As the pair of them took the gun case over to the kitchen counter, John pulled Tohr aside. Nodding at the velvet-covered urn, he signed, Do you need me any further tonight?
"No, son, you stay with your female - I've got to go out for a little bit, actually. " The guy stroked the velvet. "I'm going to put her in my room first, though. "
Yeah, okay. Cool.
Tohr hugged him hard and fast, and then went out the door into the tunnel.
From over in the kitchen, Xhex said, "How are you going to - Well, yeah, that'll work. "
The smell of burning plastic had John twisting around. V had removed his glove and put his glowing forefinger up against the locking mechanism, acidic smoke rising from the contact in nasty curls of dark gray.
"My prints tend to do the job on just about anything," the Brother said.
"Clearly," Xhex murmured, her hands on her hips, her taut body bent forward. "You ever barbecue with that thing?"
"Only lessers - and they ain't good eatin'. "
Staying back, John stared across the way and just. . . Well, he was just amazed at the female. Who the fuck did shit like this? Going into the B. o. B. 's secured hideout. Rifling through, looking for a rifle, natch. Coming back like she'd done nothing more incredible than order a Starbucks.
As if she sensed his eyes on her, she glanced over.
Opening himself up emotionally, so that there were no barriers at all, he revealed to her everything he was feeling -
"Got it," V announced, retracting his glowing hand and regloving it.
Turning the gun case toward Xhex, the Brother said, "How'd you like to do the honors. "
Xhex refocused and cracked open what she had brought home, the mangled locking mechanism falling apart.
Inside, there were a pair of rifles nested in black egg-crate padding, along with long-range scopes.
"Bingo," she breathed.
She'd done it, John thought. He was willing to bet his left nut that one of those guns was going to prove to be the rifle that shot Wrath.
She'd frickin' done it.
From out of his gut, a massive groundswell of pride rose, warming his entire body, stretching his lips into a smile so wide his cheeks hurt. Staring at his female, and the mission-critical evidence she'd brought into the fold, he was willing to bet he threw shadows, he was beaming so much.
He was just so incredibly. . . proud.
"Pretty goddamn promising. " V closed up the case. "I've got the equipment we're going to need at the clinic - along with that bullet. Let's do this. "
"One minute. "
Xhex turned to John. Walked over to him. Took his face in her hands. As she stared up at him, he knew she was reading every bit of everything he had in him.
Rising up onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his and spoke three words he hadn't expected to hear again anytime soon.
"I love you. " She kissed him again. "I love you so much, my hellren. "
Chapter Sixty-Nine
On the other side of the Hudson, down south from the Brotherhood compound, Autumn sat in the cabin in darkness, still occupying the same chair she'd settled into at the beginning of the night. She had long since willed the lights off, and the lack of illumination around her made the snow-covered landscape appear bright as day under the moon's glow.
From her vantage point, the river was a wide, motionless expanse, even though it was iced in only at its shores.
From her vantage point, she had seen little of the view before her, having dwelled instead on the stages of her life.