It wasn't much of a castle.

  Jeremy watched it from behind a huge tree root, scanning every direction for a possible ambush. Stebbins was on the other side of the clearing while Jackie made a neat triangle, but besides the two of them, Jeremy hadn't told anyone.

  This was just Natalie and her father. Jeremy knew it didn't matter how many soldiers they brought, and Brian didn't have the golems anymore.

  He called out, and the other two answered—all clear.

  Not reaching anywhere near his pistol, Jeremy walked out into the open. For all he knew, the wolf and the cat had already smelled him coming. Wolves were great at smelling, as far as he remembered, and who knew how good a mountain lion was at sensing approaching threats?

  Girl can talk to animals. Every single fuckin' bird might as well be one of her eyes.

  Except, as Jeremy approached, stepping over the little moat leftover from the rainfall, he didn't hear anything. He saw no one. The forest was quiet, especially with the rain finally reduced to only a few drops, as the leftovers dripped off the canopy to the floor below. His footsteps squelched in the mud, and the air even seemed to be warming up a little.

  "Hello?" called Jeremy cautiously.

  No response.

  He walked toward the little half-broken door. It was tall enough for him. Jeremy pushed it open, squinting into the half-lit interior. He saw a chair, a table, a staircase leading up to the second floor… and Brian Hendricks himself seated across the room.

  "She's gone," said Brian quietly.

  Jeremy walked in and took the other seat. "Where to?"

  "I don't know."

  "Did she do all this?"

  "Do what?" Brian glanced around. "We did it together."

  He mean the castle, or everything goin' on outside? ...Fuck it, doesn't matter. "She left you out here alone?"

  Brian's eyes were reddened from many shed tears. He nodded.

  "You gonna come quietly?"

  "I don't have anywhere else to go."

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  Jeremy got up and walked over to him. He lifted Brian by one of his shoulders, and fastened the plastic tie around his wrists.

  "Brian Hendricks, you're under arrest," said Jeremy for the second time that day. "And I swear to God, you're going to jail for the rest of your goddamn life."

  Brian nodded. "That's what I deserve."

  Fuck… really takes the damn satisfaction out of it…

  Jeremy pushed him forward, and Brian went willingly. The two of them exited the castle. After a few confused seconds, Jackie and Stebbins came forward. Jackie looked around, confused.

  "That's it?"

  "Nobody's here," said Jeremy with a shrug. "Just him."

  "Where's Natalie?" asked Jackie, glaring at Brian.

  He shook his head. "Gone. Forever."

  Asshole. "Somehow I doubt that," she muttered.

  Jeremy jerked his head at Stebbins. The man grabbed Brian by the shoulders and started pushing him forward—back toward the camp. Jeremy and Jackie followed just behind.

  "God…" Jackie muttered, watching Brian just ahead. They spoke in low voices, and with the birds beginning to sing once more as the storm broke into sunlight, they wouldn't be overheard. "That's really Brian Hendricks. I… shit…" She shook her head. "After all these years, I still can't believe…"

  "No way you could've known," said Jeremy.

  "It was my job to know."

  "Nah. It was your job to protect 'em. You did the best goddamn job you could," said Jeremy.

  "And look at you," said Jackie, changing the subject. "You did it. Caught the motherfucker, caught Lani, solved the crime, even found me. That's four for four. Got anythin' else on your bucket list for the year?"

  Jeremy shook his head. "After this shit?" He sighed. "After Aderholt fucking me over so many times… I'm done, Jackie."

  "So what's next?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You ain't retirin', Ashe?"

  "That such a bad idea?"

  "Hell yes it is." Jeremy was a bit taken aback at how forcefully she said it. "World needs assholes like you. People who do the right damn thing and don't give up."

  "I almost did."

  "On the hardest case of the damn century," Jackie pointed out. She sneezed, and focused on walking for a few moments, as they dodged around the worse mud pits in the forest floor and stuck to the drier patches. "Don't hold a brief crazy idea against yourself too much. They run in the family, don't you forget."

  Jeremy grinned. "Guess so."

  "So no retiring. That's a goddamn order."

  "I wasn't going to," said Jeremy.

  "...Then why the hell did I just say all that?"

  He shrugged. "You brought it up."

  Jackie snorted. "Screw you, Ashe."

  "I'm not done," Jeremy went on. "But… I ain't workin' for anyone anymore. Not Cinza, not Rachel, and damn sure not the fuckin' FBI. I can't be part of that system again."

  "Don't you start—"

  "I'm not." He rolled his eyes. "I'm sayin' it's time to go back to the damn basics."

  "And that is?"

  "Copyin' you," he grinned. "Honest goddamn policin', right here."

  "In Rallsburg?" Jackie glanced around pointedly. "Who the hell are you policin'?"

  "Well," said Jeremy, looking ahead—the pilgrim camp was just coming back in view. "You and me are probably the two officers of the damn law with the most experience dealin' with awakened. These people sure as hell ain't goin' anywhere, and we've both got some seriously inflated reputations to uphold here."

  "...So it's back to bein' sheriff," said Jackie. She smiled. "Gotta get my hat from the Greywood."

  "Somethin' like that," said Jeremy. "...Wait, we only got one sheriff position here."

  "Yup." Jackie smirked. "Welcome aboard, Deputy Ashe."

  ...Fuck me.