’d gotten into the apartment once without my help, I supposed he’d be able to do it again, so all I’d accomplish was to piss him off.
I took a seat next to Andy, who still showed no inclination to acknowledge Adam’s presence. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“You all right, bro?” I asked softly.
He nodded, but didn’t answer. I couldn’t blame him for being reticent around the man who’d shot him. Of course, I also knew the level of brutality Adam was capable of. If he suspected Andy knew things he wasn’t telling…
I gave Adam my best marrow-freezing glare. “If you ever hurt my brother again…”
He gave me another one of those faux-innocent looks in return. “I can’t imagine what you’re talking about.”
I gritted my teeth. “Like hell you can’t! Now tell me what you’re doing in my apartment before I get impatient with you.”
He snickered. “I don’t have a time machine.”
“You’re in my place—I’m the only one who gets to be a smart-ass here.”
His expression told me he was sorely tempted to continue the comedy routine, but he managed to control himself. “I have news for you.”
The way my life was going, I subscribed to the “no news is good news” theory, but I was running out of excuses to bury my head in the sand. Tension thrumming through my body, I sat up straighter and waited for him to continue.
“This may have nothing to do with us, or with Lugh,” Adam said, “but we’ve had a rather…strange case come up.”
“By ‘we,’ do you mean Special Forces?” I asked.
He nodded. “This isn’t
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