“Very well,” Rachel agreed. “I will take that suggestion under advisement.”
“That’s all I ask.” Deke returned through the doggie door and ran past Nick into the kitchen for food. “Well Gus, we may as well take our seats on deck and sip one while negotiations continue.”
“I’m with you.” Gus followed Nick. “What the hell was Jean hinting at? Do you think she had some kind of premonition?”
“I think you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, Gus. Jean has been contaminated by my pessimistic outlook on unknown details in our lives. If all the facts are not in, Jean thinks the worst. That’s what happens on a cross country life and death journey when you’re only seven. I thought you knew that.”
Gus reached out, grabbing Nick’s shoulder. “I…I did know, Nick. She’s more resilient than I am. Jean knows and accepts the unimaginable, because she knows what happens sometimes if the unimaginable doesn’t take place. You should have seen her face after you dealt with that Kader asshole, and she thought you might be dying. You’re like her own personal Golem… an unstoppable, murderous guardian angel.”
The veils dropped away into darkness. Gus saw the blunt instrument of death behind the eyes he always knew hovered within the man he called friend. A war raged within Nick’s soul, Gus realized in that instant. A monster lurked there, barely below the surface, without mercy, without fear, and without remorse. The aura of cold unadulterated rage for an instant radiated from Nick’s eyes. Gus dropped back a step. The two men stood as if in suspended animation for a moment, and then a smile like a glacial movement of arctic ice spread over Nick’s features.
“Good. I see you know I haven’t changed. It’s bad to have pretenses between friends. Rachel knows too. It’s why we’re still together. She knows there are only a few people on earth that are safe from what I am, and one damn dog. You’re one of them. You asked about Carol’s lesson with me. Carol learned fear. Carol learned she might be able to kill me, but if for some reason if she failed, her death would be legendary. She also found out I do my research with skill. Carol knew I would find and destroy every single person or thing she had ever cared about. I would never stop… ever. It may surprise you, but Jean knows too. She has a thread of what I am within her. It’s why she can direct me like a joke toward something that’s not right, because she has a moral compass. What you see sometimes is her trying to pretend she doesn’t have one. She does, and it’s a strong one. C’mon. Let’s go sip a couple before Carol’s dog gets here to fetch the prize.”
“Okay, but I may have to crash here for a while. I may get stupid.”
“I’ll watch our backs. Just don’t drool. I hate it when people drool.”
“Thanks for the tip, Nick.”
Deke ran to join them before they made it onto the deck. The dog stayed at Nick’s left ankle as if he were heeled on a leash. Nick went through the door, holding it open for both his canine and human partners. He then moved to the homemade bar, complete with small refrigerator and lineup of liquors and wines. Nick brought shot glasses over to the table with a bottle of Bushmills. Deke shadowed his every step, hesitating when Nick stopped, and then moving when Nick did.
“That damn dog loves the shit out of you,” Gus said. “Apparently, Deke doesn’t sense the demon within you.”
Nick chuckled. He took a bowl down off one of the shelves, and filled it with a beer he took from the refrigerator. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Gus, but Deke was angling for a beer. He spent the night with our dynamic duo, held his water, took care of business, and now it’s Miller time.”
Nick put the bowl of beer down in front of Deke. The dog lapped it up with undisguised gusto. Nick refilled the bowl and sat down to pour shots for him and his other partner. He raised his shot glass. “We’re here, Gus – at one of those magical moments where we simply sip and enjoy. In my line of thought, this is what we have. After all the killing, the danger, the angst as to the outcome, we have a few simple moments like this. It makes them special. It doesn’t make them right, wrong, or something to be proud of, but the moment is hell-a-good.”