Chapter Eleven
Quint
“The food smells wonderful,” I said.
“Maybe he's not as fancy and refined as Maurizio,” she replied, “but Pete is a wizard in his own right.”
We sat at a table outside of a small deli down the street from her bookstore. It was a charming little place I could tell had been there for a while. It just had that lived-in look to it that was entirely delightful. I'd meant it when I'd said it – the sauces inside smelled amazing. My mouth was watering, waiting to get my hands on that meatball sub she'd been raving about.
“Maybe I'm not as fancy and refined as you think I am,” I said.
She looked at me and smirked. “You look like a walking billboard for fancy and refined,” I said. “You just exude class and style.”
I grinned at her. “Well, I appreciate that, but I'm a lot more down to earth than you think,” I said. “I was a soldier for a long time. I've been down in the dirt. Lived there for a while. We didn't exactly have the menu we do at Heat out in the field.”
“I didn't know that,” she said. “Wow. To go from soldier to owner of the hottest place in LA? That's pretty impressive.”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I've been fortunate.”
“I think there's more to it than that.”
“I don't,” I said. “Not really. But fads come and go. Hotspots rise and then they fall. The celebrities and LA's movers and shakers will eventually get tired of Heat and find someplace new to be seen. I hope it's not for a while yet, but that's the fickle nature of this town.”
“You don't sound all that sad about that.”
I shrugged. “I love the restaurant business,” I said. “I really do. But I've also got other interests that keep me busy.”
She looked at me and smiled. “Such as?”
Killing demons being chief among them – not that I could tell her that. “Reading,” I said. “I told you that I've got a love and passion for the written word.”
She nodded and smiled at me. There was a calm about her that I hadn't sensed before. She was a lot more easy going and free than she had been the last couple of times we'd met. I wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be a boost in her confidence or something. She didn't look like a scared little rabbit – she looked like somebody in complete control of herself. I wasn't sure where it had come from, but I liked seeing that change in her.
A large man with salt and pepper colored hair and an ample midsection stepped out of the deli carrying a tray with our food – and a pair of candles. He set the candles down on the table and I watched as Astrid's face grew red.
“What are you doing, Pete?” she asked.
“Setting a romantic table, of course,” he grinned and winked at her. “And maybe if you'd told me you were bringing a date in, I could have made it a little more special.”
“Being here is special enough,” Astrid said, giving him a fond smile.
After setting the candles out, he set our plates of food down. I looked at the sub and savored the aroma of it.
“Astrid raved to me about this sub,” I said. “I can't wait to try it.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy it,” he replied.
Pete hustled away, giving us a little bit of privacy. Astrid was watching me, waiting for me to take a bite of the sub. I grinned at her and picked it up, taking a big bite. I chewed and felt flavor exploding in my mouth. It honestly was one of the best things I'd ever tasted.
“That is incredible,” I said, staring at the sandwich. “Seriously incredible. I've never had a sauce better than that.”
Astrid was positively beaming. “Pete said it's his mom's recipe.”
“Yeah well, his mother is a genius. Or an artist,” I said. “Maybe both.”
“He'll be happy to hear that.”
We chatted over dinner, occupying Pete's table for a good couple of hours. I was enjoying getting to know Astrid. I felt like she was opening up to me a little more than she had previously and was letting me see behind that curtain to who she really was. She was a complicated woman – but one with so many incredible layers and depth to her.
It was eventually time to go though. I went inside to pay our bill and to gush to Pete about how incredible his sauce was. I was having an idea about finding a way to get him to sell batches to me so I could have Maurizio incorporate it into some of our dishes, but I didn't have anything concrete just yet. I'd get back to him when I did.
In the meantime, it was time to bring my evening with Astrid to an end – the first of what I hoped would be many more evenings spent in her company.
“May I walk you home?” I asked, offering my hand to her when I stepped back out to the table.
“That would be lovely,” she replied, taking my hand as she got to her feet. “Thank you.”
When our skin touched, my eyes widened slightly as I felt like I'd touched a live wire. There was an electricity running through her that was palpable. I wasn't sure if she was even aware of it, but I was finally beginning to understand her. That electricity in her veins was familiar to me. I'd felt it before. And I had to wonder if maybe, something that had been dormant within her had been awakened – perhaps by the harassment from the Shongtal – and was the fuel for this confidence I was seeing in her.
I cleared my throat. “After you.”
We walked side-by-side, talking as we walked along like any other couple out on the street. That sense of normalcy was – nice. Something I didn't get to experience very often in my life.
“I usually cut through this park,” she said, pointing to a darkened path that led through a small park.
Trees lined the path, and high, dense foliage surrounded the trees. We passed a playground and some benches. It wasn't exceptionally well lit, but with my heightened senses I could see well enough. Extending my senses out, I felt them before I saw them. The Shongtal were out there. Waiting.
I felt a knot in my stomach and a stab of fear in my heart as I scanned the darkness, looking for them. We were vulnerable and they knew it. I was going to have a harder time fighting them if I was worried about looking after Astrid at the same time.
“Shit,” I growled.
She looked at me, alarmed. “What is it?”
“Trouble.”
On the path before us stepped a trio of Shongtal fighters. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw three more.
“Only six of you?” I called. “I'm insulted.”
“Give us the girl, Warden,” one of them called back. “And we'll let you walk away.”
“Quint, what in the hell is going on?” Astrid asked, a note of panic in her voice.
“Whatever happens, stay behind me,” I said. “You cannot let these creatures take you. No matter what.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I don't understand. Who are they? Why do they want me?”
I sighed and gave her a look. “There is much you need to know, Astrid,” I said. “Much I must tell you. But for now, no more questions. We need to figure a way out of this.”
I slipped my pair of curved daggers out from beneath my jacket. Astrid's eyes grew even wider as she stared at them.
“What are you doing, Quint?” she asked.
“No more questions, Astrid,” I said. “And remember to stay behind me. Whatever you do, do not get in front of me. I don't want you getting hurt.”
She backed up, looking at me with an expression of absolute terror. But I wasn't the one she needed to fear here. I wish she would understand that. As the Shongtal emerged from the shadows, I heard Astrid gasp.
“That's them,” she whispered. “The people who've been watching me.”
“They're not people,” I said. “Not anymore. Just stay behind me, Astrid.”
“Last chance, Warden,” said the man in the middle of the three before me. “Give us the girl. That's all we want.”
“Right,” I said. “Just hand her over and let you use her to seal the Doors?”
The three in front of me exchanged a quick look of concern between them – which told me that it was true. That they thought they'd found a way to seal the Doors forever.
“Don't know what you're talking about,” the man said. “We have uses for the girl though. So, just give her to us and be on your way.”
With Astrid close behind me, I turned my body so that the two groups of three were to my sides, rather that in front of and behind me.
“Astrid,” I said. “You may see some things that will be difficult for you to comprehend. I will not have the time to explain them to you right now, just know that I will explain them when we are clear of this.”
A moment later, the Shongtal rushed us.