Broken (Otherworld 6)

He shook it out and laughed. It read "Had a howling good time in Toronto" above a picture of a mutant wolf with fangs as big as walrus tusks. Typical tourist wear--drawn by someone in a distant country who'd never actually seen a wolf, but was certain Toronto must be teeming with them, running alongside the Inuit, moose and polar bears.

Clay shrugged it on. "How does it look?"

"God awful," Zoe said.

Nick waved a finger at me. "The joke will be on you five years from now, when he's still wearing it."

"That'll bother you more than it'll bother me." I reached into the bag and pulled out chocolate bars. "I heard stomachs growling."

I produced a bottle of water for Zoe.

"Ah, nice and cold," she said as she took it. "You're so sweet." She glanced over at Clay and sighed. "And so wasted."

"Damned shame, isn't it?" Clay said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Criminal."

At the hotel, we left Nick and Zoe in the lounge. Upstairs, Jeremy popped his head outside his room almost the moment we stepped off the elevator.

"There you are," he said. "I was about to go out searching for you."

"It's just a scratch," Clay said.

Jeremy ushered us into the room. He gestured to the bed, and had the bandage off before Clay even finished settling. A frown, then he reached down to an already-prepared basin of warm water, took out the cloth, squeezed it and carefully sponged off the blood. As the wound came clean, Jeremy's frown grew.

"It does appear to be--" he began.

"Just a scratch?" Clay finished. "Told you."

"But why did it bleed so much?" I asked, drawing closer for a better look.

"It's a deep scratch," Jeremy said. "It looks as if it nicked a vein."

Clay looked over at me. "Right again. I'm a genius."

"No," Jeremy said. "You've been hurt so often you can't help but recognize the signs."

"What about...?" I began, then paused. "It was Rose."

"She's worried about syphilis," Clay said.

Jeremy shook his head. "Don't be. Unless she bit him, that isn't a concern."

Jeremy cleaned it well, then plastered it up and told me to let him know if it started bleeding again or bothered Clay. No sense expecting Clay to tell him. To him, as long as the limb was still attached, he was good to go.

Once Clay was bandaged again, Jeremy and I both breathed easier, and I could tell Jeremy what had happened at the museum.

"So the zombies are catching on to our plans," I said.

Jeremy nodded. "Meaning our chances of catching one, without serious risk, are rapidly diminishing. Time to take a break and focus on Shanahan."

"I'll talk to Zoe. See if she'll be more forthcoming about him now." I turned to Clay, who was picking up the tourist shirt. "Hold on. I'll grab one of yours."

"I like this one."

I rolled my eyes and helped him into it. "As for this Hull guy, his mannerisms suggest that he is what he claims to be--a refugee from the Victorian portal--but Clay thinks he's working with the controller, maybe an actor hired to get close to us."

"Explains how he just happened on the scene," Clay said. "Better than 'I was following the zombies.' "