I waited for my moment, then jogged between a twisted angel and a giant green-man head. As my feet touched the hill, a buzz built in my ears, the grating hum of gargoyles talking. Not everyone could hear them, but one had decided to speak to me long ago. I thought of it as a privilege, having access to some kind of secret knowledge. I had relied on the words of one of the gargoyles whom I had named Virgil, and it had saved my life. I discovered recently from Joe that all the gargoyles repeated the same things to whoever listened, that my survival had to have been luck. It was disappointing to learn that, but at least I was alive.
I scrambled through a cluster of smaller ’goyles, misshapen animals worn with age—lolling-tongued dogs with human arms for legs, cat-headed birds, and human-headed snakes. The essence from the pillar beat against my senses, a powerful thrumming that reverberated in my chest.
I spotted a small child with long sheep horns curling around its ears, its palms lifted in supplication. I slipped the bowl out of my jacket and placed it on the hands. I liked the way the red-splattered green bloodstone of the bowl blended with the red marbling of the ’goyle. To the casual eye, it belonged there, and its essence was lost in the intense background field the pillar generated. It was risky to leave it, but now that Shay’s blood had broken the geasa, anyone could move it. Until I understood what was going on, I didn’t want to have it on me if someone detained me. I didn’t have a choice but to hide it.
A brownie guard shouted. Instead of running, I waved at him with a smile. He thrust his arm away from the hill and shouted again, coming nearer. I hurried down the slope, smiling and waving, doing my best to appear properly scolded. I reached a break in the storm fence and walked onto the empty concrete pond basin. The brownie kept his distance as I returned to the steps that led to the gate. As I settled in the car, I was astounded to see a parking ticket. I left it on the windshield.
The sun was coming up, saturated pink-and-orange light coloring the downtown buildings. I drove down to the harbor and left the car, pumping quarters into a meter and tearing up the ticket. It would be a few hours before anyone noticed it.
I walked back toward Faneuil Hall. When all else failed, I went home, or, in this case, my parents’ hotel. I hoped no one would think I would go there. At the back end of Quincy Market, Joe flashed into sight in front of me. “Oh, good, you’re not dead,” he said.
I walked with my head down. “Shay is. He got shot.”
Joe’s face fell, embarrassment at his poor choice of words showing. “I am truly sorry, Connor. He was rather sweet.”
“And didn’t deserve my coming into his life,” I said.
Joe didn’t argue with me like he usually did when I said stuff like that. He settled on my shoulder and wrapped his arm around my neck. I knew he didn’t agree with my sentiment, but he comforted me without words anyway.
I slowed my step when I reached Cambridge Street. The Bostonian Hotel was across the street, but I spotted Kevin Murdock at the end of the block. What he was doing there at that hour couldn’t mean anything good, especially since he had his body shield up. It was an impressive demonstration of control on his part so soon after gaining essence abilities.
“What do you make of that, Joe?” I asked.
He leaned forward to see around my nose. “All the Murdocks like to wake up early?”
If there was one thing I had learned from putting people under surveillance, it was what people looked like when they were doing surveillance. Kevin was watching the street, the approach from downtown, waiting for someone or something. “I don’t like it. Let’s get inside before he sees us.”
The entrance to the hotel was a series of flat arches along the sidewalk. As I reached the curb, Gerry Murdock stepped from behind a pillar. He was dressed in black like Kevin, not his uniform, but he did have his gun belt on. He glanced at Joe, then back to me. “Funny running into you,” he said.
“I’m not laughing, though,” I said.
“Your mother’s staying here, isn’t she?” he said.
I froze. “Meaning what?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. It’s not very safe down here at night. I’d tell her to be careful.”
With two long strides, I was in his face. “If anything happens to my mother, Gerry. I am coming after you.”
He gave me a cocky grin. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, big fella. I believe you are threatening a police officer. You’re under arrest.”
“You stink of gunpowder, Gerry. Where were you tonight?”
“Picking off scum. Think I got a tranny,” he said.
That did it. I grabbed him by shirt and shoved him against the wall. “You killed a kid, Gerry.”
He surprised me by activating a body shield, not a strong one, but enough to force my hands to slip off him. He grabbed his gun. “Surprised, Grey? Playing field’s level now.”
With an abrupt thrust of my hand, I slammed my body shield against his without touching his body. His arm jerked up, hitting the wall, and the gun dropped out of his hand. “Call me when you think you can take me,” I said.
I had passed under the arch into the driveway when I heard the gun. “Stop right there,” he said.
I put my hands out and pivoted. Joe flashed into the air next to me. I hadn’t noticed him vanish. He hadn’t said a word during the entire exchange. “What, Gerry? You going to shoot me? Go ahead, I dare you. I’ll have that gun out of your hand and up your ass so fast, you’ll be choking on the bullets.”
“Is there a problem?” Dread clenched my gut when I heard my mother’s voice.
“Get back inside, Ma,” I said over my shoulder.
In her dressing gown, she came up next to me, her hands folded in front of her. “I asked if there is a problem here?”
Gerry kept his gun aimed at me. “Do what he said, ma’am. This is a police matter.”
My mother moved forward. “My name is Regula Grey. I am a member of the Seelie Court. I have diplomatic immunity from local matters and, through me, so does my son. Now I ask you, sir, what is the problem here? Do I need to contact the Guild for advice?”
Kevin joined Gerry as he relaxed his stance and lowered the gun. The two of them stared at us for a long moment of failed intimidation. “A misunderstanding, ma’am,” Gerry said.
My mother nodded once sharply. “I see. Well, then, good day.”
She turned and entered the hotel.
“This isn’t over,” Gerry said.
“Stay away from my family, Gerry,” I said.
I followed my mother. Joe flew backwards in front of me, watching the Murdocks. “Did you call her?”
“Your father wasn’t there,” he said.
My mother waited by the elevator. She pressed the UP button. “Honestly, Connor, you need to be more careful. You know I worry.”
The elevator arrived, and I punched the button for my parents’ floor. “That was foolish, Mother. You could have been hurt.”
She waved her hand. “Oh, I would have flattened him in another moment if he hadn’t dropped his weapon. You know how impatient I can be when I haven’t had my morning tea. Who was he?”
“Gerry Murdock. Leo’s brother,” I said.
“That nice man who delivered our bags?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s a complicated family,” I said.
“Well, at least you can join us for breakfast. Your father should be back from his exercise shortly,” she said.
We got off on our floor. “Have I really had diplomatic immunity all this time?”
She opened the door to the suite. “Oh, no, of course not, dear. You were stripped of it a year ago or so. Although, I’m not sure your father and I qualify anymore either since Maeve sent us away.”