“Wrath jammed a finger in V’s face. “Don’t follow me. We clear? You don’t follow me.” “You stupid fool,” V said with total exhaustion. “You’re the king. We all must follow you.”

“V? Answer the question or so help me God I'll beat it out of you.""I just know how to find him.""What are you hiding?"V went over to the bar, poured himself a couple of fingers of GreyGoose, and hammered the shot. He swallowed a number of times and thenlet the words fly."I fed him."A chorus of inhales floated a...round the room. As Wrath rose in disbelief, V poured himself another hit of Goose."You did what?" The last word was bellowed."I had him drink some of me.""Vishous..." Wrath stalked around the desk, shitkickers hitting thefloor like boulders. The king got face-to-face close. "He's a male. He's human. What the fuck were you thinking?"More vodka. Definitely time for more Goose.”

“Price,” Wrath said, still looking at his brother.“Well, here’s the thing.” As the king cursed, the man, Lassiter, laughed. “It’s not a price, though.”“What. Is. It.”“We’re a two-for-one-deal.”“Excuse me?”“I come with him.”“The fuck you do.”The man lost any levity in his voice. “It’s past of the arrangement, and believe me, I wouldn’t choose this either. Fact is, he’s my last change, so yeah, I’m sorry, but I go with him. And if you say no, by the way, I’m going to level us all like that.”The man snapped his fingers, a brilliant white spark flaring against the night sky.After a moment, Wrath turned to John. “This is Lassiter, the fallen angel. One of the last times he was on earth, there was a plague in central Europe –““Okay, that was so not my fault –”“ – that wiped out two-thirds of the human population.”“I’d like to remind you that you don’t like humans.”“They smell bad when they’re dead.”“All you mortal types do.”John could barely follow the conversation; he was too busy staring into Tohr’s face. Open your eyes…open your eyes…please God…“Come on, John.” Wrath turned back to the Brotherhood and started walking. When he came up to them, he said softly, “Our brother is returned.”“Oh, Christ, is he alive,” someone said.“Thank God,” someone else groaned.“Tell them,” Lassiter demanded from behind. “Tell them he comes with a roommate.”As one, the Brothers’ heads snapped up.“Fuck. Me, “Vishous breathed.“I will so pass on that,” Lassiter muttered.”

“V looked into his best friend’s eyes and realized… yeah, Butch wasn’t going to judge him. They were cool no matter what.With a curse, V rubbed the center of his chest and blinked. He never cried but he felt as if he could at this moment.Butch nodded as if he knew exactly what was doing. “Like I said, my man, it’s whatever. You and me? Same as always, no matter who you screw. Although… if you’re into sheep, that would be tough. Don’t know if I could handle that.”V had to smile. “I don’t do farm animals.”“Can’t stand hay in your leathers?”“Or wool in my teeth.”

“I'm going to stay here and see if he comes back," Wrath said as the double doors opened and V strode in. "I want the rest of you out searching for him in the city, but before you go, first let's get an update from our very own Katie Couric." He nodded at Vishous. "Katie?"V's glare was the ocular version of a fully extended middle finger”

“Thanks for putting me up for it ... trahyner." As V's eyes flared, Butch said, "Yeah, I looked up what the word meant. 'Beloved Friend' fits you perfect as far as I'm concerned."V Flushed. Cleared his throat. "Good Deal, cop. Good... deal.”

“Before the man could answer V cursed "If I have to hear all that Keanu Reeves, Matrix, I am Neo' kind of shit my head's going to explode.""Don't you mean Neon?" Butch shot back "Cause he reminds me of the Citgo sign."Wraths head turned "Shut the fuck up. All of you.”