I touch my stomach. Ferox’s incision is closed and almost healed. Allegra did some good work on me. I’ll have to thank her. And check on her ex-boyfriend she told me about. But after this. Everything can wait for this.
“What are you two talking about?”
It’s Candy. She took my advice and cleaned up from her tree climb. She’s beautiful. But I don’t want to have to say what I’m going to say.
“You’re going to love this,” says Kasabian.
She sits on the end of the sofa.
“I’m going to get Traven.”
She lays her hands flat on the backs of her knees, a tense gesture. She nods.
“Okay. I thought you might say something like that. I’m going with you.”
“Not this time. This won’t be like going to see Muninn. It’s a hit-and-run trip and I need to move fast. I know Hell and half the population is already scared of me. Let me do this.”
“But you promised.”
I nod and slide down next to her.
“Understand something. I’m not going as me. I’m going as Sandman Slim. No stopping. No deals. No games. Anyone gets in my way dies.”
She looks down at her hands.
“I hate it when you get like this.”
“This is the only way it’s going to work. I’ll be in and out in a few hours.”
“Last time it was only supposed be three days,” she says. She gets up and moves to the chair across from me, putting space between us.
“I know.”
“I’m not waiting for you again, you know. You have one day to get in and back. After that I’m gone.”
“I understand.”
“Don’t tell me you understand. I don’t care if you understand. I care what you do. And you have a day to do it.”
She looks through the bottles by the food carts and finds a bottle of whiskey. She pours herself a drink.
“Anyway, Brigitte shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“Don’t tell her what I’m doing. In case it doesn’t work out.”
She takes a belt of whiskey.
“I don’t even know if you’re coming back. You think I’m going to tell her about Liam?”
“One more thing.”
“What?”
“Loan me your knife.”
She’s not happy at all to hear that request.
“This is a loan,” she says. “Bring it back to me.”