Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

lemme get that for ya.”
    “Thanks G,” Joey replied, happy to hand over the weighty cube. He had developed a little crick in his back, so paused for a second to stretch it out. “I definitely need to join you for cardio,” he said, “or a better option is to just have you do all the heavy lifting.”
    Gage laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know my role here,” he answered while they both continued down to the shop door. “How many more boxes are left up there?”
    “I think two,” Joey said, stepping inside. “Maybe three. I’ll be sure to snag them later on.”
    “No worries,” Gage responded while following him. “I’ll bring them down to ya in a bit.”
    Joey was pleased to see Gage back to some semblance of normal, though he suspected it was only on the surface. “I appreciate that. Oh, just set that one down there on the floor to the right.”
    Gage lumbered his way over a few feet and bent at the knees, setting the box down with a loud thump next to the one Joey had brought in a few minutes earlier. He slung back his arms then pulled them up into one of those double arm flexes he did so well. Joey certainly took a long, drawn-out stare at Gage’s flared back while he continued to scrutinize the workshop, seeking anything and everything that could be used to make the Noctis pay dearly for what they’d done.
    Gage noticed the shelves were bowed, loaded up with unique tech and gear, like the UV headsets from their last mission and something that resembled a small, empty surface to air missile launcher. It looked promising, but he had no idea what it did.
    “So J, we definitely need to use this on a future mission,” Gage stated excitedly.
    Joey chuckled, shaking his head. “Um, maybe once it’s done. I haven’t figured out what it is yet.”
    Under the overloaded shelves, a series of cabinets topped with bamboo looped around the wall. Grimy workbenches sat parallel to each other in the center of the room, piled high with tools and a smattering of different colored rune stones. Whether looking at the place in part or whole, it was unquestionably in shambles. Nonetheless, Joey still knew where each item was with pinpoint accuracy.
    Joey plopped himself down on one of the workbench stools, cleared himself a narrow space, and propped up on an elbow. Gage was still scanning the room with a fire in his eyes and a look of determination his face.
    “So tell me big guy,” Joey intruded, “how are you holding up? I know it’s only been a couple days since…”
    “I’m doin’ alright, I suppose,” Gage said heavily, stopping what he was doing. He was unsure that he believed the words coming out of his own mouth, but just went with it. “I just… I just know that she’s in a better place now.”
    “True, she is,” Joey agreed. “That doesn’t make it any easier for us, though, does it? I think it’ll take us some time to fully adjust to her loss, but the life we live, especially with the current situation out in the world, doesn’t afford us with too much luxury.”
    “Sometimes, do ya find yourself wanting to shrink away?” Gage asked with hints of remorse. “Like walk away from it all, find some remote corner of the world and say ‘fuck everything?’”
    “More often than you think these days,” Joey muttered. “But that's not who we are, is it?”
    “Nope. And some days I hate the fact we aren't.”
    “Getting back to Ady,” Joey resumed. “Obviously, from a personal perspective we both loved her dearly, myself as a brother and you… well, you as much more in the end.”
    Gage nodded and leaned back against the countertop. “Honestly, I don’t think she loved either of us any less than the other, my man.”
    Joey fought off the pain. “Well, we also have to adjust to her being gone from a practical perspective,” he continued, giving his nose a hasty wipe. “After all, she was incredibly skilled at slaying vamps and using those daggers of hers. It -”
    “It’s in the glove box,