Not a good sign. Something nasty was in store, if Kevin was any judge. As she started the jeep and thumbed the garage door opener, he asked, “What did Sam say? Why the artillery?”
“He didn’t say I needed it, if that’s what you’re wondering. I just thought it might be a good idea.” She backed up slowly and as soon as they cleared the garage, she thumbed the garage door control to close the door. When she glanced over at him, she frowned seeing his nervous look. “Look, we’ll go into why you’re inviting demons in for tea later on, this takes precedence. But I’d appreciate it if you’d give me more of a warning, next time.”
“Sorry.” He thought quickly, realizing he might be able to smooth things over without a long explanation, thanks to their call. “I’m not used to dunning from supernatural powers.”
Their house was only three blocks from the freeway onramp they wanted and Pam could only spare him a quick glance. It spoke volumes — worry, amusement, chagrin, even a tiny taste of an apology. Kevin relaxed minutely and leaned back more naturally against the seat. “You remember I swore an oath to Hecate? Well, she apparently thought of a couple of ways to have me honor it. So far, none are acceptable.”
“You’re stiffing the Queen of the Night?” Pam’s voice carried a touch of exasperation. As far as she was concerned, any contact with deities, friendly or not, wasn’t a good idea. Kevin tended to agree with her.
“No, just negotiating. I owe her a service, no argument. But it has to be something that I agree needs to be done. That was implicit in the deal.”
Pam shifted to an inside lane and settled down to slightly over the speed limit before she replied. “Okay, I got that. But correct me if I’m wrong. I thought Hecate had no truck with demons. Any more than you did.”
Kevin’s expression grew pained. Lying like this to Pam wasn’t easy but he didn’t have any choice. “If you remember, Verstig had originally gotten help from Hecate to gain a foothold with the lesser demons. You’re right, insofar as you go — but she’s an operator — a broker if you will. She’s got something going across the board. She’ll accept service wherever she can get it and that includes a low level demon acting as a runner.”
Pam spared him a quick glance and then shrugged. Kevin could tell she wasn’t entirely satisfied but had elected to let it go. He needed to get her to concentrate on what they were up against, right now or he was afraid she’d catch him an inconsistency. “Did Sam give you any specifics?”
“No, there wasn’t time. I figured you could do some checking on the trip up. You can, can’t you?”
Kevin nodded and turned around in the seat to grab the kit. That sounded like a good idea, no matter what he had planned.
