Chapter 48

Aleda was silent the entire way into Philadelphia. Even when they stopped at traffic lights and drove slowly down side streets her mouth stayed shut. The part that unnerved Ryan the most was finding himself wishing for her usual stream of chatter. No, not a stream—she didn’t talk endlessly, about nothing. More like a few comments here and there about the most random things and they always made him want to smile, whether he showed it or not. Usually he didn’t show it. Right now what he wasn’t showing was his discomfort at her silence… not to mention his discomfort at that realization. It was a nasty cycle.

She had managed, somehow, to twist up her skirt into something that looked like pants, so she could ride the motorcycle. Maybe she was uncomfortable. Although if she was uncomfortable she would have usually said something by now.

Well, it wasn’t like she hadn’t had times before when she would get all clammed up like this. Sullen and pissy and quiet as hell. It had been back when they were watching her local nest out in the woods, and later during training. She had been pretty pissed at him, for whatever reason. What in the hell did he do this time? Oh, whatever. She could just be mad at him, then.

Except…. He didn’t want her to be mad at him. Not now.

Damn it all to unholy hell.

They came to a stoplight, and he turned to face her.

“Do you need my jacket?” he tried.

She shook her head. She wouldn’t even look at him.

“Alright, be that way,” he said crossly.

They made it the rest of the way to the garage. It looked a little dilapidated, but his cousins kept it in decent enough repair that it probably wouldn’t fall down around their ears. Anyway they’d be out of it soon enough. As soon as the lass got her skirt sorted out.

“You’re sure you’re not cold?” Ryan asked her. “It’s only just barely spring.”

“No, I’m fine,” she said vaguely.

“Suit yourself.”

He probably could have driven right up to Zak’s apartment if he’d wanted. Parked right out in front and would have had to walk two steps to the door. No way in hell, though, that he’d leave his bike out in the middle of Philadelphia. He’d kept that thing running and shining for decades, and he wasn’t about to put it out on the street where any jackass kid could come and tag it, or whatever the hell they might get up to these days. No—better to leave it in the family’s garage where there’d be cousins to keep an eye out, and walk the few miles to Zak’s place.

Aleda lagged behind. Even when he slowed his pace she seemed to slip further behind him. Finally he got fed up and stopped outright. She finally looked up at him, only to raise her eyebrows impatiently.

“Are you coming or what?” Ryan asked.

“You haven’t even told me where we’re going.” It was the most she’d said since the rakshasa nest.

“Zak Bachman’s apartment. He used to be an organizer in New Jersey. I think he knew my da.”

“Let me guess. You want to talk to him about clearing another nest, right?”

Ryan frowned at her. “No, actually,” he said. “I wanted to talk to him about something else.”

“Something other than demons and nests?”

“Mostly, yeah.”

This seemed to mollify her. She nodded and started walking again. “…How far is this place?” she asked after a moment.

Ryan hid a smile. “Not much farther,” he said. “A quarter mile at most.”

“Good.”

The three miles and change from the garage took them into a poorer neighborhood. More than one building had windows missing and doors boarded shut. After decades of being an organizer for some of the more populous areas, Zak mostly liked to be left alone. And there was no place more left alone than places like these. Sure, his apartment had been broken into a couple of times, but after he had sent the second burglar away with a clear memory of broken bones he was never bothered again.

For whatever reason, he had also decided to pay for his own housing. With Talia, that was to be expected—for all of her slack grasp on money, the girl was determined to make it on her own. For a former organizer, it was unheard of. There were more than enough family-owned buildings all over the world for him to have picked anywhere he liked and never have had to pay a cent. Oh well, it was his business.

Ryan pressed the buzzer, which did nothing. Instead, he knocked hard against the door at street-level and called out his proper name. It was only a second before he was able to see one of the people in the apartment moving around upstairs and then coming down the steps. He was greeted warmly by a woman of indeterminate age, although obviously a cousin. Zak’s wife, from the look of it. She ushered him and Aleda upstairs and offered them something to drink.

“My Zadki will be with you very soon,” she said. “He is up to his elbows in the plumbing. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.”

With that, she bustled off into a small kitchen, probably to get the drink Ryan had declined. The following silence was broken only by the metallic clanking sound coming from somewhere nearby, punctuated by mild cursing. Aleda was still keeping quiet, but he couldn’t begin to fathom why. If she had been mad, she would have been shooting him evil looks… or at least scowling at nothing. Mostly, she looked thoughtful. Not that he was about to fall for that.

Before he could think of something to say to her, Zak emerged from what must have been a bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants.

“Ah, what a cute pair the two of you make! Ryan Kavanagh, right?” he asked. “It’s been a long time since I saw you last. For one thing, I think you are now three times as tall! And who is your girl?”

“This is Aleda Solana,” Ryan said. “Alejandro’s daughter.”

Zak grinned. “Yes, of course! I remember you from Thanksgiving! Welcome to my home!” He sat in a worn overstuffed chair facing them. “Now,” he asked, leaning forward, his hands clasped. “What can I do for you?”

Ryan leaned forward as well. “It’s about Mike Connor,” he said. He looked up to see Zak’s wife coming back with a glass of milk in each hand and a plate of cookies balanced on her arm. She set them all on the coffee table in front of them and disappeared down the hallway.

“Yes, yes,” Zak said, nodding and scratching his chin. “Of course I remember him. He is the organizer for the area south and east of here, along the peninsula, yes?”

“And a little bit north,” Ryan added. He grabbed one of the cookies. “Edging up into Pennsylvania.”

Zak waved his hand. “States,” he said dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. What is he doing these days?”

“Not much of anything, actually. That’s why I’m here.” He broke off a piece and stuck it in his mouth.

Next to him, Aleda perked up a bit.

“What do you mean by that?” Zak asked, frowning.

Ryan finished chewing and took a sip of his milk. “I think he’s gotten a bit too used to not having many nests around,” Ryan confided. “He’s done nothing to clear his area.”

“I thought that there were hardly any nests these days,” Zak said, confused. “All along this coast. That’s the reason I stepped down.”

Ryan shook his head and broke off another piece. “This place was infested when I moved here a few months ago,” he confided. “It’s because nobody—Mike—was doing anything about it.”

Zak looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. “…What are you suggesting?”

“Well, I’ve got this place just about cleared, and I’ll probably move on soon. But of course they’ll be back in a month if nobody’s keeping them down.”

“And you don’t think Mike Connor is the one to do this.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ryan said. “He’s a good guy. And a good organizer when he puts his mind to it. Used to be one of the best. But he’s gotten a bit… relaxed, lately.”

“Hard to find a replacement, at a time like this,” Zak pointed out.

“I don’t want to force him to step down, necessarily,” Ryan said. “But there must be somebody coming up on ten years in one spot. Maybe somewhere where he won’t get to relax?”

Zak smiled, his eyes shining. “Get him going again. Keep him on his toes.”

“Do you know of anyone?”

“I’ll have to look into it,” Zak said. “But I’m sure there is. It won’t be anywhere near here, of course.”

“Fine by me. I want him away from Alejandro for a while. I’m afraid he’s been rubbing off on him a bit too much lately.”

“Oh, no. Not Alejandro!”

“I’m afraid so.” He polished off the cookie and took another long gulp of milk.

“But he was the one who…”

“I know. I know. Trust me, I’m not too happy about it.”

“Well, I will certainly ask around for you,” Zak said. He leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. “And I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”

“Make sure you’re discreet,” Ryan cautioned. “I doubt Mike would take it very well if he found out.”

“How do you plan to convince him to leave?”

Ryan shrugged. “Get on his nerves? If nothing else, we can arrange for ‘his expertise to be greatly needed’ wherever we find for him. Not that he’d ever believe that, coming from me.”

“True enough!” Zak agreed, laughing. “You’re just like your papa in that, I hear!”

Ryan grinned and snagged himself another cookie. “That’s what they say.”

 

 

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Aleda was… not happy. There was no reason for her to be not happy, at least that she could think of right at that moment, but there it was. Hell, for all accounts she should be skipping down the road. Four demons killed by her own hands, and she was still seeing gold around the edges, even after all this time. She should be bloody elated. Only she couldn’t stop thinking about how there were only two nests left in the whole area. Hard to say about the areas nearby, but they all had their own organizers looking after them who, with any luck at all, were more willing to get off their arse than good old Mike Connor.

Not that he was likely to be around much longer. She listened to Ryan talk to the guy Zak, or Zadki, or whatever the hell his name was, with more interest than she let on. So they were going to trade him out, were they? Well, it would certainly be interesting. Talia would probably celebrate. She seemed to like the guy alright, but it was obvious that his approach to things drove her up a wall, as much as anything could drive Talia Kavanagh up any walls.

They chatted about ‘the good old days’ for a while after the business about Mike was settled, and Zak’s wife came back out and talked to them, too. Aleda hadn’t quite caught her name. Something Hebrew-sounding. Which would make sense—she looked it. Not that any hunter families stayed any one thing for very long. They moved around too damned much. They all moved around too damned much, every one of them.

Some more than others.

They finished talking and Ryan said his goodbyes. Aleda contributed something vague and polite without quite engaging her brain and they were back on the street walking to the old garage where Talia parked every bloody time she had ever driven Aleda to the city. It was a bit of a hike from Zak’s apartment—a few miles, at least—even with all of the shortcuts and alleys that Ryan took them through. If he hadn’t… juiced her up… a couple of hours ago, her feet would have been sore as hell. Even so, she’d probably be paying for it the next day. That was plenty to put her in a bad mood.

“One more stop,” Ryan announced half-way through a back alley.

“Now what!?” she exploded. They weren’t even halfway back to the damned motorcycle, and he wanted to go somewhere else!?

“…Unless you want to get home,” he added hurriedly. “I was going to stop at West’s for something to eat.”

“Oh,” she said. “Right. Yeah, whatever.” West’s bar was barely more than a block from their garage.

Ryan paused and turned to her, frowning slightly. “I mean, if you’re not hungry we don’t have to.”

 “No, it’s fine. We’ll go to West’s. Why not? We’ve already gone everywhere else today. Hell, I’m surprised we didn’t just go clear the other two bloody nests while we were at it!”

Ryan shrugged. “I guess we could have, but it would have been a bit of a stretch. One’s in Dover and the other’s in Chestertown. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got them covered.”

“Of course you’ve got the other two covered!” Aleda exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “You’re just the Nest-Cleaner Extraordinaire. Hey, everybody, give this guy a month in your town and he’ll have the whole place wiped spotless!” She turned and continued walking.

Ryan caught her by the arm and looked at her like she was crazy. “What, so I’m not allowed to be good at clearing nests!? Don’t you start going on like that now, too,” he warned.

“Oh of course you’re allowed.” She shrugged off his hand. “Ryan Kavanagh’s allowed to do whatever the bloody hell he wants, and then he’s moved to the next place and started all over again!”

“Wait, wait… what!?”

“I mean, heaven forbid he take longer than a few months to finish with a place and have some time to stop and see the sights, let alone let himself enjoy living in the same place for any longer than a year!”

Ryan scoffed. “Please. I can’t possibly stay in that brick monstrosity much longer before I go completely off my nut!”

“And, what, it’s impossible for you to find a nicer place… that’s not with your sister?”

“These never-ending suburbs have some trees, yeah. But they’re no’ much better! Endless concrete and far too many bloody people gettin’ in yer business! I don’t know how ye stand it!”

“Hey, Keeney isn’t that bad!” she shouted, hands on her hips.

“Ye said ye hated it!” Ryan protested, gesturing emphatically towards her. “Ye wouldn’t shut yer mouth about how much better Málaga is for th’ first three months I knew ye!”

“Well, maybe,” Aleda admitted grudgingly. “But it’s not nearly as bad as you seem to think. I happen to like the idea of staying in once place for more than a few months!”

“Y’actually want to stay there?” he demanded. “Ye want t’ stay in Keeney, Delaware for th’ next decade?”

“I don’t see what would be so bad about that!”

“Because seeing th’ world is so much better!” he retorted. He edged closer. “I’ve seen places most people don’t e’en know exist.”

“How wonderful for you,” she spat in his face. “I’m so glad it’s so easy for you to up and leave people who care about you!”

“Why not? They all leave me!” he said harshly. “At least this way it isn’t permanent!”

“And there’s nothing at all that would make you want to stay!?” she demanded, her face turning red and, by now, only inches from his.

He hesitated, wondering at the shift in her voice; he tilted his head down towards hers, his newly-cropped hair dropping close enough to brush against her forehead. His breath came ragged and shallow. “Aye, lass,” he finally said, his voice rough and low. “There is something.”

Aleda swallowed, finding her throat suddenly dry. “W-what?” she whispered, because she couldn’t find her voice.

His fingers came up to brush her cheek and she could have pulled away but she didn’t. Couldn’t. All she could do was look up into his jade-green eyes for a moment that stretched on for hours. The soft brush of his fingertips against her skin reached back further and laced into the hair behind her ears, and his feather-light touch melted into soft pressure, his eyes still fixed on hers. So many thoughts raced through her mind in that moment but they were all silenced when he closed the last few inches between them and claimed her lips in a fiery kiss that was all the answer she would ever need. Her knees buckled under the onslaught and she would have fallen had his arm not slipped around her back and held her tight.

Soon, too soon, he broke away. Just a few inches he put between them but it was too much. Too much. His eyes searched hers, looking for something. Looking for an answer, a sign that he had not just made a terrible, unforgivable mistake. But she couldn’t even begin to think what he might be looking for. Her mind had become a complete blank, and all she knew it that moment was that she never wanted to be so far from him again.

He drew in a deep ragged breath and rested his forehead against hers. Aleda’s eyes fluttered shut. “I won’t leave you behind,” he murmured. “Ever.”

His breath brushed warm against her skin and, despite everything, she felt the corners of her mouth curl up in a soft smile. To her surprise, her own hands had found their way to his upper chest. She opened her eyes and looked at them a moment in bemusement. Ryan followed her gaze and chuckled, sending reverberations down her arms.

“Are you hungry, lass?” he asked softly. She nodded a little; the slight movement nudged his head as well. He fingered the hair at the base of her neck, deep in thought. “Should we go, then?” he asked a few moments later.

She hadn’t even touched the cookies and milk they’d been offered at Zak’s apartment. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. “I guess we should,” she laughed.

Ryan finally pulled away from her with a slight smile and straightened up. Aleda was left with a cold spot on her forehead. Before she could even wonder at what was happening, though, he caught her hand and held it close, all the way to West’s bar. They even found themselves looking forward to the hamburgers.