It was going on ten o’clock when they left the restaurant. The taverns and bars in Shadow Bay were staying open late again so that the locals could vacuum up as much cash as possible from the tourists as well as the ghost hunters and the members of the various Foundation research teams. The Halloween lanterns glowed in the evening fog, illuminating Main Street in a ghostly radiance.
“There is absolutely no need for you to spend the night at my place,” Sedona said. But she didn’t bother to put any energy into the statement.
“You’re right,” Cyrus said. “We could spend the night at my place, instead. But I haven’t had a chance to stock the refrigerator. Come morning, we’d have to go to your cottage for breakfast.”
No getting around it, Sedona thought, given recent events, she was glad to have Cyrus as well as Lyle with her for the dark trek back to her cottage. But the thought of Cyrus spending another night at her place made her uneasy. Not quite as uneasy as the possibility of running into another psi-trap, though.
The boss’s lady.
“Fine, my place,” she said, aware that she sounded gruff.
“Okay,” he said. “But let’s stop by my cottage first. I want to grab a few things.”
A few things. She knew that as far as the residents of Shadow Bay were concerned it was going to look like the new boss had moved in with her.
“Think of me as a roommate,” Cyrus said, as if he had read her mind.
“More like a bodyguard,” she said, determined to be mature about the situation.
“Or a bodyguard,” he agreed.
When they reached the end of the street Cyrus rezzed his flashlight.
“While we’re on the subject of my personal life, there’s a rumor going around that Brock Prescott went to your office today,” Sedona said.
“I can confirm that rumor.”
“Damn. I was afraid of that.” She halted and turned to face Cyrus. “What did you two talk about?”
Cyrus stopped. “Take a wild guess.”
She winced. “Me.”
“Yes, you.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him to stay away from you or else I would see to it that he disappeared from Rainshadow.”
She thought about that. “You used the word disappear?”
“I believe I did.”
In spite of the many complications that had cropped up in her life recently, she could not help but feel touched.
“Wow,” she marveled. “That was cold.”
“Do you think so?”
“Very old school.” Historically speaking, when a Guild boss made someone disappear, the individual in question wound up taking a long walk in the catacombs without tuned amber. “I’ll bet your threat gave Brock some second thoughts. Not that you would actually do something like that.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Cyrus said. “I’m a great believer in tradition.”
She paused. “You really told Brock Prescott that you would make him disappear if he came near me again?”
“What do you think?”
“I’ve only known you for about twenty-four hours but I’m inclined to believe you did, indeed, threaten Brock Prescott.” Sedona started walking again. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but thanks.”
Cyrus fell into step beside her. “You’re welcome.”
She glanced sharply at him. In the heavy darkness it was impossible to read his face, but she thought she detected sincerity in his tone. Possibly a little too much sincerity.
“Look, I really appreciate the gesture, but promise me you won’t actually send him into the tunnels without amber, okay?” she said.
“You still care for him?”
“No. But I got my revenge this morning when he arrived at my place and found you there. That’s good enough for me. I don’t want to be responsible for his disappearance.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you my word that I won’t make him disappear into the Underworld but I reserve the option to ask Slade Attridge to kick him off the island. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough.” She smiled. “Slade would do it, too, if you asked him.”
“Yes, I know. He’d do it to protect you. You’ve got friends here, Sedona.”
“Yes.” She hugged the knowledge close.
When they neared the gates of the Shadow Bay Cemetery, Lyle chortled and bounded down from Cyrus’s shoulder. He vanished into the fog and the darkness.
“Have fun,” Sedona called out softly. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
They went up the front steps of Graveyard Cottage. Cyrus rezzed the lock and opened the door. He found the wall switch and rezzed it, too. Then he stood back to allow Sedona to enter first.
Old school when it came to his manners, as well, she thought.
He followed her into the small space and kept going into the darkened bedroom. The lights came on. She listened to him rustling around and knew that he was packing shaving gear as well as a change of clothes. Think of him as a roommate. Or a bodyguard. Yeah, right.
“One thing I don’t understand,” she said.
Cyrus emerged from the bedroom with his leather pack slung over one shoulder.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I keep wondering, why is Brock Prescott here on Rainshadow in the first place? I mean, it’s not like he suddenly realized he was madly in love with me.”
“You’re sure of that? He indicated otherwise.”
“Give me a break. The man commands the resources of a very impressive corporation that specializes in Underworld exploration. Prescott Industries has had a lot of experience in the Rainforest and it even has its own security division. But Brock never even bothered to send out a search-and-rescue team after he heard that I was missing. It was as if once I was out of his sight, I was out of his life.”
“And now it seems he’s changed his mind.”
“The only thing I’ve ever seen Brock get really obsessed with is his family’s business.” Sedona led the way back out onto the front porch. “So why did he follow me here to Rainshadow?”
“Good question,” Cyrus said.