Chapter 9

 

Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he had been to an interview. He looked around the small room. Just enough space for two chairs and a table, stacked with papers. He looked back at the application in front of him.

It was pretty standard, as far as those things went. Name, education, previous employment. He filled out his usual information, making sure to change the dates to compensate for the twenty-year difference. His sister had given him the number for the local Records branch for the reference section.

He checked his new license to see what age he was supposed to be. Date of Birth: November 14, 1976. Almost twenty-six years old. Talia must be passing for twenty-two again.

His new set of identification had arrived at her apartment early on Sunday morning, tucked in the mail slot by a local cousin. His picture looked out of place on the new driver’s license. Just a little too grainy for 2002. He would have to consider getting another taken.

It didn’t even look like a driver’s license. Between the dozy new pictures on it and the shiny holograms floating over the surface he could hardly focus on the thing. And what was that little heart? So he was an organ donor, was he? That was nice. He smirked and tucked it back into his wallet.

A rattle on the doorknob told him his interviewer was there. He stood and shook the man’s hand, giving him the full effect of his six-foot, four-inch height. The man raised his eyebrows and nodded.

“Mr. Kavanagh? I’m Jack Sherman. Please, have a seat,” he said.

Ryan sat back down and handed the man his application. The man studied it for a moment, then looked back at him. He smiled and folded his hands.

“So, Mr. Kavanagh. Tell me why you want to be a security guard here at the Elkton Bank of Finance?”

The hardest part of the interview was remembering the new set of dates. Once the man interviewing him was assured of his qualifications the job was as good as his. Not many people were so eager to take the graveyard shift.

He just hoped that watching cameras hadn’t changed much since the last time he had worked security.

Other than that, he would simply keep an eye on the area and exterminate any dead-eyed pests he found. Catching trespassers was just incidental. In all honesty he had only needed to stop one set of would-be robbers in all of the nearly ten cumulative years of security work he’d done over the years.

Ryan had been walking the perimeter of the building as usual, checking the alleys for demons. He had been about to go back inside when he noticed something across the street. A closer inspection revealed four men in masks sitting in a parked car.

From the way they were eyeing his bank there was no doubt of their intention. Ryan had simply smirked and slipped back into the bank through a back door. The sudden apparition of a grinning man towering behind the glass door had caused the one picking the lock to drop his tools and fall flat on his arse. The rest just ran as fast as they could.

He doubted it was anything to do with his ability to intimidate; they simply had not wanted to be caught or recognized. The one who had fallen was dropped off at the police station on Ryan’s way home a few hours later.

At any rate, it was a good job for a guy like him. Easy work, nighttime hours, and no college degree required. Depending on what shift he worked, he would have a few hours after work to go home and sleep.

Mornings didn’t hold much appeal for him. He preferred to spend the night hunting, and leave daytime to the mortals.

The sort of danger that awaited them while the sun shone was none of his concern.

For the time being, however, he was going to have to spend a little time in the daylight. He had only been in Maryland for a few weeks, and there were several changes that he needed to make before he could consider Pine Hill Apartments his permanent address.

 

 

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“Welcome back, big brother!” Talia called cheerfully.

He nodded at her and closed the front door behind him.

“How did the interview go?” she asked.

“I have a job.”

“It’s about time. You’ve been here over a month and I’ve yet to see you contribute a dime to rent.”

“That’s because I have no money.”

“That’s because you don’t have a job.”

“Well, I do now.”

“I think it’s perfect. You’re working security; I’m working retail—it’s just like old times,” she said. He looked at his grinning sister, who was happily munching on a bag of popcorn on the couch. One thing hadn’t changed, certainly.

“How is it that you eat so much but never get less tiny?”

Talia glared at him. “You just be quiet. How many times do you need to make fun of me for being short before you get tired of it?”

“And not even a hundred pounds.”

He walked into the small kitchen. Talia threw popcorn after him.

“I’m a gymnast!” She paused. “Was a gymnast,” she amended, “I’m supposed to be small! How would you like it if I made fun of you for being so damned tall?”

He turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

“You do make fun of me for being tall.”

Talia fell silent for a moment, searching for an insult she had not exhausted yet. He used the reprieve to search the refrigerator and cupboards for something suitable for dinner.

“We need to go to the grocery,” he announced, returning to the small living room.

“What for? We have food.”

“We have milk, cheese, a bag of half-rotten apples, several frozen dinners, a jar of pickles, and something unidentifiable in an old Tupperware container.”

“Didn’t you look in the corner cupboard?”

“What’s in the corner cupboard?” he asked suspiciously.

She grinned and held up her bag of popcorn. “More of these.”

“I’m not eating popcorn for dinner.”

“So?” She shrugged. “Just call the pizza place. That’s what I always do.”

“You really shouldn’t be wasting your money on that crap, you know. You can’t afford it.”

“Can too.”

“This square brick monstrosity would beg to differ.” Talia just stuck out her tongue at him. “Why did you move to Elkton anyway?”

“I don’t know. I needed a change. I can’t live for club-hopping forever.”

This time Ryan definitely did not believe her. “You’ve lived fifty-one years, you’ve never once gotten tired of city hunting.”

“Oh, never mind. You wouldn’t get it anyways.”

He shook his head. “Talia, seriously, we’re going to have to go to the grocery store. You’ve got practically nothing in here.”

“What, right now?”

He sighed and looked over at his sister, who was happily munching on her popcorn and reading a magazine.

“No, not now. Alright, what’s the number for the pizza place?”

“It’s on the fridge.”

The delivery boy was surprised to see him when he opened the door. He tried to see into the apartment, probably looking for the cute girl who always ordered pizza. Ryan, a little annoyed, paid him and he went away.

It was a good thing he had found a job. If Talia was short on cash, he was flat broke. He hadn’t held a steady job for nearly twenty years—the only reason he had any money left was that, generally, he wasn’t in civilization to spend it.

For that matter, it was also a good thing that he had snuck onto the plane in Houston rather than pay for a ticket. Ironic that he was now employed as a security guard. Soon enough he would have some money in his pocket.

Groceries, of course, were a priority. Some new clothes would also be necessary. He had traded everything except what he was wearing for various necessities over the years.

It would be a little easier once his bike got there in a day or two. He had spent some of his little remaining cash to have it shipped from Brasília. It had cost him quite a bit, but it was still cheaper than buying a brand-new motorcycle. Besides, he’d had that bike forever. He had even made some modifications to it over the years. It was worth the cost of shipping. Until then he would just have to walk.

The pizza he had ordered was unexpectedly enjoyable. It was a far cry from the plain cuisine to which he had become accustomed, and yet the old familiarity of it was almost overwhelming. Had it really been so long since he had been home? Greasy cheese dripping off a chewy crust, and he absolutely loved it. He even fought Talia for the last slice.

Looking back, he probably shouldn’t have pulled so hard; he ended up on the floor with a slice’s worth of cheese splattered on his shirt.

He glared at his sister, who was laughing uproariously at him, and got up quickly to wash his shirt. The old T-shirt was fit to be trashed, but it was the only one he had. He doused it in hot water and soap, but the faint streak of red was not going to come out.

Thank the heavens that he hadn’t been wearing his jacket at the time. He checked his watch—it was only a little after 7 o’clock.

“Alright, little sis. We’re going to your store,” he said.

She frowned at him. “What for? I don’t work tonight.”

“For a new shirt. This one’s ruined. I need something to wear.”

“You don’t have any others?” she asked, utterly perplexed.

He looked blankly at her for a moment. She really was confused. “No. No others. That was it. Remember, I showed up a month ago with only the clothes on my back? I haven’t changed yet?”

Talia snorted. “No wonder you smell.”

He glared at her. “Please be serious, Talia. We’re going.” He pulled on his jacket, careful to zip it completely, and walked to the door. “Are you coming?”

Talia rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse. He was always so moody.

He tried his best to swallow his groan of disapproval as they once again had to use her rusty excuse for a car to drive the ten minutes to the store. He felt safer on his motorcycle.

“You do get an employee discount, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, a little,” she said. “Wait, I’m not paying for this, am I?”

“I’ll pay you back. I spent my last cash on that pizza. The pizza, I might add, that got me into this mess.”

“Oh, fine. So what am I buying you?”

“A couple of shirts to tide me over until I get paid. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, they’re giving me a uniform for work out of my first paycheck.”

“Sure, why not. You’re out of money so just let the sister support you. I suppose I’ll have to pick out your clothes, too? Do you need help getting dressed?”

Ryan ignored his sister’s rant. It might have bothered him except for the fact that while she complained she was also sorting through the men’s section with gleeful abandon. He would have to watch her and make sure she didn’t spend more than he would actually earn. He stopped to examine a nice collared shirt hanging on a rack. The style was good, but the price was intimidating. How did they get away with charging so much? He was definitely going to have to watch that girl.

Unfortunately, she had wandered off while he wasn’t looking. Blasted girl… There she was, over by the jeans.

“Talia, I don’t need pants, just a couple of shirts.”

She looked him over skeptically. “Trust me, you need pants. Here,” she said, thrusting a pair of jeans at him, “Try these on. They should be your size.”

“Talia—.”

“And these.”

He was handed a stack of shirts.

“Talia, I can’t af—You can’t afford all this. And I certainly won’t be able to pay you back for months!”

Talia waved at him dismissively while she continued to sort through the racks.

“All I need is a T-shirt or two to get me through the next two weeks.”

“Don’t be silly, I’m not letting you go to Alex’s in crappy jeans and a T-shirt.”

“I don’t see why n… Alex’s?”

“Yeah, we’re visiting this Saturday.”

“Who is Alex?”

Talia pulled a face at him. “You know Alex. The Solana family. Him and Aria.”

He stared at her.

“Alex! Alejandro! Come on, help me out here!”

“Sure Jaysis, that Alejandro?”

Talia gave an exasperated snort. “Yes, that Alejandro! Shite, you only fought next to him for two bloody years! He and his family are living twenty minutes away in Delaware and we’re visiting on Saturday. Got it?”

“I don’t know if I should go.”

“And why the hell not? He’d love to see you. You’re here. He’s there. What’s the problem?”

“Talia, it’s been a long time. I haven’t seen him for twenty years. I can’t just walk into his house now.”

“That’s absolute crap and you know it. You’re going!”

Ryan glared at her. “Little Sister, I do not feel like going.”

She glared back defiantly. “Give me one good reason.”

He opened his mouth, then shut it again.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now go try that stuff on!”

He growled under his breath and took his pile of clothes to the dressing rooms.

He had to admit, the clothes she had selected were very nice. The prices were exorbitant, but he did feel much better about himself with the new clothes on. Combine that with his fresh haircut and he could even pass for a member of society.

He adjusted the collar on the pale green shirt and examined himself in the mirror. It wasn’t what he was used to, but it suited him. Talia had always been good at picking out his clothes. The T-shirt he had worn just an hour ago had been another of her selections. Not that she would remember that.

She was waiting for him when he got out of the small room. She looked him over and nodded her approval. The rest of the clothes were tucked under her arm and taken to the front of the store. Diane was working at the register, and smiled in greeting when she recognized him as the same man she had seen briefly a few days before.

“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight, Talia,” she said as she rung up the clothing.

“Yeah, well. I had to get something for my wayward brother to wear, seeing as how he got his dinner all over his last T-shirt.”

Diane eyed the tag still hanging from the shirt he wore. “So I see. He’s your brother, then? I wondered. Here, young man, we’ll need to get the tags off of that.” He obligingly stepped behind the counter and gave her the corner that held the bulky security device.

“I have to say, you two look nothing alike,” she commented.

“He was adopted,” Talia said. “I wasn’t.”

Diane turned to look at him, but he had looked away. Shrugging, she finished the sale.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told Talia.