AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He knew the restaurant was open, and he wondered if Julie was just busy. He felt a twinge of guilt for being gone so long, but Julie never called him or texted, so maybe she was just getting rid of the bodies—
Two loud bangs rattled his door.
Kevin jumped, and Cher barked. He gently shushed her, though he wasn’t entirely sure if anyone else could hear her. He answered the door with a tired smile, quickly willing his wings back into place before they could be seen.
It was Julie.
“You…!” Julie shouted as she glared at Kevin. Whatever anger she had melted away as she studied Kevin’s face, and she seemed confused. “Wow, you… you look great!” She launched herself into Kevin’s arms for a rib crushing hug. “If you ever leave me with these idiots for that long again, I will quit! I don’t care if the place burns down. Do you understand?”
Kevin stumbled backward from the force of Julie’s embrace, and he hugged her back tightly. He wasn’t proud of the squeak he made when she squeezed him, but he didn’t pull away. “I promise, never again. You are getting a vacation, a raise, and a medal.”
“Damn right, I am!” Julie laughed. “I deserve one for not killing everyone.”
“Are they still alive then?”
“Alive, yes. For now anyway.” Julie cracked a grin. “Steve smoked something he bought from a guy named Ernie he met under a bridge and now he can smell colors. James filled his car with itching powder because Steve made fun of him for crying over a dead dove fic, whatever that is, so now Steve might take off his clothes randomly because the space bugs are coming to get him.”
“Damn. I’m actually kinda bummed I missed all that.” Kevin laughed as he let Julie go and took a step back.
“Dead doves and all?”
“Yeah! Dead dove, do not eat.” Kevin laughed. “That one I know. They got it fromArrested Development. James told me in the fan fiction world it basically means that a story is exactly what it says on the tin and you should have expected it. Usually not good things I gather.”
“Gross.” Julie wrinkled her nose. “Well, come on. You can help me fold pizza boxes and tell me all about your trip.”
“Sounds good! I gotta make a special delivery pretty soon, but I’m all yours while James cooks it!”
“Hopefully there were no dead doves or dead things of any kind.”
Kevin wasn’t sure exactly how much he should share about his adventure, but he did say, “It was a wild ride. That’s for sure.”
He left Cher to her own devices, hoping he still had an apartment when he returned. He followed Julie around to the front of the restaurant, grateful to see both of his other employees still alive and, for the moment, not fighting. He filled them in on the less extraordinary details of his trip, and they were still pretty great—from Rudy’s bar to Vegas, he and Percy had really had a great time.
Other than the whole being hunted down and nearly murdered and all that.
Kevin decided he might tell them more later, but he needed more time to process it all himself. He’d probably still leave out the murder stuff though.
As soon as the pizzas and cheese bread were ready, he said goodbye and promised to be back in the morning. He stopped to pick up Cher, ignoring how she’d redecorated with items from the trash and feathers from his pillow. They drove over to the Munsters House, and Cher ran ahead of Kevin toward the front doors.
Which were open.
Kevin frowned as Cher vanished inside, and he soon lost the fuzzy bit of her that he could see.
Did Percy see them coming? Or had he simply left the doors open?
“Honey, we’re home!” Kevin called out as he walked in, setting the food boxes down on the nearest table. The hair on the back of his neck instantly stood up, and he knew something was wrong.
The house was too empty, too quiet—Percy wasn’t here.
A quick search of the house confirmed it. There was no sign of a struggle or anything else nefarious, but Percy wasn’t anywhere to be found. Desperate, Kevin decided to call Joe. He needed to let him know that he was back in town anyway, and there was a chance Percy had gone out for a drink and was late coming home.
“Come on,” Kevin muttered as the line rang. “Pick up, pick up—”
“Hey, partner!” Joe said cheerfully.
“Hey, man!” Kevin tried to keep his voice calm. “Just got back in town a few hours ago, and uh, have you seen my well-dressed boyfriend anywhere?”
“Percy? Oh yeah.” Joe sounded like he was smiling. “He’s right here.”
