Night's Favour (45 page)

John sat down in the seat opposite him.
 
“This seat taken?”

“Fuck!”

“It’s a bit early, and you’re not that pretty.”

“John!
 
What are you doing here?”

“What I usually do.”
 
John waved at the girl behind the counter.
 
She nodded, grabbing clean cups and the pot and heading over to their table.
 
“Keeping you out of trouble.”

The girl held up a pad.
 
“Anything for you sir?”

“Sure —” said John.

“He’s not staying.”
 
Val’s stare was flat.

“Ignore my friend, he’s not really a morning person.”
 
That megawatt smile turned on, and the girl blushed.
 
“Say.
 
Do you do waffles?”

“Best in town.”

“A bold statement, and one I’d like to verify.
 
A stack.”

“Bacon?”

“Is there any other way?”
 
John pulled out some cash.
 
“Keep the change.”

She dimpled at him.
 
“Thank you.
 
I’ll get the kitchen on it right away.”
 
John watched her go.

“She’s no more than eighteen, John.”

“What?
 
Oh.
 
Sure.”
 
John sipped his coffee.
 
“So was I, once.”

“Isn’t she a little young, even for you?”

“I wasn’t going to hop on that.
 
I was just looking at her ass.”

“You sure?”

“That’s not fair.”

Val sighed.
 
“Sorry.
 
My bad.
 
It’s just — seriously.
 
What are you doing here?”

“Helping you.”
 
The megawatt smile came back.
 
“Like always.”

“I don’t need help.”

“That’s the least true thing I’ve heard all year.
 
Damn, this coffee’s good.”

“You should just go home.
 
Get out of here.”

John frowned.
 
“Why would I do that?”

Val pushed his cup around in front of him.
 
“They’re going to kill me, John.
 
There’s nothing you can do about that.”

“Sure there is.
 
But you’re forgetting something.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone’s got to get Adalia out of there.”
 
John looked at his expression.
 
“What, you think a little cash deposit makes us all friends?
 
I keep telling people you’re smart, but now I’m not so sure.
 
No witnesses.
 
They’ll clean house.”

“And you think you can do something I can’t?”

John considered him across the table.
 
“Yeah.
 
I do.”

“This isn’t school anymore.”

“You sure about that?”
 
John took another sip.
 
“Seriously.
 
This is better than your coffee.”

“What do you mean?”

“You put all kinds of cinnamon and shit in your coffee.”

“Not about the coffee.”
 
Val sipped his own cup.
 
John was right — it was pretty good.
 
“About this not being school.”

“Right.”
 
That damn megawatt smile again.
 
“The thing about school was bullies.
 
Some bigger kid beating up a littler kid.
 
This is just like that.
 
Biomne is a bigger kid.
 
And you, my friend, are a littler kid.”

“Biowhat?”

John tapped the headline of the paper in front of Val.
 
The headline read
Biomne Stock Down 15 Percent
.
 
The subtitle asked
Has CEO Elsie Morgan Lost Control?

“Christ.
 
She’s the head of a pharmaceutical company.”
 
Val rubbed his face.

The girl returned with their plates, one of the kitchen staff behind her carrying some extras.
 
“Jesus,” said John, “What did you order?”

“One of everything, I think.”
 
Val smiled at the girl.
 
“Thanks.”

She nodded.
 
“Sure thing.
 
Sing out if you need anything else.”

“More coffee?
 
Just leave the pot.”

“No problem.”
 
She bussed the coffee pot back to their table, and Val and John chewed in silence for a few minutes.

“These really are good waffles.”
 
John pointed a waffle-laden fork at Val.
 
“But yours are better.”

“Thanks.”
 
Val kept eating, speaking around his mouth of food.
 
“It could be coincidence.”

“Does it matter?”
 
John tapped the paper again.
 
“It doesn’t matter if this Elsie is the same one on the phone or not.
 
Whoever you talked to has resources.
 
You, all you’ve got is your less than winning personality —”

“Thanks,” said Val again.

“— And me,” said John.
 
“And those guns you didn’t have last week.”

“Guns?”

“Christ, man.”
 
John pointed at his biceps.
 
“Those.”

“Sure.
 
Guns, right.
 
The whole gym thing is a bit new to me.”

“No kidding.
 
I’m pretty glad you’re diseased, actually.”

“I’m not diseased.”

“She said you had a virus, right?”

“Right.”

“You’re diseased.”
 
John stuffed another clump of waffle in his mouth.
 
“Simple as that.”

Val pushed his first plate away, pulling a second closer.
 
“Fair enough.”

John counted the plates on the table.
 
“Did you really order four breakfasts?”

“Yeah.
 
I’m pretty hungry these days.”

“Getting shot up will do that to a guy.
 
It’s probably the whole werewolf thing.”

“Shh!”
 
Val held his hands up.
 
“Not so loud.
 
Not with the W word.”

“What, werewolf?”

“Christ.”

“Look, someone overhears us — and let’s be honest, the girl behind the counter can’t take her eyes off your biceps, she’s not listening to a word you’re saying — they’ll think we’re a couple talking about our kinky sex.”

“She can’t take her eyes off me?”

“Valentine.
 
Focus.”
 
John pointed at Val’s plate.
 
“Don’t look at her.
 
You’ll startle the poor thing.
 
Eat your beans.”

“I didn’t know it came with beans.
 
She didn’t say.”

“It’s probably a bonus for ordering more food than a normal person eats in a week.”

“I’m just having trouble getting used to it.”

“Eating four breakfasts?”

“Being a…”
 
Val waved his knife in the air.
 
“C’mon.
 
It’s movie stuff.
 
It’s not real.”

“So how would you describe it?”

“Forget about it.
 
I’ll handle it.”
 
Val took another bite of sausage.
 
“Whatever.
 
After breakfast, you need to get out of here.”

“Not happening.”

“You can’t come, John.
 
Not this time.
 
You can’t be there all the time.”

John put down his knife and fork.
 
“You need to listen, and listen good.
 
I can, and I will.”

“This isn’t like the other times.”

“It’s exactly like the other times.”
 
John’s eyes searched his face.
 
“What, you think that just because the stakes are bigger, I’m going to run away?
 
It doesn’t work like that.”

“They’re going to kill you.”
 
Val leaned back in his seat.
 
“I —”

“No.
 
They’re going to kill
you
.”

“I thought you said you were going to help with that.”

“Great, you’re on board with the plan already.”

“John —”

“Don’t fight it.”

“— People die around me.
 
I —”

John waited.

“I don’t want you to die.”
 
Val’s shoulders slumped.
 
“I don’t want anyone to die because of me.
 
Not anymore.
 
Not ever again.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“God damn it!”
 
Val’s hand hit the table, causing the plates to jump.
 
“She’s dead because of me!”

John waved the girl behind the counter away, showing a quick blast of the megawatt smile.
 
“She’s dead because life’s shitty.
 
It’s not fair.
 
Did you drive a car into her?”

“I —”

“Did you?”

“I put her there!”

John looked at Val’s plate.
 
“You carried her into the middle of the street?”

“Don’t push this.”
 
Val’s shoulders hunched.

“Or what?”
 
John looked at him.

“I —”
 
Val’s finger’s clenched in front of him.

He challenges us.
 
We are alpha.

“He’s my friend!”
 
Val’s teeth were clenched.

“What?”
 
John’s eyes widened.

“I’m not talking to you!”
 
Val gripped the edge of the table in front of them, his fingers turning white.
 
“Shut up!
 
Just shut up!”

John paused, then nodded.
 
“It’s really fucking with you, isn’t it?”

The air dragged in and out of Val in big gasping breaths.
 
“It’s so strong.
 
John, I —”

“It doesn’t matter, buddy.”
 
John picked up his knife and fork again.
 
“I trust you.
 
I’ve always got your back.
 
And I know you’ve got mine.
 
All I’m saying is — well.
 
Rebekah was like a sister to me.
 
I don’t blame you at all.
 
You can work out what that means for yourself.
 
Eat your breakfast.”

Pack
.

Just like that, it was gone.
 
Val let go of the edge of the table, looking at the cracked Formica where his fingers had been.

John looked at the cracks.
 
“So.
 
If you hadn’t got a hold of it then.
 
What would have happened?”

“I don’t know.”
 
Val sighed.
 
He grabbed up his fork and started eating again.
 
“It’s kind of new to me.”

“Me too.
 
You know, it’s not all bad.”

“How’s that?”
 
Val drained his cup, then topped them both up from the pot.

“After this is over?
 
We’ll get you into a circus.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Seriously.
 
It’ll pay well.
 
Anyway.
 
What’s the play?”

“I don’t know.
 
I had it all worked out.
 
But that was a solo job.
 
How did you find me?”

“It was pretty easy.
 
I didn’t sleep last night.
 
Followed you out this morning.”

“Does — did Danny —”

Pack mate.

“—
know you were going?
 
Carlisle?”

“No,” said John.

“I guess that’s something,” said Val.
 
“Ok.
 
I like the beans.”

“Good for you.
 
So it’s just you and me.”

“Yeah.
 
They’re expecting me.”

“Sure.”

“They’re not expecting you.”

“Two for two.”
 
John looked at him over his fork.

“Let’s keep it that way.
 
Keep you out of sight.
 
When I get a feel for it…
 
I’ll signal you.”

“How?”

“You got a phone?”

“Dial-a-Stud always has his phone.”
 
John snared his cup from in amongst the plates on the table.
 
“It’s like the Bat Signal.”

“I won’t be needing a male escort.
 
I just need you to have your phone,” said Val.

John nodded.
 
“Fair enough.
 
Your loss.”

“Right.
 
Sorted.”
 
Val let out a breath he didn’t know he’d —

Pack stands with us
.

— been holding.
 
It was good to have John here.
 
No matter how crazy things got, he knew he could rely on John, even at the end of things.

“What do we do until then?”
 
John pushed his plate away.

Val pushed his second empty plate away, pulling the third closer.
 
“I say we keep eating.”

☽ ◇ ☾

“I used to wonder how you became a fat bastard.
 
I don’t wonder anymore.”

“Keep your voice down.”
 
Val looked at the map on his phone.
 
“The place is just up ahead.”

“Sure.”
 
John grinned at him.
 
“This is just like playing spies and shit, back when we were kids.”