Romeo had to laugh at the sight of Joe, the man's big, simple face smiling beneath his undersized Yankees ball cap had always reminded him of the apes back in the Bronx zoo, but also because now he knew what was going on; he'd just dozed off somewhere, that was all. He looked around for his friend in gray — surely agent Ramiel would come along any minute, to harangue him about all the harm he'd done to his immortal soul — but he saw no sign of him, just big Joe, doing up his fly and shaking his… Continue

Romeo expected Madge to walk out into the clearing from the way the dogs were stepping from foot to foot, grinning like the fools they were, tails wagging madly, but before he could confirm his idle hunch, he felt a flash of warmth on his hands and had just enough time to drop the guest book and jump back before it burst into flames at his feet. His first instinct was to stomp out the flames, but living at the Bella Vista Motel had taught him that a man needs more than one instinct, and he… Continue