Enemies(2)

“Hello, Janus,” I said. He had walked in without a word, seen Fries lying in a pool of his own blood, and cast me the look. You know the one—something between disappointment and resignation.

“Hello,” he said, somewhat gruffly this time. He gave a wave of his hand at the mess of Fries on the couch. “Is this to be the omen on which we open the next chapter of our relationship?”

I tried to keep from curling my lip. “I saw the way Kat was all over your suit last time; I think I’d prefer something like this as an omen rather than something that might leave you open to any suggestion.”

A wry smile, a little self-deprecating, made its way over his stony facade. “Fair enough.” He stiffened, his tweed suit coat rustling as he went upright, as though someone had hit him in the back. “Good gods, he’s still alive.”

I shrugged. “Yeah. And …” I frowned. “You just said, ‘Good gods.’”

He stared at me in concentration, as though he were picking through his last statement. “Yes? What of it?”

“You self-reference in exclamation?” A deeply disturbing thought crossed my mind that caused me to grimace further. “Wait … when you’re with Kat, do you call out your own name?” My face soured, utterly beyond my control.

“If I may,” Janus said sternly, “this man is still alive.”

“Barely,” Fries groaned, his eyes still closed. He was splayed out on the sofa, arm draped over the side.

“Oh, stop milking it, you big faker,” I said. “You’re fine.”

“You shot me in both lungs.”

“You’re probably halfway healed by now,” I said. “Besides, your boss and I have things to discuss.”

“Do we, now?” Janus said with a cocked eyebrow. His beard was looking a little longer than when I had seen it a week or so ago. “Very well, then. You had James summon me from my business in Texas.” He spread his arms expansively then nudged Fries’s legs out of the way. The incubus groaned before moving them reluctantly, and Janus sat down, careful not to park himself in the puddle of blood. “What would you like to talk about?” He eyed the pistol in my hands. “And, before we begin, do you truly feel as though you need that?”

“Strictly for him,” I said, gesturing to Fries.

“I don’t think he’ll be giving you any more problems,” Janus said and gave Fries a sharp slap to the hip that caused the younger man to grunt in pain. “Isn’t that right, James?”

“I will give you no difficulties,” Fries said, gasping. “You, on the other hand, have given me—”

“A down payment on future pain,” I said. “I could make another installment now, if you’d like.”

Fries went quiet, and Janus gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod of agreement. “So,” Janus said, “what shall we talk about? The state of the world? Employment opportunities?”

“Erich Winter,” I said.

“Mmm.” Janus gave me a slight nod. “Not one of my favorite subjects, I will admit. But very well. What about him?”

I watched the old god’s eyes, and he watched me. “You know what he did?”

“Indeed I do,” Janus said slowly. “Rumors percolate quickly through the meta world, especially when one spreads money around with recently unemployed persons who used to work for—”

“You paid some of the agents that used to work for the Directorate?”

Janus gave another easy shrug. “It would be foolish of us not to. We give them a little ‘severance package’ to compensate them for the fact that Erich Winter did not, and they are kind enough to send a few whispers our way.” He grew more serious. “I was … very sorry to hear about what he did to you, of course.”

I didn’t blink. “Your organization has done almost as bad or worse to me. Winter only metaphorically ripped my guts out. You remain the only ones who have done it literally.”

Janus gave a slight grimace. “I have already apologized for this … unkindness on the part of previous management, but if you’d like, I’d be more than willing to tell you how sorry I am again—”

“And I’d be no less likely to believe it now than I did then.”

There was a faint settling of the lines at the crow’s-feet around his eyes. “This is a problem, then,” Janus said, his voice smooth. He rested his left hand on the wooden edge that was exposed at the end of the arm of the couch, relaxed. “Without trust, it will be difficult to have any sort of communication between us. I could tell you many things, but …”