Page 7 of Flesh and Fury
For the first time since they’d walked into the armory that morning, the weapons master blushed deeply. His rosy cheeks got red, and he smiled as though he’d been hit by cupid’s arrow. Ari exchanged a glance with Eoghan and noted his partner’s difficulty in controlling his expression. His full lips were pressed so closely together, you’d have thought he was trying to keep a straight face. Ari sure as hell was.
They both watched the axolotl queen shift in an instant, becoming a small, translucent, pink salamander with those amazing bright purple gills again. She looked up at them andclosed her eyes as if to wish them farewell before walking over to the shell and disappearing inside it.
Ari smiled at Wordy, reaching out a hand and squeezing his bicep. “You never cease to impress me or to teach me something, Wordy. Thanks for the entertainment, my friend.”
Wordy snorted as he gingerly picked up the shell and walked over to his desk, setting it down gently on the blotter.
Ari couldn’t imagine how annoying all that effort Wordy put in to get the shell to open had been to Reba, the axolotl queen. He walked back to them, looking a little frayed around the edges.
“Well, now that she’s settled, what can I do for you two?” Wordy asked.
“Did Priest tell you we’re going out to meet some werewolves?” Eoghan asked.
“Oh, yeah, here.” Wordy bent over to grab something from under the front counter and then hefted two backpacks onto the top of it. He unzipped one and pulled out a box of shifter ammunition. “There’s a box of less lethal darts here but I also threw in a box of regular ammo.” He held up his hands. “Don’t scold me now. I know the chief would if she were here. Even so, I know our policies, but the lives of our marshals come first and we both know how unpredictable werewolves can be, Marshal Sapphire.”
Ari watched his partner cautiously.
“Well, we truly appreciate your thoughts on the matter, Wordy,” Eoghan said. “Thank you.”
Wordy nodded. “There’s also this.” He pulled out a can and held it up. “Werewolf repellent.” He leaned in close, lowering his voice. “I call it dog spray.” He threw back his head and laughed maniacally. “Anyway, this is my own personal formulation. It’s a little stronger than the usual. I reserved thiscan just for you two. I’m making more but until I do, this is all I have. Let me know how it works…if you have to use it, that is.”
“Thanks, Wordy. I really hope things don’t come to that,” Eoghan said as the weapons master shoved the can back into the backpack along with the ammo. He waved a hand at the shell still sitting on the desk. “And good luck with Reba.”
Wordy glanced over at the axolotl’s shell and then turned back to them with a silly grin on his face. He reached up and scratched his head. “Yeah. Who’d have thought a gorgeous, naked chick would just appear out of the blue? I gotta say, I really love my job, though.”
Ari and Eoghan laughed, hefted their backpacks in salute, and bid the older man goodbye before heading out. Rick and Dick were waiting in the garage, as usual, wearing their typical completely blank expressions. After thanking them for a red Charger, they secured the backpacks in the trunk with all their other gear and drove into the tunnel. In a matter of moments, they were outside in the bright sunshine, heading toward Bishop.
“Why is it that we can never take a plane?” Ari asked, pushing Faraday cages into their phones as Eoghan drove. He set both phones in the console between them and picked up his coffee. “I mean there are I.S.R. satellite offices all over the place, right? They have to have all the equipment we carry around in our trunks, so what’s the deal there?”
Eoghan glanced over at him and then took a sip of his own coffee. “Yes, we have a few satellite offices, not a whole bunch of them, but a few. They’re not as well equipped as ours and even if they have everything we need, they don’t have the vehicles we have. It’s not like we can pick out some random rental from an airport and have the capability to escape an attacker the way we can with this baby.” He patted the steering wheel.
“That makes sense,” Ari said. He sighed and leaned back against the headrest, rolling his head to look out at the passing traffic.
“What is it?” Eoghan asked. “Please don’t tell me you’re tired of the road already, Ari? Because that is kind of a big deal with this job. We spend a hell of a lot of time in the car. It’s one of the reasons we have full-time mechanics at the I.S.R. They keep the whole place humming and keep us safely outfitted on the road.”
Ari nodded. “I get it.” He reached over and Eoghan took his hand, glancing at him for a few seconds, glad that they had privacy with the cages in place. He adored the look of affection on his face. The smile lines around his eyes were charming.
“I never tire of working with you, Ari, or being with you. I was a little worried about getting involved with you initially because I realized we’d be spending a hell of a lot of time together at work. I was concerned that we’d be in each other’s pockets almost too many hours of the day and night if we were involved.”
Ari squeezed his hand. “But you don’t feel that way now?”
“If I did, I’d tell you,” Eoghan said. He glanced away, returning his regard to the road. When Ari got quiet, he looked back.
“What is it?” Ari asked.
Eoghan dragged his eyes away from the road again. “I have something to tell you and it’s really important.”
Ari frowned. “Okay, go ahead. You have my full attention. I’m listening.”
“Not here. Not now. When we stop for the night, we’ll talk,” Eoghan said.
Ari nodded, knowing that whatever it was, had to be extremely serious. The fact was, he had something extremely important to tell Eoghan as well. He’d even packed somethingvery special in his duffel before leaving the house this morning. He pressed his lips together, not wanting to spoil the surprise by giving it away. Eoghan could read his expressions pretty well by now and if he didn’t give in and tell him what was going on in his head, he’d just bug him like crazy until he finally gave up and spilled the beans. The best thing to do was to change the subject.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” Ari asked.
“Tell me about your life as an Army brat,” Eoghan said. He glanced over at him as Ari let go of his hand and smiled.
“Aren’t we supposed to call the chief?”