"Mack, the cops will be here any second," Tucker said, eyes flicking to the journal sprawled on the floor. He hooked it with his boot and slid it into the bag.

"Not a word about what really happened here," Mack said, directing his order to Dave.

Dave opened his mouth. "Shouldn't we tell them about—"

"Say 'angel' and you'll earn yourself a padded cell," Mack snapped. "Grab a broom if you need to feel useful."

Dave scowled but obeyed, vanishing toward the closet.

Sera stood frozen, gaze locked on the place where the book had been. Tucker waved a hand in front of her, worried. "She's still out of it."

Mack moved in, gripping her shoulders. "Kiddo. Eyes on me."

Her lashes fluttered. "He's real. My mom wasn't crazy. I treated her like—"

"Not now." Mack's voice softened, but urgency throbbed beneath it. "Later we'll deal with it. Right now, you sit tight and let us handle the police."

Blue light stuttered through the blinds. A chorus of sirens blared outside followed by a hard knock at the back entrance.

"Go," Mack barked. Tucker raced to the rear door, letting an alarmed Lindsey and Patrick shoulder past him. Mack glared at the two and put a finger to his lips. Both heeded his direction to keep quiet.

"Afternoon, boys," Mack said with a casual grin, as he opened the door to two officers.

Officer Simms squinted. "Mack, you're bleeding."

"Glass cut. Nothing serious. Occupational hazard. Better than the time you tried to impress Janie by headbutting my jukebox." Mack's laugh drew a grin from Simms, easing the tension.

The younger cop, Bridgeton, eyed the wreckage. "The 9-1-1 calls said it sounded like a bomb."

"Place shook like hell—probably a water main." Mack continued to hover at the entrance in hopes they would just go away.

Tucker stepped in, flashing his badge before the man could dig deeper. "Homeland Security. Agent Grady. I'll handle it."

Bridgeton's brow rose. "You were here when it happened?"

"I was. And trust me—it wasn't a bomb."

The firemen arrived next, stomping in with bright red helmets, pushing past the cops. Mack clapped one on the back. "O'Malley, you still owe me for last week's tab. Why don't you all save your heroics for the hydrant across the street? Place is under control. Come back when you're off shift and the first round is on me."

A few minutes of laughter and a round of friendly insults carried most of the firefighters back out once they did a quick survey, except for O'Malley who squatted in front of Sera. She was seated and still looked pale and dazed.

He removed his helmet and said, "Are you okay, Miss?"

Tucker held his breath – waiting for Sera to expose Zephariel.

Lindsey started to say something but Sera interrupted her. "I'm good, thank you. Just a bit startled."

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

She gave him a gracious smile and said, "Honestly, I'm fine."

Tucker exhaled his long breath and O'Malley went back toward Mack. "Want me to clean up that arm Mack?"

"Seriously?"

O'Malley chuckled and turned back to the mess. He whistled and said "Good luck cleaning this up." He patted Mack's shoulder and went out outside to assure the gathering crowd that everything was okay.

Mack leaned close to Simms. "We'll sweep, patch the glass, and be back in business tomorrow. You boys don't need this headache on your reports. Maybe it was an isolated earthquake." He suggested and shrugged.

Simms hesitated, then gave a slow nod. "Fine. I don't know what's going on here, Mack, but if you need anything, just call."

The uniforms drifted out, leaving the bar heavy with silence again.

Mack turned to Tucker, voice low. "Get her out. Take the package, bring her up to speed—whatever you gotta do. But not here."

Tucker retrieved the bag from behind the counter, slinging it over his shoulder. He glanced at Sera and cocked his head toward the back door. "Come on."

"Is somebody going to tell us what the hell is going on here?" Lindsey said as she tightened her grip on Sera's shoulder. "Is it even safe to be here? Maybe you should have let the firemen check it out more."

Sera reached for Lindsey's hand, pulling her attention. "Lindsey, it's okay. It's safe. Can you help Mack clean up? We'll just take the rest of the week off. Back to the office on Monday."

"But you have the Netflix meeting on Monday. And today's your birthday!"

"How 'bout we talk later. I'll fill you in." She gave her friend a reassuring smile and stood. Her eyes darted once more toward the floor where the book had been. Tucker guided her to the door, steady, while Mack right-ended chairs as if it were just another post Friday night hoopla.