Through the fire, p.7
Through the Fire, page 7
"Part of it," Nick said quietly. "It turned out to be more complicated than we expected."
He listened to the silence while Jake assimilated that. "Come in to town," the other hunter said after a moment. "We'll talk about it in person."
"As soon as the laundry's done. I'm wearing clothes from high school. Thanks for cleaning the house, by the way."
"Me? I didn't. See you in a while." Jake hung up and Nick sat, not hiding, in the half-frozen laundry room, until Chris pounded on its door.
"Nicky? You okay?"
"Sure. Just waiting for the clothes to finish."
"Well, come wait out here. I found some stuff on the Beowulf board." The dryer beeped as Chris spoke and Nick rose, taking the clothes out and carrying them into the living room to dump on the couch and root through them for his own stuff.
"Lemme get dressed and you can tell me on the way into town. I have to talk to Stephanie."
"You are not going to leave those on the couch."
Somehow Chris managed to get all their dad's disapproval into his tone, even if Nick had never heard their father say anything remotely like that in his life. He paused with the armful of his own clothing to stare at Chris. "The rest of them are yours?"
"So? You took them out, you can fold them."
Nick's jaw worked a couple times before he muttered, "Fine. Let me get dressed first," and stomped into the bathroom.
Earthquakes would rattle the trailer less than Chris's baby brother clumping down the hall. When they'd been kids, everything Nicky did was a galumph, all energy and elbows that Chris guessed he should've realized would turn into about six and a half feet of brother-shaped muscle that could shake the ceiling. Nick had been about Chris's height when he went to college. He'd seemed smaller to Chris, though. For one thing, he'd been slimmer, but mostly it was that Chris had thought of Nick as his soft, sensitive little brother.
Nick was probably still sensitive, but he'd never really been soft, not the way Chris imagined he was. Not with their dad, and their lifestyle. And he sure as hell wasn't little anymore. He looked young, to Chris. Older than he remembered, but still young. But he'd been barely seventeen when he left for college, so most of four years later, he wasn't quite legal to drink yet.
Thinking about it, Chris probably shouldn't have handed him a beer when he'd shown up at the funeral.
Or fifty other times when they were teenagers, but their old man probably shouldn't have been giving Chris beers then, either.
Chris muttered, "Lousy fucking role model," and went ahead and folded his own clothes. Nick came back down the hall as he finished, and stopped dead.
"I was gonna do that."
"I know, but you wanted to get going to see Samantha."
"Stephanie, you dick."
"Whatever. Go get in the truck."
Nick headed for the door, obediently, then stopped and glared at Chris. "I don't have to do what you tell me to anymore."
"Then walk to town!" Chris marched past him and out the door, not quite making the effort to slam it in Nicky's face when he sullenly followed. He didn't make the effort not to, either, though, and Nick swore as it bounced back at him. He was still glaring when they got in the truck, but his sulk turned to reluctant interest when Chris muttered, "The Beowulf board's been seeing a bunch of extra-weird stuff in this part of the country. Vampire hives like the one we ran into. Freaks—" He shot a look at Nick, and as a peace offering, said, "Grendels. Grendels gathering, but not for any violence or crime. More like for protection, the boards say. They're not causing trouble, just hunkering down and looking scared."
"Anybody else seen this Saboac?" Nick still sounded sulky, but he usually did, at least to Chris.
"Not as far as I can tell. Nobody's mentioned a single big bad, just that the things we usually think of as the big bads are teaming up for moral support. There's a lot of chatter about why, and obviously people are imagining that there's something pretty bad coming, but nobody knows what."
"You mention Saboac?"
"Not yet."
Nick nodded stiffly, like he approved, or was relieved. "I guess we'll know if we killed it by whether the vamps and grendels disperse."
"Disperse." Chris shook his head and cast a glance out the side window so he wouldn't roll his eyes at Nicky. "You and your fucking vocabulary, man."
"Disperse is a totally normal word!"
"Normal people would say 'go home' or something."
"That could have a completely different meaning. They could all go home together, with that phrasing. We want them to go back to how they were. We want them to disperse."
"Like I said, you and your fucking vocabulary. Where's your girl, the Super8?"
"Holiday Inn." Nick frowned as Chris gave him a sharp look. "What?"
"Pretty fucking fancy, that's all."
"It's just a Holiday Inn, Chris."
"Yeah, whatever." Chris took the right that brought them over to the Holiday Inn and watched his little brother tumble out of the truck, all knees and elbows like a puppy dog again, as his girlfriend ran out of the hotel to meet him.
Nick didn't look right in Sterling anymore. When he'd layered up with the flannel and canvas, that had been okay. That had been the Nick he knew, the one who belonged here. But his clothes, the stuff he actually wore…somebody who knew how to shop for the good stuff had bought them for full price, not at an outlet store with last year's styles at a discount. They were flattering, Chris guessed. Fashionable. Like the hotel, Nick was real fucking fancy now. Soft. A college kid, not a bounty hunter.
The fact that that had been the whole point didn't make it any easier to look at.
Chris got out of the truck, hanging back until Stephanie stopped fussing over his brother, or at least until Nick, sheepishly, made her stop. "You remember Chris."
"Hard to forget." Stephanie offered her hand the way she hadn't the night before, and Chris took it.
"Hey. Sorry about being a dick last night."
Surprise flitted through her eyes and she glanced at Nick, the same way she had the night before, before she nodded at Chris. "Apology accepted. We probably shouldn't have butted in."
"No, you were with Nicky. You were welcome."
A smile pulled at her mouth. "I've never heard anybody call him Nicky before."
"Well, you never met anybody who changed his diapers, either."
"Chris! You did not!"
"No, I didn't." Chris pulled up a grin for Stephanie. "The real stories are much worse."
Her smile broadened. "I look forward to hearing them."
Nick's voice went high-pitched. "But not right now. Can we go in, Steph? I gotta talk to you about some stuff. Is Ty here?"
"He's in the restaurant with your friend Jake. He's nice." Stephanie tucked her arm into Nick's and they went across the parking lot ahead of Chris. "He took it on himself to keep an eye on us, when I'm sure he's got a lot of other things to be doing instead. You've known each other a long time?" She glanced back at Chris, including him in the conversation.
"Since we were kids. He and I used to cut school together."
"I bet you got into all kinds of trouble."
"You have no idea. Not Nick, though. He actually studied."
Stephanie dimpled. "Still does. We met in the library, actually."
"Guys, you could try not talking about me like I'm not here."
"Not sure we can," Chris said, but Stephanie smiled up at Nick again and they went into a clean white and blue lobby like that, arm in arm and cute as freaking buttons.
The restaurant at the far end of the lobby wasn't really a restaurant, just a place for hotel guests to eat their breakfast buffet. Jake and Nick's roommate had pushed two of the tables together and spread about forty cartons of Chinese takeout on them. Jake waved them down with a pair of chopsticks, like there was anybody else in the restaurant, or the lobby, for that matter. "I didn't know if California had made Nicky go all vegetarian so I got everything. Come eat."
"It didn't." Nick sat beside Stephanie and lifted his chin at his roommate. "How's your head?"
"Jake here wouldn't let me drink any more of that moonshine last night so I'm okay. You?"
"Slept off the worst of it. Chris, you remember Tyler?"
"Sure." Chris nodded as Tyler waved chopsticks like Jake had done. "Sorry if I was a dick last night."
Tyler finished his bite before giving Chris a blinding grin. "No worries. I mighta kinda been one myself. The cashew chicken is good."
"Thanks." Chris sat with the rest of them and for a few minutes everybody was more or less quiet, eating. Nick managed to put away about five cartons' worth of spring rolls, rice, and Mongolian beef even though it hadn't been more than a couple of hours, maybe three, since they'd stopped at the diner on their way home.
Maybe that was why he finished eating and pushed his plate away first. "Steph, I think you and Ty maybe better head home without me. Chris can drive me back in a few days, but we've…there's still stuff we've got to do."
Stephanie was shaking her head before Nick finished talking. "It's the weekend, and spring break starts soon anyway. We can stay. Or I can, at least," she said with a glance toward Tyler.
Nick shook his head, too. "Spring break doesn't start until Thursday and we've got midterms. I can let them know my da—" His voice broke, and Chris started to reach for his shoulder, but Stephanie put her hands over Nick's first. Chris knotted his hand in a fist and retreated, feeling heat burn his jawline. Jake's gaze flickered past his, but if he'd noticed, he wouldn't mention it. Nick, almost in control of his voice again, said, "That my dad died. They're not going to let you skip them because you were driving somebody else home."
"They might," Ty said around a mouthful of rice. "'Specially if I get Dad to drop a donation in their coffers, huh? Anyway, I can hang out until tomorrow afternoon, anyway."
"My first exam is Tuesday," Stephanie said encouragingly. "I can fly back Monday night if I have to, or even really early Tuesday. Where's the nearest airport?"
"There are a couple regional ones a little closer than Denver, but you'd probably have to go through Denver to get back to San Francisco anyway, so you might as well start there. Hundred miles or so." Jake was making a real effort to keep his attention on the food, like he didn't want to get in the middle of Nick's friends being helpful versus Nick needing to go monster-hunting. Chris couldn't blame him.
"There," Stephanie said to Nick with obvious satisfaction. "I can fly back Monday night, if I have to."
Nick smiled carefully at Stephanie. "It's just that I might not be around a lot, you know? It's okay if you want to head home so you can study."
Tyler reached across the table to punch Nick's shoulder. "Nah, man. We've here for you. We'll study here and you can hang out when you need a break from everything." His gaze bounced toward Chris and away again.
Nick met Chris's eyes with a helpless expression, then smiled weakly at his friends again. "Thanks. I…thanks."
"Of course, babe. Do you have anything else you need to do tonight? Can you—I mean, do you want to stay at the hotel with me?"
"Or me?" Tyler fluttered his eyelashes and Nick snorted laughter.
"Lemme talk to Chris about it. We haven't figured out—" Nick broke off as Chris's phone rang, drawing everybody's attention. Chris muttered, "Sorry," and took it out of an inside pocket, ready to hang up.
Except the caller was familiar, and he knew what it meant. He said, "Sorry," again, and got up to move a few feet away before he answered. "Chris Cassidy."
"Hey, Chris. It's Lauren at On Call Bail Bonds."
"Yeah." Chris could hear the rumbling smile in his own voice. "I got you in my phone, Laur. What's up?"
"Got a job for you and your dad, if you want it."
A fist closed in his chest, squeezing the smile away, although the roughness sure as hell stayed in his voice. "Dad died a couple days ago, Laur."
"Oh. Oh, fuck. Shit. I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't know. I'm sorry, I'll call somebody el—"
"No! No, I'm…look, I could use the money. What's the deal?"
Lauren sounded distressed. "Destruction of property, assault, good stuff like that. Your cut would be five grand, but—"
"Five—" The word cracked. "Yeah, I can't turn that down. Go ahead and send me the info."
"Are you sure? I'm so sorry, Chris."
"I'm sure. Thanks. Just send it to my phone." Chris hung up and came back to lean heavily on the restaurant tables, not quite looking at Nick. "I got a job that I have to take."
Nick inhaled to speak and his buddy Tyler beat him to it. "The fuck, man. I thought you guys had so much shi—" His wince suggested Stephanie had kicked him under the table. "So much stuff to take care of that Nick had to hang around. How can you go on a job?"
Chris couldn't even pretend that the expression he turned on Tyler looked like a smile. "My dad couldn't donate enough money to a college to make them look the other way if I skipped out on my midterms, that's how. I've got a mortgage to pay."
Stephanie, more cautiously, said, "But…" and looked at Nick.
"Chris is right." Nick spoke in a low voice. "We have a lot to sort out, but it's not gonna go away, and it's not gonna be made any easier by falling behind on the mortgage. You two should go home, and I'll come with you," he said to Chris.
"It's not like you can help."
"I got licensed in Cali, Chris."
Stephanie and Tyler both said, "You what?" as Chris straightened, surprised, and looked down at his little brother. Jake sat back, his eyebrows rising but his mouth still shut.
"I got my bounty hunter license in California after I moved there, as soon as I turned eighteen, and I've kept it up." Nick shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. "I didn't know if school was going to work out. I figured being licensed would be a backup plan. So I can do the job. Legally, even."
Chris, softly, said, "Well, shit. Arright, Nicky. Let's do it, then. Maybe we can work out some of the other stuff too."
"Well, we can come with you," Stephanie said brightly.
"On a bounty hunt? No offense, but what the hell good are you going to do on a bounty hunt?"
Stephanie's shoulders tensed as she met Chris's eyes. "Supporting my boyfriend in a pretty lousy time is enough good."
"Besides, it sounds badass," Tyler said. "Bounty hunting, man. That'll be cool. One for the bucket list."
Chris, through his teeth, said, "It's a lot less cool than you think, and you need a license to do it, so you can't just tag along. Why don't you go back to California and your scholarships and your rich daddy and y—"
"Chris." Nick sounded tired. Chris's phone buzzed as Lauren's email came in and he scowled at it.
"Bounty's almost five hours away. If you're coming with, pack up. I'm leaving in half an hour."
Nick said, "Chris," again, but he was already halfway out the door.
CHAPTER 6
Stephanie dropped her head, watching Chris leave through her lowered gaze, then, lips pressed together, looked at Nick. "I know he's under a lot of stress, Nick, but…"
"But nothing." Jake's voice was gentle, as usual, but carried a warning. "No offense, Stephanie, but you and Tyler don't belong on a bounty. I know why you want to go, and I'm not gonna stop you, but you're going to make things harder for Chris."
"And what about Nick?"
"That's for him to decide." Jake, the traitor, got up and followed Chris out, leaving Nick to face his college friends alone. Stephanie turned an expectant look on him.
"It's not that I don't want you to come, Steph."
"But you don't want us to come," Tyler said.
Guilt surged through Nick. "It complicates things. And things are pretty complicated with me and Chris anyway."
Steph echoed, "'Complicated,'" in a flat tone. "Not the word I'd used. Toxic, maybe. Look, Nick, I'll stay out of the way. We'll stay out of the way, if you have to go. I think it'd be better if you came home with us, but if you're going to stay, I think you need a buffer between you and your brother right now. You're both running high, emotionally, and it's obvious one wrong word sets him off."
A smile flicked across Nick's mouth. "Unlike me, who is rational and reasonable at all times."
"You look a lot more reasonable to me. I don't want to leave you with him, Nick."
"I spent most of my life with him, Steph. He's got my back."
"Does he?"
"Yeah." Anger sharpened Nick's tone. "Yeah, Stephanie, he does. Maybe not in a way you exactly recognize, but yeah. He'd die for me."
"I'm more afraid he's going to end up killing you," Stephanie replied quietly. "Dragging you out bounty hunting when you're both grieving? Isn't bounty hunting dangerous?"
"Mostly it's studying digital footprints and personal habits. Figuring out where people go when they're not in trouble, and looking in all of those places, or following leads you pick up there, until you find them. Sometimes, depending on who you're looking for, it can get dangerous, but Chris and I can take care of ourselves."
"You tell me that," Steph said with a rueful smile. "But I see my big lunk of a squishy boyfriend and don't exactly believe it."
"Go to the gym with him," Tyler said dryly. "He doesn't look so squishy when he's benching two twenty."
Stephanie gave a slow leer. "Pretty sure I've seen more of him than you have."
"Not sure you have. Roommates, man. They get an eyeful whether they like it or not."
Steph laughed. "Okay, maybe not. But I don't mean squishy like that, anyway. Emotionally squishy."
Nick made a face. "I'm flattered."
She put her hand out, curling her fingers around his when he took it. "Just let us come along, okay? We'll keep out of the way, but you can stay in my hotel room and just…get a break from him, if you need it."
"Yeah." Nick lifted their hands to kiss her knuckles. "Okay."
Tyler stuck his lip out. "Who'm I gonna sleep with, then?"
Nick and Stephanie both squinted at him. "Are you implying you've been sleeping with my girlfriend, Ty?"
