If Inigo was disappointed he had no body to clean up, he didn’t show it. Though I did get the distinct feeling he wasn’t too fond of Jack. Oh, sure, he did his usual jovial thing, but there was a dark look in his eyes that in anyone else I would have called jealousy. I wasn’t sure whether to be pissed off or flattered. I decided not to think about it. I was still kind of creeped out by whatever did or didn’t happen with him the other night.
Jack didn’t have a car. He wouldn’t explain just how exactly he managed to get up the hill to Pittock Mansion without a car so fast, though I imagined it had something to do with his Sunwalker skill set. He was still pretty wobbly, so I offered him a ride home. There were some things I really wanted to get straight with old Jack. Of course, I would have also liked very much to go home to a hot shower and a change of clothes, but that could wait.
I gave Jack a sidelong look. His face had an eerie greenish glow from the dashboard lights. “So … ” I prodded. He didn’t respond. I was nothing if not persistent. “So, you can’t die, huh?”
“No.”
“At all?”
He threw me a look. “I am the Guardian of the Key. I am truly immortal. Unlike a vampire, I cannot die, even if you take my head. As long as the amulet exists, so do I.”
“Key?”
He sat in stubborn silence.
“Listen Jack, there is some seriously weird shit happening here and I think I deserve to know about it. In case you forgot, I’ve been hired to kill you, so I’d kinda like to know what exactly I’m supposed to tell my client.”
“Tell Brent Darroch to go to hell,” he said mildly.
I glared at him a second before turning my eyes back to the dark road in front of me. “Yeah, right. That would go down a treat. ‘Excuse me Mr. Darroch, but I just found that Jack the Sunwalker can’t really die. Not as long as the amulet you stole from him exists. So would you please fuck off?’”
I was pretty sure I saw his lips twitch. I didn’t think it was an actual smile, but it was close. “Not quite what I had in mind, but it works.”
I rolled my eyes, which was kind of hard to do while driving. “You’re an idiot.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“Anyway, I already told him I know he’s got the amulet.”
“What did you do that for?” He sounded irritated.
I shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”
I was no lady, but Jack’s language made even me blush. He eventually ran out of modern cuss words and switched to what sounded like French.
I pulled up in front of his house. “There you are. Front door service, sir.” My voice sounded a little over bright, even to me.
“Do you mind helping me in? I still feel a bit … delicate.”
Delicate? Jack? “Uh, sure.” I hopped out and ran around the side to help him out of the car. He was right. He was definitely a bit wobbly still and nearly brought me down right there on the pavement. Even with my extra strength, I could barely hold him up. “Sheesh, Jack,” I panted. “You weigh a ton.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t sound particularly sorry.
Between us, we managed to stagger to his front door and get him inside the house. He sagged down on the sofa. He seriously needed a shower; heck, I seriously needed a shower, but there was no way in hell I was going to get him up the stairs.
“Don’t worry; there’s a shower in the laundry room by the kitchen.”
“What? You’re reading my mind now?”
This time he did grin. “You’re thinking too hard.”
I scowled at him. “There is no way in hell I’m getting naked with you, Jack.”
His grin widened. “Well, now, that’s a pity. But I think I can manage to shower on my own.”
Yeah, right. The guy could barely stand on his own, let alone do anything as exciting as taking a shower. “Well, then.” I fiddled with my key ring. “Guess I’ll leave you to it.”
“Stay, Morgan. We have things we need to discuss.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. I glanced down at my filthy clothes. “We can talk later. I need a shower myself. Not to mention I think these clothes need burned.”
“Just wash them with some hydrogen peroxide. The blood will come out.”
I stared at him. What was this? Jackie Homemaker? I swore my life couldn’t get any more bizarre if it tried. “Sure. I’ll get right on that.”
“You can use the upstairs shower. It’s in my bedroom. You’ll find some sweats and T-shirts in the closet and there are some garbage bags under the sink in the kitchen for the bloody clothes.”