***
Martin strolled across the Embassy property, still trying to digest his brush at almost becoming a midnight snack. Why didn’t it eat him too? Was it because of what the Scot did? Did Daniel say something to it? Was Jezryall influencing it? He just didn’t know. Nothing about this day made any sense to him. Not their trip to see the Gemini, the airport, this place, but everything happened. It wasn’t a dream. Those people were really dead. Killed by some crazy old man. That, Martin understood even less.
Barb and Jezryall stepped down off the steps of the back balcony. Barb walked over to Martin and put her hand on his shoulder.
“How are you doing?”
Martin smiled weakly. “This has been an interesting day.”
Barb rubbed his shoulders. “And then some.”
He looked into her eyes. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Does this happen all the time?”
Barb looked over at their boss. “What? The fighting and stuff?”
“Yeah.”
She exhaled deeply and pursed her lips. “Sometimes. People don’t know what’s out there, and occasionally, they get into trouble.”
He looked at Jezryall. “Is this what you meant when you said you dealt with ‘unusual situations’?”
Jezryall nodded. “Yet I believe today was more unusual than normal.”
Aslin turned to Jezryall. “Once Lucian has returned with the contents of the Embassy, I will dispose of all the dark magical items.”
“No need,” Jezryall said. “That has already been taken care of.”
The Scot frowned. “How?”
“I will discuss it with you later.”
Aslin exhaled. “That is unfortunate. These were dangerous people. I would like to have known just how deep their connection to Dark magic was.”
Martin put his hand inside his jacket. “Hey! I forgot about this.” He pulled out the small book from his pocket and handed it to the Scot. “I scooped this up earlier. Was going to give it to you later on when we were done here.”
The look on the Scot’s face was priceless. Martin was pretty sure he wasn’t expecting him to be so forward thinking.
Jezryall smiled. “Good work, Mr. Cunningham. You are thinking like one us. That is a good sign.”
“A good sign?”
“For us!” Barb said, and intertwined her arm with his. “If you’re starting to think like we do, then maybe you’ll want to stay on.”
“I don’t know yet. This whole setup is still kinda weird.”
Martin looked past everyone and to the small group of embassy people standing with the patrol guards. “What about them?”
“They’ll be fine,” Barb said, leading him to the side of the building. “I’ll have Lucian arrange for them to get counseling.”
“Counseling?” Martin couldn’t contain his laugh. “I think they’re going to need more than that. Maybe a memory wipe or something.”
Barb gave a cute laugh. “Maybe, but in the meantime, I believe there is one more job you need to do.”
Martin gave her a sarcastic look. “You mean I’m not done yet?”
Barb pointed him toward the street. Martin’s mouth fell open as he saw several police officers standing outside the gate. The flashing red and blue lights of several cars bounced off the building.
“What are they doing here?”
“Well, apparently they were called because one of the Embassy neighbours reported a crazy person running around the Embassy property yelling threatening obscenities.”
Martin rolled his eyes as his head fell back.
Barb pushed him toward the gate.
“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to say?”
Barb’s cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. She was quiet for a moment, and then snapped it closed. “Lucian says his extraction team will be here in about twenty minutes.”
Martin shook his head, confused. “So?”
“So you have twenty minutes to think up a good cover story to explain all the equipment that is about to show up.” She motioned Martin toward the street. “And you better make it a good one too. There’s a Channel Six news crew van out on the street too.”
Martin slumped forward. “Got any good ideas?”
“No, but try not making it sound too crazy. After all, Terin Global is a well-respected corporation.”
She patted him on the back and then turned and walked away.
Martin smiled as he watched her disappear around the corner of the building. Maybe working for Terin Global wouldn’t be as overwhelming of a job as he thought. It was damn exciting, that’s for sure, and he did like the idea of saving innocent people from evil creatures. How many jobs boasted a knight in shining armour privilege?
Martin straightened out his clothing, brushed off any excess dirt and debris and walked toward the flashing lights. The new Public Liaison Officer for Terin Global had one more job to do tonight.