"Yes, check up on you." Hear that tone? That was the because you're a troublemaker tone, and Devlin knew it was damn true. Renko supposed he should be thankful, though. Devlin may not have had the sense not to "mess with" a guy pointing a gun at his face, but at least he knew better than to bait gods.

Small victories.

Renko turned and headed for the stairs, taking each one slow and gently like the old man he was— only because it was extremely difficult not to clomp noisily up the stairs with unlaced boots. Assuming Devlin was hot on his heels, he explained further, "I'm not sure if keeping your nose clean is enough." It must not have been; honestly, what trouble could a little girl cause? Nothing that warranted an exploding head, in his opinion. "Have you been watching your bracelet?"