“Me.”

“Why you?”

“Because I’ve talked to you the longest of any of the Irish uniformed officers.”

“You aren’t a cop,” I said.

“No, I’m not.”

“What kind of scene is it, other than awful?” I asked.

Edward answered, “They think they found some of their missing Dubliners.”

“What do you mean, they think they found them?” Dev asked.

“Do you mean the bodies are so messed up they can’t tell?” Nathaniel asked.

I leaned my head against his. “I’m sorry that you even know to think that part.”

“I’m not. I want to be okay with what you do for a living, and that means being okay with the disturbing stuff.”

I just looked at Nolan and said, “I’m going to kiss him now, because that deserves a kiss. Don’t give me grief about it.”

Nolan held his hands up. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I read your file, Blake. I’d be shocked if you didn’t have some of your boy toys with you.”

“Nathaniel and I live together and we’re engaged. He’s not a boy toy.”

“My apologies; I thought you were engaged to the head vampire of your country, Jean-Claude.”

“I am, but if the laws let us, the wedding would be at least four people.”

“I can’t make a one-on-one relationship work. If you can do four people in a relationship, then you’re the better man.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m definitely the better woman.”

He laughed then. “I’ll give you that one.”

I turned my head and Nathaniel turned his, and we kissed, because we were sitting that close to each other. I drew back enough to look him in those flower-colored eyes and say, “Thank you for trying to understand my job.”

“Thank you for trying to understand me,” he said.

That made me smile, because that was probably the biggest part of being a successful couple in two sentences.

“Where’s my kiss?” Dev said, smiling.

I rolled my eyes at him, but Nathaniel just turned his head the other way and offered up a kiss. Dev leaned over and took it.

“Don’t ask,” Edward said.

“Don’t tell,” Nolan said.

Dev leaned around Nathaniel to me, and I gazed up into that earnest face. “What did you do to deserve a kiss?” I asked, my voice mild.

“I’m going to go into the crime scene with you. Whether it’s zombies, or vampires, or whatever, I’m with you until you tell me to stay with the car.”

“Good point,” I said, and kissed him, too.

I turned and kissed Nicky last. He kissed me back, then said, “What did I do to earn a kiss in front of the police?”

“I’m taking you into the crime scene with me. Think of it as an apology.”

“I’m okay with blood and gore—you know that.”

“It’s one of the things I love about you,” I said.

He smiled at me. “And that fact is one of the reasons I love you.”

“And the fact that I’m not as good with the gory stuff is why you’re not in love with me,” Dev said.

I looked back at him and wasn’t sure what I would have said, but Nolan asked, “Now, I’m confused. Why does he get a kiss if you’re not in love with him, but you are with the other two?”

“Do you just kiss people you’re in love with?” I asked.

He looked surprised and then sort of laughed. “No. No, Blake, I definitely kiss women I am not in love with. If I could have given that habit up, I might still be married to wife number two.”

“Two divorces? Your ma must have made your life hell,” Edward said.

“She thought I married too young the first time, and she was right. She’s upset about the second one, though. She liked Kathleen. Everyone likes her. She’s just that kind of person.”

“I’m sorry that it didn’t work,” Edward said.

“Me, too.” He looked at me. “How many other people did you bring with you that you’ll be kissing on, Blake?”

“At a crime scene, none, but three, four more.”

“Every time I tried dating that many women at once, they found out and I was in fear of me life.”

“Maybe that was your problem,” I said.

“What was my problem?”

“You said they found out, which meant you were cheating on them. Everyone in my life knows about everyone else.”

“I’ve never met two women in my life who wouldn’t have killed me, or left me, for sleeping with the other one.”

“Oh, Captain, you have been dating the wrong women.”

“At least two of Anita’s other people are women,” Edward added.

“Nope, that settles it. Blake, you really are the better man.”

That time I didn’t argue with him. I seemed to be winning Nolan over; never argue when you’re winning.

38

MY FIRST SIGHT of Dublin was the sea. Nicky had gotten out first along with Kaazim because they were bodyguards and they were in the seats closest to the doors. I guess technically my first sight of Dublin was the paved road that I stepped out on, but I could see that at home. The first thing that let me know that I wasn’t home was looking past Nicky’s broad shoulders and seeing the gray rolling expanse of the Irish Sea. Nathaniel stepped out beside me and took my hand, and I let him, because I never expected to be standing in Ireland looking out at the Irish Sea; just saying it in my head sounded impossible, or exotic, or cool, or something. I let myself take a few seconds to appreciate the good stuff, before I turned to the bad stuff.