Page 54 of Stone
Chapter 29
Saturday
Brielle heard movement coming from the other room. Peeling her eyes open, she found herself staring at the empty other side of the bed. She groaned and rolled onto her back. God, she was sore, but it was a good sore. A happy sore. A sore she wouldn’t hesitate to suffer again.
Another knocking noise came from beyond. This time it soundedlike a cabinet door being closed.Garenthwas up and apparently searching for something to eat. It made for a very good excuse to get up, considering it was Saturday, a day she normally didn’t care to get her butt out of bed until almost noon.
The room was a bit too cool. Closing the window, she retrieved her nightshirt and slipped it on before heading to the bathroom. As she saton the toilet, she eyed the dried bloodstains and congealed mess in the bottom of the tub, and winced. It was going to take a whole bottle of bleach and several hours of elbow grease to get it clean. After throwing some water on her face to help herself wake up, she padded into the kitchen to check on her houseguest.
He was standing in front of the open refrigerator, staring at thecontents inside. She couldn’t fault him for the look of bewilderment on his face as he stared at the half-dozen take-home containers inside. A seventh was in his hands, the lid open.
Brielle laughed and took it from him. “I don’t think leftover Moo GooGaiPan is proper breakfast food. Let me fix you a bowl of corn flakes for starters, and we’ll work our way from there.”
She pulled two bowls from the cabinet and handed them to him. Gesturing to the table, she grabbed a couple of spoons and the box of cereal to set next to him, then went for the milk. After showing him what to do, she fetched her phone. She’d barely had the chance to sit down when it went off. Brielle smiled to see the name of the caller.
“Good morning, Uncle.” She hit the speakerbutton and set the phone down.
“Morning, Brie. Did I wake you?”
“No.Garenthand I were just starting to have something to eat. Did you get any sleep last night?” She knew that sometimes jetlag played havoc on the man.
“I got enough. Listen, I know it’s the weekend, but I could really use your help. Can you meet me at the museum in a couple of hours? Thecargo just cleared customs and is due to arrive around eleven, and I want to be there to accept delivery.”
She could understand, considering what happened with the robbery. These artifacts were priceless, andKellingwas going to take no chances with this second shipment.
“Sure. Not a problem. Can I bringGarenthwith me?”
There was a slight hesitation,and she immediately knew why. Her uncle didn’t know. When he’d been at the apartment last night,Garenthwas still an effigy.
“Uncle Chet, something happened last night that you’re not going to believe,” she hurried to interject.
She was answered with a chuckle. “An ancient Egyptian gargoyle flies to New York City to retrieve a magical idol, and you think you have somethingto say that Iwon’tbelieve?”
“He’s not covered in stone anymore.” She waited for the man’s reaction. She didn’t have to wait long.
“What do you mean he’s not covered in stone anymore?”
She quickly explained what occurred. How his façade had begun to crumble, so she’d put him in the tub to help wash him off. And as a result, the whole efface literallymelted away. “He’s human, Uncle Chet. He’s alive and human.”
“That’s incredible! By all means, bringGarenthwith you. I’m anxious for him to look at what I’ve had sent. He might be able to give me insight as to what we’re looking at.”
The comment sent a thrill of excitement through her. Of course!Garenthwould have first-hand knowledge of everything, including thehieroglyphs. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it.
She eyed the man who appeared to be playing with his corn flakes on the other side of the small dinette. The naked man.With a killer body.
“That’s an excellent idea,” she told her uncle. “Before then, I’m going to have to getGarenthsomething to wear.”
She heard the professor chuckle again.“I won’t argue with you there. See you soon. I’ll be in the warehouse.”
“Sure thing. ‘Bye.”
She ended the call and punched open the app, then looked atGarenth. “We’re to meet my uncle at the museum in a little while. But before we leave, I need to get you some clothes to wear. There’s a Housing Works a few blocks away. I’ll run over there to get you a few things.”
She got to her feet and waved for him to stand. She needed to guesstimate his sizes, since she couldn’t take him with her to try on anything. “Let me see. You’re about a thirty-four, maybe a thirty-six in the waist. You’ll probably need a thirty-four or thirty-six length pant.” She scanned his muscular chest. “I’m definitely going to have to get you an extra-large in a shirt.” She tooka stance beside him, hip to hip, and placed her foot next to his to judge the size. “I’m just going to have to wing it, and hope I come up lucky.” She tapped the app. “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”
She didn’t expect him to grab her by the arm and turn her around to face him. He stared down at her with an uncertain look. She wondered if he was worried about her leaving, when he unexpectedlybent over and kissed her. Unlike his kisses from last night, these weren’t passionate. There was no heat behind them, but there was no mistaking the tenderness. She placed a hand to his jaw to give him a second, shorter kiss when he started to move away.
“I won’t be long,” she told him again. “Go finish your breakfast.”
