Luna hesitated and then shrugged. “Not gates. Nobody mentioned gates.”
I deflated a bit. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
“Although … I might’ve heard somebody refer to a portal. That’s probably the same thing, huh?”
I jerked up my head. “Probably. Is it close?”
“Yeah, but it’s in a rough neighborhood. We’re going to need some backup of the beefcake variety.”
Zoe snickered. “I think we can manage that. If we bring the beefcake, will you act as a tour guide?”
“It had better be good beefcake.”
“That’s the one thing we’re not lacking in.”
Twenty
Backup came in the form of Braden and Cillian. I wasn’t surprised that Braden insisted on being present. I was only glad the other Grimlock wasn’t Aisling. As much as I loved her — and I did — she was a lot of work and often made matters worse with her mouth.
“Who is this?” Cillian looked Luna up and down with a friendly smile. “You’re new.”
Luna gave him a long once-over, her gaze popping to Braden before settling on me. “Are they clones? I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or anything but clones are never a good idea. Haven’t you seen Village of the Damned?”
I was honestly confused. “I ... um ... no.”
“I have,” Zoe offered, grinning. “Not the really old one but the one with Christopher Reeve. It was pretty good. I saw it when I was pregnant — Aric was desperate to keep me entertained — and for a full week I was convinced I was giving birth to a creature that would destroy us all. Thankfully she didn’t come out blond.”
I remained baffled. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s just a movie about a blackout situation,” Cillian replied. “A whole town goes dark and when the residents wake up eight of their women are pregnant. The kids are soulless and evil.”
“Oh, well ... .” I felt the need to get the conversation back on track. “We can talk about evil clones later. For now, Luna thinks she knows where another gate may be. We need to check the location, and I figured it was best if we had backup before going in.”
“It’s definitely best,” Braden agreed, his lips curving as Luna grabbed his wrist and dragged it next to Cillian’s so she could compare. “What is your new friend doing?”
That was a very good question. “I’m not sure. Um ... Luna, what are you doing?”
“I once read a book where clones have the exact same parts,” Luna replied. “The faces were expected but it was the little things, like wrist bones, that really sold the story. These guys have the exact same wrist bones.” She released the men. “I don’t think I can work with clones. It will go the way of Judgment Day if we’re not careful.”
“Those were robots,” Zoe argued. “Clones aren’t the same as robots.”
“How do you know the clones didn’t make the robots?” Luna challenged. “To me, that seems like something clones would do.”
Zoe’s smirk broadened. “Oh, geez, you remind me of me.”
“That’s a frightening thought,” Braden muttered. “No offense, but one of you is more than I can handle.”
“I’m right there with you,” Zoe reassured him. “Maybe we’re clones, Luna. Maybe the Academy decided that they wanted to create a double for me because they couldn’t control me and they ended up with you.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “We look nothing alike. You could be my mother.”
Zoe scowled. “How old are you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m old enough.”
She guarded her age, which I found interesting, but I filed it away for later. “Let’s stop discussing clones, huh? Let’s talk about the gate.”
Unfortunately for me, Luna and Zoe had no intention of directing the conversation elsewhere until they were ready.
“Maybe clones don’t have to look alike,” Zoe argued. “Also, there’s no way I could be your mother. I didn’t do the whole child bride thing. I’m still young and vital.”
Luna snorted. “You’re vital but you’re not young. You could definitely be my mother. As for the clones, the whole point of being a clone is that you look exactly like somebody else.”
“Maybe someone is trying to hide the fact that they’re making clones by having the clones not look alike, just think alike.”
“I ... huh.” Luna tilted her head. “That would be a really smart way to hide clones. Now I’m wondering if you’re right. I don’t want clones that don’t look like me either. It’s totally freaky.”
I was at the end of my rope. “How did we even get on the clone discussion?” I exploded.
Braden’s eyes lit with amusement as he regarded me. “I believe it has something to do with the fact that Cillian and I look alike.” He focused on Luna. “We’re not clones. We’re brothers.”
“I’ve met a chick who looks exactly like you,” Luna shot back. “I mean exactly. I think we’re definitely dealing with clones.”
“Well, we’re not.” Braden was firm. “Now, as entertaining as I find you — and I would totally like to invite you for dinner one day because I think my father will fall in love with you — we need to talk about the gate.”
Luna tilted her head, considering. “I’ll say yes to the dinner but no to your father if he’s a pervert. I don’t do perverts.”
“He’s not a pervert,” I reassured her. “He just likes spoiling mouthy females.”
“So do most of the perverts I meet on the street.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in an effort to ward off the headache I knew was incoming. “Luna, we really need to focus on what’s important. We need to see where this potential gate is. It could turn into a life-or-death situation. I’m not kidding.”
“I’ve got it. Chop-chop.” Amusement glinted in her eyes and then she sobered. “There’s a house in Poletown. I’ve heard things about it. I’ve been meaning to check it out but haven’t gotten around to it yet. The rumors are ... interesting, and I think they’re the kind of interesting that would appeal to you.”
“What does that
