The next few months followed slowly, I took a few recon jobs to pass the time, though Whisperer kept me informed of Kalin's progress he didn't know any more than we did about Torrin's disappearance. He left me messages about the investigation from the Kabal, and he had a few of the affiliates look into where Torrin might have gone, but he wasn't to be found. Whisperer voiced the opinion that Torrin had obviously disappeared willingly, the empty house, the clinic, were not exactly the style of someone who had been taken against their will. I had to concede that Torrin would eventually tell me where he was; in the meantime KC had suggested sticking around in places Torrin would know we would go in case he decided to get in touch.

In addition to Torrin's disappearance it seemed whoever had been sent to the Kabal might be trying to find Torrin, and not me. Several of Torrin's old haunts had been destroyed or raided, and some of his contacts had been beaten or killed, others were going into hiding. I had just got back to the hotel after picking my way through the burnt remains of a bar Torrin used to visit with Hanson when I got a call from Lathain

"You know you could get your own comm." Lathain's grainy picture complained at me for the millionth time, his elven ears twitched in aggravation. I merely shrugged, I hated comm. units, a fact he knew all too well.

"Whatever, unless you're calling to tell me you found Torrin then I'm not interested" I said a little more harshly than he deserved, I sighed "sorry" I apologised "it's been a long day, why are you calling?" I asked, I didn't add the two in the morning snarl, no point, I had been awake anyway, and sleep was evading me a lot these days. The hotel was cold and the thin walls did little to keep out the sounds from KC and her latest pick up

"Got a job offer you might like to be in on" the elf grinned, flashing perfect white teeth "In fact I think this one is exactly what you're looking for" his pointed look had me intrigued, I paused and he grinned again. "Ah! Got you interested haven't I? Grab the babe and meet me and the client tomorrow at the Plaza in Vegas, noon"

"It's gonna take me all night and a day to drive to Vegas" I said with slight annoyance, I would be lucky to get any sleep at all, and from the sounds coming from KC's room I doubted she'd appreciate any interruptions.

"Better get a move on then" he said and severed the connection; the screen went black leaving me in the dark communal room. I sighed and stood, Lathain had me, knew I needed another job, not for the money, I had more than enough, but I needed the adventure, the distraction, the kick.

The door to KC's room opened with a creak. KC looked up from beneath the sheet, her dark hair mussed; she shot me a look I did not expect, a grateful one.

"Oh please tell me the elf needs a hand" she said, her current partner for this evening looked up from the covers, clearly embarrassed. I nodded and she smiled "thank god, I thought I'd have to fake it all night!" she flung the covers from her, uncaring of her nakedness and swung a pair of jeans on, pulling a T out of a bag she pulled it on and slung a pair of steely boot over her bare feet. "You" she said swinging a pair of boots onto the bed "get up and go home"

Poor guy.

Forty minutes later we were packed and in the jeep, the road at this time was quiet and were it not for the drone of the engine and the occasional bump it was silent

"So, other than a location did the elf say what this was about?" K.C asked when we were out of the town. I shook my head

"He just said it would interest me specifically and to meet at the Plaza in Vegas" I told her, pulling the car onto the old interstate, K.C picked at her nails with the tip of a wicked looking knife.

"Is Whisperer going to be there?" she asked, I raised my eyebrow at the question then shrugged, "I hope so, maybe you two will actually hook up" I nearly choked from spluttering in shock

"What?! What is that suppose to mean?!" I asked

KC grinned "Oh yeah, you have it bad too, so tell me, all that time in the Kabal with him there over the summer, did you guys never hook up?"

"No!" I shouted, almost swerving the car, I felt my face heat, KC caught it in a second

"Ah HA!" she said "You have hooked up, I knew it"

"No, we didn't" I told her, more calmly "But we have kissed before" I admitted, KC raised a brow expectantly "On the base" I said

"The base? You mean the Tech facility? You didn't even know him then!" she looked at me shocked "Were there any other times you "didn't" hook up?" she interrogated, my eyes slid away as I remembered the Sam Arkut case. KC laughed "You're a secret slut aren't you?"

"No!" I squeaked, beetroot in the face it took a moment to realise she was only teasing me

"Chill Ghost, I'm just pulling your leg, I won't say anything more on the subject" she promised me with a giggle, I gave her a side look

"So who was it you booted out this morning?" I asked, trying to change the conversation before she delved much further. KC's face twisted in thought

"Josh, John, Joseph . . . something like that" I laughed

"And you call me the slut?" I said disbelieving, K.C grinned

"I've been locked underground for over five years, I've catching up to do" she told me, "besides the one I really want wont even look at me so I have to find some other muse"

"Do you mean Lathain?" I asked curious, KC snorted

"No way, too flashy for me, I like 'em good and solid, strong, you know so they wont break when I fling 'em around" now I was thoroughly confused, I didn't know anyone who fitted that description and told her so, she laughed "you really don't see him like that do you?"

"Who like what?"

"Torrin" she said, "you seriously don't find him attractive?" oh dear, another failure in the conversation, I felt myself get heated at the neck

"Not really no" I said "You see Torrin is . . . well Torrin is . . . he's important to me, but no I wouldn't sleep with him" I said "He knows too many of my demons and I his, we're more siblings and I respect him far too much to break what we have even if there were feelings like that, besides even if there was something there he'd never sleep with me"

K.C caught the edge of something "why?"

"Because I'm human" I told her "he fell for a human girl when he was younger, she nearly died when they went to bed because he is so strong, and he's never taken a human girlfriend since"

"But he has taken a girlfriend hasn't he?" KC asked

"Not when he first took me in, he didn't want to risk exposing me to danger, but he had a few girls recently, none have worked out; though I'm not sure why" I said "can we change the subject?" I asked, all this talk of Torrin was making me uncomfortable, I still had no idea where he was and anytime we went looking something would end up on fire or blown up.

"Sure, but why?"

"Torrin is family and it's a little weird talking about his sex life" I admitted, that and with everything that was going on and Torrin still missing it was a subject I'd rather not get into.

"O.K then we'll talk about Wizbit, have you ever seen him naked? I mean he's invisible so often that you really wouldn't be able to tell" she laughed and I sighed, this was going to be a long drive.