“Could be fae,” Gil offered, sweeping at an already clean floor with a broom. “Which is even worse. A changeling? Cripes, it could be anything. It just needed a glamour.”
“The fae would have left something behind. A token, a corpse, something to tie their bodies to their realm.” Sterling shook his head. “I’m telling you, this thing practically dissolved.”
“Carver,” I breathed, finding my voice at last. “If anyone has an answer, Carver does.”
Gil deposited his broom in a closet by the counter. “You two head back to the Boneyard and ask him, then.”
“The Boneyard?” Prudence quirked an eyebrow.
“Long story. But best option there is. You guys go talk to Carver. Prue and I will stay here with Madam Chien until morning, or at least until someone shows up to fix the window.”
Madam Chien patted the back of his hand, her eyes brightening as she grinned. “Such a good boy. You’ll make a good husband. Stay here. I’ll make tea.”
Gil blushed crimson. I grinned, but the smile dropped clear off my face when Prudence lifted her finger and rushed me.
“Behave,” she said.
I raised my hands, backing away. “Hey. I didn’t say nothing.”
Her finger thrust past my head. “No. About that.”
I followed where her finger was pointing. The grimace came naturally to my face. I wasn’t expecting Bastion to be standing on the sidewalk outside the apothecary. Sterling followed my line of sight, and I could tell that his posture tightened.
The Boneyard and our “friends” at the Lorica might have broken bread together once, but it was clear that Sterling was still a bit sore about that one time Bastion dropped a car on him.
“Hey,” I told Prudence, clenching my fist. “He threw the first punch, okay? I didn’t even get to hit him back.”
“Just – he looks sorry, okay? At least I think he is. Look at the dumb idiot.”
I did. Bastion’s shoulders were rounded, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket. Even his hair, normally styled to looked mussed and effortless, seemed limp. I squinted at him, and grumbled. This was by design.
The fucker needed something from me. I could say whatever I wanted about disliking Bastion Brandt, but I couldn’t call him stupid. He had his own brand of cunning, and I hated to admit that it was working – at least at raising my hackles.
I gave Madam Chien and the others a curt nod, then pushed my way through the front door. The door chimes tinkled, then again as Sterling followed cautiously, sticking weirdly close to my back. Bastion’s lips were pursed. He looked up at me, back down at the sidewalk, then scuffed one of his shoes against the ground. The asshole. I knew that trick, too.
“All right, Brandt. Spit it out. You want something, just say it.”
“I’m sorry.”
I’ll be real, that caught me off guard.
“I mean it. I’m genuinely sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like I did.”
“Lashed out is an interesting way to put it,” I said, rubbing my jaw. Asher really did a great job. I thought there’d be bruising at the very least, but I felt fine. “So. You need something. You wouldn’t have shown up here past midnight if you didn’t.”
Bastion clenched his jaw. Ah, I knew it. His eyes flitted from Sterling, then back to me. “Okay. But not here. We need to talk. Ride with me.” He thumbed over his shoulder.
I’m not sure how I hadn’t noticed the black luxury sedan parked right behind him. I was just going to ask where his motorcycle was when an older man stepped out of the driver’s seat, then opened the rear door, his head bowed slightly.
“Huh,” Sterling said. “Fancy.”
“He’s coming with,” I said, patting Sterling on the shoulder.
Bastion frowned. “Really? Is that necessary?”
Sterling hissed. Vampire instincts, I guess. Old habits die hard.
“Can’t hurt, can it? I’d feel safer. Shit’s going down in Valero, man. You’ve obviously heard about Prudence’s grandma, or you wouldn’t have known where to find us.”