Rituals (Cainsville 5)

He eased Olivia aside, crawled from bed, and picked up his phone just before it went to voice mail. Only as he hit the Talk button did he see a number he didn't recognize and grunt, annoyed that he hadn't checked first. In that light, his greeting may have been even more curt than usual.

"Uh, sorry?" Ricky said. "Bad time?"

"No. I didn't recognize the number."

"Oh, right. Yeah. Phone issues. You know."

Gabriel did know. Or, rather, he did not know specifically, because he was not supposed to know specifics, only that, on his advice, at any time the Saints were doing particularly sensitive business, they switched to prepaid phones.

Ricky continued, "The new number might also explain why Liv didn't pick up. I've left messages. Is she okay?"

"We were visiting Todd earlier. She may have left her phone in the car."

Gabriel did not for a moment consider saying that Olivia was asleep in the middle of the day. That would have been cruel. Gabriel had seen Ricky's face when he spotted the discarded clothing in Olivia's parlor, and no matter how many times Ricky had assured him he'd be perfectly fine with whatever happened, his expression confirmed that "perfectly" was a gross exaggeration. Even "fine" might be overstating the matter.

"I presume you're calling to say you have business that won't allow you to speak to Ioan?" Gabriel said.

"Nah. That's all good. I'm just on call." Ricky paused. "Unless you'd rather speak to Ioan with Liv instead."

"No, I have other business to attend to. I can drop her off wherever you like. I'd only ask that you get her some lunch, before or after the meeting. She's had a busy day and hasn't eaten."

"I'll make sure she does. But who's going to make sure you do?"

"I'll be fine."

"Wrong answer." The sound of a door opening. "I'm in the city, running an errand for Wallace. How about I pick up lunch and swing by? You're at the office?"

"My apartment. I needed clothing because--"

"--the elders have grounded Liv. Right. I'll grab takeout and be there in thirty."

Thirty minutes did not allow both Gabriel and Olivia to shower and then dry their hair to erase the evidence that they'd bathed. Which led to Olivia making the perfectly rational suggestion that they share the shower. In her defense, she did seem to presume it would be uneventful, given the exertions of earlier. That was not the case, and Ricky was rapping at the door as she was finishing blow-drying her hair, his still wet. He towel-dried it as best he could before joining them in the dining room.

--

Lunch ended, and they were about to leave when Ricky said, "Shit," and "Can I talk to you a sec, Gabriel?"

"I'll get these dishes in the machine," Olivia said as she started clearing the table.

When she went into the kitchen, Ricky said, "I brought the bike. If you'd rather I picked up a car at my dad's--or you drive Liv to Ioan's--that's cool."

Gabriel understood the problem. As progressive as the Saints might be, they still held to the old traditions, one being that the woman riding on the back of a bike was sleeping with the guy on the front.

"That's fine with me," he said.

"You sure? I totally get it if you--"

"It's fine."

--

By the time Ricky and Olivia left, Gabriel was already on the phone, working through his own to-do list. Rose hadn't heard from Seanna. Neither had Patrick. Yet Gabriel could not be completely certain either was telling the truth, and he was considering what to do about this as he walked from his apartment and found two fae in his hallway. Two dryads, to be precise.

"We have solved the mystery," Alexios announced.

"Well, one of them," Helia said.

Gabriel closed the door behind him, his hand still on the knob. "While I'm glad to hear you've made progress, coming to my home is not the appropriate way to communicate it to me."