He swallowed a frustrated growl, grabbing some snow from the rooftop and squishing it in his hand. Footsteps sounded behind him, and he said without turning to look, “Dave, I’m not in the mood—”
“Who said anything about Dave?” Marco squatted at his side, huddled in a thick parka. He looked Chad in the eyes. “You gotta stop doing that.”
“What?” Chad forced the word out through stiff lips.
“Freaking out in front of others. If Jane can keep it together, so can you.”
Chad gazed into the dark. “Sorry. I don’t know how you guys do it. How you make yourself believe she’ll wake up.”
“I don’t believe she’ll wake up. I know it.”
“How?”
“I just do. I choose to. And if I turn out wrong, thinking about it now won’t make it any better, will it?”
Chad blinked, speechless. Such simple truths, coming from Marco, of all people.
Marco didn’t give him a chance to dwell on it, though. “I got something,” he said. “A possible lead. Gonna go check it out.”
“A lead?” Chad’s heartbeat spiked as he turned to stare at Marco.
The big fighter nodded. “It’s Archie. Said some new guy has been hanging at the bar. Talking to people more than drinking. Sounds like someone’s fishing for intel. Could be nothing, but Archie’s asked me to check it out anyway.”
Chad jumped to his feet, only to grimace at the stiffness in his limbs. “Let’s go check it out then.”
“We’ll have to be subtle about it.” Marco gave him a skeptical look, getting up. “Like we’re just there for a drink, which you definitely could use.”
“No problem. I can be subtle.” Chad pointed back at the door. “I’ll go grab a jacket then.”
Marco shook his head and shrugged off his parka, revealing a leather jacket underneath, which he took off and handed to Chad.
It was Chad’s turn to narrow his eyes. “You knew I wouldn’t say no, didn’t you?”
Marco only smirked and stepped off the rooftop.
Jacket or no jacket, Chad felt like a big icicle by the time they landed near Archie’s. He’d kept close to Marco, who probably had some inbuilt compass for all his favorite bars or simply could smell liquor from miles away even in such nasty weather. Chad himself would’ve gotten lost in a minute up there, with the snow blurring his vision and the wind whipping at his face.
They walked past groups of smoking men. Some acknowledged Marco with a nod; others simply stared, their looks far from friendly. Chad had no trouble ignoring curious looks shot his way. At the moment, he couldn’t care less.
The bar blinked at them with its red-and-yellow sign, a welcome sight after the freezing flight. Marco pulled the door open and let him through before stepping inside himself.
More staring and nodding, which Chad also ignored. He kept his breaths shallow, giving his senses time to adjust to the stuffy but warm atmosphere of the bar, and the dozen smells that assaulted his nostrils. At least his ears didn’t threaten to fall off anymore.
“Find a table,” Marco said, nudging him to the corner of the room. “I’ll go say hi to Archie.”
Chad took off the jacket and found a table by the wall, away from curious eyes. Marco stood by the bar, talking to Archie, whose gaze stayed on Chad even as he spoke to Marco. The man himself, brawny and gray-haired, was tough as nails. For a human among skyfolk, anyway.
He put out a bottle and two glasses for Marco, nodded, and turned to another patron.
Marco didn’t say a word as he joined Chad at the table and poured two fingers of whiskey for them. Chad’s stomach flipped at the smell.
“To our girl,” Marco said, raising his glass. “May she never cease being a pain in our asses.”
Chad made a face but threw back the drink. Again, they filled their glasses and emptied them, this time without a word. Marco’s eyes kept scanning the room, but even so, he noticed and caught Chad’s hand before he could grab the bottle and pour a third drink.
“Okay, slow down, soldier. You should at least eat something.” He searched the bar for the waitress and beckoned to her.
“And you shouldn’t?” Chad said, even though he agreed with Marco. The liquor was burning its way through his system much faster than usual.
“Unlike you, I eat my supper. Sometimes two.” Marco turned to the stern-faced waitress, who bent down to hear his order. “Archie’s staring at you again,” he said once she’d left.
Chad made an effort to look more sober than he felt. “Mm?”
“It’s, like, the fifth time you’ve come here, and Archie still stares at you like he’s seen a ghost.”
Chad looked Marco in the eyes, unsure if it was a poor joke, or if he truly didn’t realize what he’d just said. “He has,” he said after a moment. Marco just shrugged, pouring more whiskey for himself but not for Chad. “Were he and Michael friends?”
Marco wiggled his hand in a vague gesture. “He’s friends with Peter. It was Peter who suggested taking Archie under our protection. Michael just tolerated him—and this place, and the fact that we were coming here so often.”
Their food arrived, and Marco thanked the
