The carriage stopped outside the hospital after a short ride from the company.
Joel stepped down first and turned, offering his hand with a grin on his face.
"Here, my lord. I can't have you falling off the—"
Noel jumped down on the other side, totally ignoring him.
Joel looked at his own extended hand and withdrew it slowly.
"You're quite mean to your new guard, aren't you?" he said pleasantly.
Noel was already moving toward the entrance when he stopped.
He looked around.
The coachman had pulled the carriage forward to find somewhere to wait. The street in front of the hospital was momentarily quiet — no patients coming out, no visitors going in—just the two of them on the pavement.
He turned and glared at Joel.
"How the hell did you get the job?" he said.
Joel looked at him, like the question Noel was asking was... confusing.
"You're a claimed dead man," Noel said. "A killer. How does someone like you walk into my father's house and get hired as a fucking guard?"
