Read Vesik 04 - This Broken World for Free Online Page B

references to it. I think that is some seriously dangerous shit.”
    Frank chuckled. “You think? I was pretty sure it was dangerous after it dissolved a car and ate away half the street.”
    “Point to Frank.” I pointed at him. “Where are the pooches?” I glanced at the back room.
    “Pooches?” Frank raised his caterpillar-like eyebrows at the word.
    I held my hand out at my waist. “You know, about so high. Eat everything? Like to bite?”
    Frank nodded and continued ringing up Ashley’s goods. “They left with Foster and Aideen.”
    “Really?” I said with the surprise plain in my voice. “Cara said to bring them to the Concilium Belli. I kind of thought she was joking.”
    “The what?” Ashley said, her voice rising sharply.
    I took a deep breath and met her eyes. Her focus shifted from my left eye to my right and back. “Ashley,” I said. “Faerie is going to open war against Ezekiel and those who would support him.”
    “No, they can’t.” She looked through me, and I could almost see the thoughts churning in her mind. “Look at the damage that video is doing. An open war will reveal even more of our world, or confirm its existence to everyone who witnesses it.”
    “I know.”
    “Can’t you stop it?” she asked.
    “No one can stop it,” Frank said. “War is war. Human, werewolf, Fae … there will always be war.”
    I looked at Frank as he scanned the items in from Ashley’s basket. Something dark crept within his words. I had a feeling I knew what it was. He’d not had an easy life. The family gunrunning business hadn’t panned out so well in the end. At some level, I knew he spoke from experience.
    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
    “Are you okay?” Ashley asked.
    He finished scanning the last few pieces of amber. “I’m good, thanks.”
    Ashley nodded and paid before she turned back to me.
    I watched Frank start bagging her items in some Double D branded shopping bags. Nice reusable cloth ones. I was impressed with us.
    “Damian,” Ashley said.
    My gaze shifted to the priestess.
    “You’ll tell me when things start to happen, won’t you?”
    “Yes.” I slid the sleek black phone out of my pocket. “Sam made sure I had your number loaded up. And about fifty others.” I swiped the screen to unlock it and pulled up my texts. “We have an emergency group set up and you’re on it. If something really bad happens, you’ll know right away.”
    “Thank you,” she said, picking up her bags. She turned to leave, and then paused. She took a couple steps and hugged me instead. “Thank you.”
    “Saving the Wiccans,” I said. “It’s what we do.”
    She laughed and smiled before heading out.
    “You okay?”
    Frank blew out a breath. “I was just thinking there’s a lot of ways to die in a war.”
    I nodded. He didn’t need to say more. His dad had been gunned down in an arms deal gone south. Frank had a unique, and terrible, perspective on war.
     “Keep an eye on Sam for me,” I said.
    “I will, Damian. Have a safe trip. Try not to let the Old Man kill you.”
    “Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “No shit.”

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    F rankly, I assumed training with the Old Man was going to be nothing short of absolute brutality. To postpone things a bit, I stopped off for some comfort food on the way south. Fried catfish at the Catfish Kettle in Farmington … words escape me.
    I practically inhaled a hushpuppy and took a big drink of water. Slightly crunchy, slightly greasy, deep-fried cornbread. I smiled and thought of the time Zola had brought me to this place so many years ago.
    The server dropped off a water refill. I nodded and continued chewing. An older, petite server near the hostess stand pointed at me. I didn’t think much of it until she started walking toward me.
    “You’re him, aren’t you?”
    I swallowed and looked up at her. “Umm, maybe?”
    “You’re the all-you-can-eat kid. I just know it.”
    “I’m the who?”
    “Come with