Fallen

Chapter 24

Toby showed up around ten minutes after his call. Gavin had been surprisingly calm during the wait. He'd leaned back against the wall of the church and closed his eyes, not saying a word the entire time. Eventually, Toby's mustang came rumbling up beside the church, the engine humming powerfully. Gavin hadn't moved. I stopped at the car, waiting for him to make a move that never came.

"Gavin!" I called to him, but still he didn't move. I leaned down to talk to Toby. "What's going on?"

"I'm no expert, but," the giant detective said after taking one look at Gavin. "I think he might be sleeping."

"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief, looking back at the seemingly frozen Gavin. I decided to test Toby's theory. I walked over to where Gain stood and waived my hand in front of his face. He didn't react, so I clapped my hands into his ear again. Apparently, that trick only worked once, because Gavin still didn't react. I shrugged and walked back to the car, leaning down to Toby's window. "He really is out."

"Working a corner isn't your calling, sweetheart," Gavin said out of nowhere, tapping me on the shoulder as he passed. He climbed down into the passenger seat and waived a finger at Toby before I could react. "Toby, you're a detective. You should know prostitution is illegal. Besides, you're married, and if you're going to break those vows then at least make sure she's a ten, not a five."

"Some things aren't meant to be joked about, Gavin," Toby rumbled seriously. Gavin smirked.

"True, but what could be more fun?" he asked in return. He snapped his fingers. "Let's go!"

"Five? A five?" I asked loudly, trembling in rage. Toby undid his seatbelt and got out, moving the seat forward to allow me inside. I climbed into the tiny backseat. Old muscle cars were awesome, but they hadn't been built for carrying many people. "If there wasn't a cop here, I'd shoot you."

"I don't see any cops," Toby remarked, keeping his eyes, getting back into the car. Gavin glared at him.

"Traitor," he said. "Go ahead and try if it'll make you feel better, but tell me, how did those bullets hold up against a blaze? A big one, not a small one."

"They did just fine," I lied in a huff. I pouted as Toby pulled away from the church and began our drive. Traffic was pretty stiff, but at least it was moving. Gavin didn't have to look at me to see through my deception.

"Yeah, the Titanic handled the iceberg just fine too," he scoffed. "Let me lay a little knowledge on ya. A blaze is a strong demon, but only in the context of being a rank and file demon. You get what I'm saying? Blazes aren't high on the totem pole by any means. Most were Garrisons, the lowest tier of angel, before the war. They supercharged themselves with hellfire to rank up to the Power level, the next class of angel, but they are only just there. The strongest are close to the Virtue level, the third highest rank of angel, but that's only the largest and oldest of their kind. You haven't seen one like that yet, and pray that you don't. So, in theory, you have fought at the Power level, which is respectable. Still, using your full power depletes your energy entirely, which is not respectable. Get where I'm going with this?"

"Not really," I replied, but following the conversation easily. "Why don't you just cut to the chase?"

"Neither Powers nor Garrisons are eligible for officer rank, and Virtues only become officers if the choirs are shorthanded and a Virtue has shown themselves to be effective and skilled enough to overcome the normal power deficits," Gavin went on with his lecture, tapping his foot on the floorboard rapidly. "From how you talked about your encounter with Ruby, it sounded like you two had time for a little girl on girl chat. Am I right?"