The Getaway God by Richard Kadrey Read Free Book Online Page B

screen. Her favorite movie when she’s feeling down. She sticks her head around the door and raps on it with her knuckles.
    â€œKnock, knock,” she says. “I brought a peace offering. Burritos from Bamboo House of Dolls.”
    â€œThen you may enter.”
    â€œThank you, sir.”
    She puts the burritos on the table. She left her jacket downstairs, but her jeans are soaked through. She’s even given up her Chuck Taylor sneakers for shin-­high rubber boots with skulls and stars. She takes them off and tosses them in the tub, then comes over and flops down next to me on the secondhand sofa.
    â€œWhat are we watching?”
    â€œIf you don’t remember it, Allegra needs to check you for a brain tumor.”
    She pushes up against me and gives me a little elbow in the ribs.
    â€œI’m sorry. Was that your side, Mr. Sarcastic?”
    â€œYou’re dripping on the linoleum and getting the couch wet, wino.”
    Candy unbuckles and slips off her jeans, leaving them in a heap on the floor. She sits beside me and shivers. Pulls my arm around her. My left arm. She doesn’t mind the prosthetic. I think she kind of likes it. I pull her closer.
    I say, “So, Allegra fixed you up?”
    Her head moves against me as she nods.
    â€œShe said it was probably the stress of getting the new place together and doing stuff with you and the Vigil, knowing no one at the Vigil wants me there.”
    â€œFuck ’em,” I say. “They’re paying me to be there. They’re getting you for free. If you don’t want to come in you don’t have to. Take it easy and settle into the place.”
    She looks up at me.
    â€œAnd let you have all the fun? Besides, what would I do here while you’re gone? We only get a few customers, and unlike Kasabian, I can only jerk off so many times a day.”
    â€œWhat do other domestic ladies do? You could take up needlepoint or do crossword puzzles. Maybe get into Valium and martinis.”
    â€œI like the sound of the last part. But seriously, Allegra has all the help she needs at the clinic and I like being Robin to your Batman. That and my Duo-­Sonic are about the only things I give a shit about right now.”
    I gave Candy a cherry-­red electric guitar a few weeks back. She got herself a little used Roland CUBE amp and bashes away every moment she can. She only knows about three chords, but she plays them with great conviction. Sometimes Fairuza, a Ludere who works with Allegra at the clinic, jams with her on drums. They’re talking about starting a band, calling it the Bad Touch Sugar Cookies because it sounds like one of the idoru bands they like. Supposedly, Fairuza’s old band once opened for Shonen Knife at the Whiskey. I think Candy about dumped me for her when she heard that, but I have a better movie collection, so she stayed.
    I take a blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around Candy and we watch the rest of the movie. After that, I write the report I promised Wells, and e-­mail it to him. I still can’t figure out what the mess in Hobaica’s demented head meant. Tooth flowers. Seas of fire. Hacked-­up bodies. It’s like a Texas Chain Saw wet dream. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything at all. Maybe I just left him on ice too long and Hobaica’s soul was all screwed up from his brain getting frozen and oxygen deprived. Anyway, it’s not my job to figure out. That’s for the bag of Shonin bones.
    Later, Candy reheats the burritos and we eat them while watching Hausu, a funny Japanese haunted-­house flick. Candy cackles the whole way through it. I don’t pay much attention. She goes downstairs when we’re done eating.
    I’m still wondering if I should take a chance and go see Mr. Muninn in Hell. Maybe it would be smarter to check in with Samael first. He’s living in the palace with Muninn and would know if it’s all right for me to go down. Your