“Chance is quick.” Kerry half smiled. “The sheba are part djinn, remember?”
“And let me guess.” Jax raised an eyebrow. “They’re djinn half is div, right?”
Of course they are.I shook my head.Who else would a demon-possessed boy rub elbows with?
“Yep, but, like us, they’re half human, so they have the free will to choose a side,” Kerry pointed out.
“And which side do the sheba usually choose?” Gigi asked.
“Their own.”
#
Rome
We came to a good-sized shop and Kerry led us through the open garage bay door.
“Ah!” Mira grinned at me. “Smells like home.”
A spat of arguing broke out between two overall-clad mechanics standing next to an old Dodge truck, drawing her attention.
“It’s the carb! You’re just saying that becauseIrebuilt it and you don’t think I did it right.”
“Then why doesn’t it have power coming off a stop? You tell me. Come on, tell me if you’re so smart!”
“I’m just saying it isn’t the carb, man.”
She made a beeline toward them and I ambled along. I didn’t know squat about engines unless they were attached to a boat, but I knew a lot about guys with tempers who had access to heavy weaponry. And yes, I was aware that she could take care of herself, especially when anything metal was involved, but after that scare with the raiders, I didn’t want to let her out of my sight.
Call me needy, I guess.
“You check the intake manifold?” She ignored the surprised look of the two mechanics and stuck her head under the hood. “Bet it’s sucking air.”
“Who are you?” asked one of the mechanics.
“What’re you doing? Get out of there!” The other one reached out like he was going to grab her.
Yeah,thatwasn’t going to happen. I put my hand on his shoulder and made sure he felt it. He swung around to glare at me and had to raise his eyes up—and up—and up.
“No touching.” I let a little power flare from my eyes.
“Gimme a spray bottle of water,” she called over her shoulder. “Or a vacuum gauge.”
The two shebas looked at each other, then at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and might have flexed my biceps more than necessary.
“The lady’s trying to help you fellas. Isn’t that nice of her?”
“Uh, yes. Nice.” The first one nodded, then went over to a workbench and returned a few seconds later with a spray bottle. “Here’s the water.”
After he handed it to her, he braced his hands on the grill of the truck and watched what she was doing. The second mechanic narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, then joined them.
“Well, your mounting bolts were torqued right. Let’s have a look at that carb.” She moved and I saw a chunk of metal float up in a gray cloud. “Seems fine. Good rebuild, by the way. Ah! There. See the mounting gasket? Look at that! Now that’s what I’d call a manufacturing flaw. You woulda done better making your own.”
“Thanks. We might just do that.” The first mechanic nodded, then introduced himself as Eskander and his buddy as David.
“I’m Mira. And this,” she half-turned toward me, “is Rome.”
Her hair slid over her shoulder in a golden waterfall, and her eyes gleamed as a little smile played with her lips. Thank God Eskander started talking right then or I might have done something stupid.
