"Staying here. Hiding." I set the mug down too hard. Coffee sloshed over the rim. "Constantine's looking for us right now. Every day we stay puts everyone here in danger."
"You're not ready—"
"I'll never be ready!" I snapped. "That's the point, Lorenzo. I can't adapt to this fast enough. Learning to function with one eye takes months. Years. We don't have years. We don't even have days. If Constantine finds us here…"
"Then we’ll fight.”
"How?" I gestured at the mess on the counter. "I can't pour coffee without spilling it. I can't catch things. I can't see attacks coming from my left. How am I supposed to fight beside you when I'm more liability than partner?"
Lorenzo opened his mouth, then closed it and looked away. He didn’t have any answers either.
A knock on the front door interrupted us. My shoulders tensed, staring at the closed door.
What if it was Constantine? The sadistic bastard was exactly the kind of polite fucker who would knock before killing us all.
Lorenzo grabbed the knife from the counter and positioned himself between me and the door. I grabbed for a knife but decided against it. Didn’t want to cut myself. Instead, I opted for a cast-iron frying pan. Lorenzo raised an eyebrow, and I answered with a scowl.
Another knock.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway. Diego appeared with Eight right behind him, both armed with knives. I didn’t even ask how Eight had gotten one. Florica came down the stairs, moving faster than I'd seen her move all week.
“On three,” Lorenzo mouthed, hand moving to the doorknob. “One. Two…”
He yanked it open.
Judge Rhadamanthys stood on the porch, dressed in his usual cowboy hat and dark suit. “Ciao, Piccolo,” he said and then removed his Stetson. “May I come in?”
"How the fuck did you find us?" Diego demanded from behind me.
Rhadamanthys shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Diego swore under his breath.
"If you found us, Constantine can find us," I said.
"Precisely why you should let me inside," Rhadamanthys agreed. "I’ve cleared the street so there’s no one watching…for now."
Lorenzo stepped aside, and Rhadamanthys swept in, glancing around the room. His gaze settled on Florica, and he approached, hat against his chest. “Grazie, signora, for your hospitality. You have a lovely home.”
Florica’s expression remained stone cold as she went to the coffee pot and poured another cup for the judge. When she returned, she offered it to him, meeting his eyes. “Come and sit.” she said. “Mind your boots.”
We moved to the living room. Rhadamanthys took the armchair while the rest of us arranged ourselves around him. Eight climbed up onto the stairs and peered at us through the rungs. I sat on the couch where I could see everyone with my right eye. Florica remained in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed.
"You have a few hours at most," Rhadamanthys said after taking a sip of coffee. "Constantine knows I’ve come, but he won’t risk a direct confrontation, not while I’m here. He wants evidence of my bias so he can have me removed from my position as a judge."
"Evidence you're giving him by being here,” I pointed out.
Rhadamanthys conceded the point with a small nod.
"Why?" I swallowed, the now mostly healed nail wounds in my palms throbbing. I knew all too well how difficult it was to violate such a sacred oath.
Rhadamanthys considered his coffee. "When I took my oath, I swore to uphold the values and laws of the Pantheon. It never occurred to me that those two things could exist in opposition to each other. Yet here we are. I believe in the system that was built. I believe in honor among thieves, that rules and consequences are what separates us from the animals. But I also believe… Ade would want me to help you.” He lifted his eyes from the coffee to meet my eyes. “He’d never forgive me if I didn’t.”
"Jesus Christ," Diego muttered. "No wonder Constantine's been patient. He doesn't need to manufacture evidence. He just needs to catch you."
"Precisely, which is why we don't have much time. I can shield you for a few hours, but no more." Rhadamanthys leaned back. "But before then, I need to get you to Montana. Hades is already there with your third seal. He wants to see what you risked to earn it."
Diego pushed off the wall. "You're going to lead Constantine straight to those kids."
