Since the first attempt on my
life in the Sante Fe airport, there had been seven more attempts on Ted
Forrester’s life, in the span of three days. And whom ever had put out the
contract did an excellent job of covering their tracks. In the past five days,
all I had been able to figure out was the
amount of money the hit was out for. 1 million dollars. It was a lot of
money, and lots of people were springing for the contract. I had been better
than them all so far, but eventually, one might get lucky. I had to find out
who put out the hit, and put a stop to it.
And harder yet, I had to stay away from Anita. I called to tell her about the hits. I told her to stay away from New Mexico until I got this all resolved, no surprise visits. She immediately wanted to come down to Sante Fe to help, but I forbid it. As soon as I forbid her to come down here, I winced, expecting her to tell me off and come down on the principle that I had forbid her from it. But instead, for the first time in her life, she listened to an order of such caliber. I was well and truly amazed.
On the fourth day yet another
one tried, I shot him in my driveway. The cops were just having a field day
with this. Edward would just dispose of the body, but Ted had to call the cops.
They wanted to put me in protective custody. I refused. Of course I refused.
But the fourth day did prove somewhat fruitful. Through my various connections
I found a name. But the bad news was, there was no information on this guy,
what so ever. He didn’t exist. A certain Jonathan Clydesfeld. He absolutely DID
NOT exist, and it was driving me insane. It was obviously a fake identity. But
I couldn’t find out who the real man behind it was. There was no paper trail.
No photos. No nothing!
I was now sprawled out on
Anita’s bed, staring at the ceiling. I could smell her scent on the sheets. It
was torture. I wanted her, so badly. I wanted to be with her all the time, I
couldn’t wait to see her again. But I couldn’t see her, not until this was all
over and done with. I still couldn’t believe she was going to move down here
with me. I would be able to wake up next to her, I would be able to reach out
and pull her to me when I wanted to hold her. We would be together every day,
and not just when someone was trying to kill her, or me, or when we were
hunting something. It would almost be like we were married.
We had once said that people
like us don’t settle down well. But through my musings, wouldn’t this be more
accurate? People like us only settle down well with people like us. Death, the
Undertaker, was moving in with the Executioner. It was almost poetic. And what
was next? Wedding bells? Kids?
Slow down, Edward, take it one
step at a time. But if we were going to live together, I didn’t know about Anita,
but I wanted a different house. This one had too much other stuff in it. Too
much Donna. Too much Olaf. Maybe we could build a new house, with a shooting
range in the basement…that would be nice. Once again, I told myself to slow
down. I had to survive the next few days first, and kill this Jonathan
character.
I ran his name over and over
again in my head. Jonathan Clydesfeld. Jonathan Clydesfeld. Clydesfeld
Jonathan. Jon Clyde. I sat up straight in bed, a smile spread on my lips. I had
the answer. I knew who it was. And I was headed for St. Louis.
I had been home in St. Louis for
four days. Since my house had been burned to the ground by Olaf, I had been
living out of a hotel. Darkness was falling, I had to go see the vampire next.
I had already seen Richard, to tell him to find a new Lupa. He promptly
informed me he had already interviewed 2 new lupas. I was betting on more like
5. Or 10. So no big problem there. Yesterday I had interviewed a prospective
Nimir-raj for my kitties. His name was Micah. The leopards liked him instantly.
He was as tall as me, cute, with green eyes. He would be protective of them, he
reminded me of me. I think the person who would take my leaving St. Louis the
hardest was Nathaniel. But I had taught him to be more independent. He would be
fine. I just needed to move on and have a life of my own, and not have to worry
about every damn preternatural thing in St. Louis whining to me when someone
called them a name.
It was jarring to think that
there was a contract out on Edward’s head, and that he hadn’t found the person
who put it out yet. But he would. He never fails. Once I told Jean-Claude how
things were going to be, I just had a few more loose strings to tie. Then once
Edward took care of this assassin thing, I could move down to Sante Fe with
him. I was kinda looking forward to it. Well, that was a lie. I was totally
looking forward to it.
To start over fresh, and not have to worry about the boys or my
other St. Louis enemies breathing down my neck. I would miss Ronnie and
Catherine and Jason and Asher and Raphael and all my other friends I was
leaving behind, but it didn’t matter. I could numb myself to it. It’s one of
the great advantages of being on the line of dead inside. There was just enough
left inside to keep me ticking, but all the rest of the annoying bits and
pieces were gone.
I climbed into the jeep, and
drove to the Circus of the Damned. Taking a deep breath, I descended down the
stairs into the bowels of the circus. I found Jean-Claude in the living room.
He had been waiting for me, sitting on the couch.
“Good evening, ma petite.”
“Hi.” I stood in the center of
the room, my arms crossed.
“So what brings you to the
Circus, Anita. I was under the impression that you wanted to stay away from me,
at all costs.”
I shrugged. “It’s a plus, but I
have something I have to tell you. I thought it would be cheap to break it to
you over the phone.”
“If this is about Edward, ma
petite, I already know you two are an item.” His words were bitter. I couldn’t
really blame him on this one.
“It has something to do with
that.”
“Then by all means, ma petite,
do tell.” There was irony and jealousy deeply imbedded in his voice. It was so
strong even HE couldn’t hide it.
“Well, I’m moving to Sante Fe.”
Jean-Claude’s eyes widened.
“Sante Fe? But ma petite, you
cannot!” He stood from the couch, and walked to stand in front of me. “You have
obligations here, we depend on you.”
I shook my head. “No
Jean-Claude, I want my own life back. I shouldn’t have to fucking baby-sit
every damn monster in this city. What? Can’t the big bad Master hold the city
by himself?”
Jean-Claude frowned. “You know
that I gain power from your mere presence. It will cost me greatly, to have you
move so far away.”
“I think you’ll do just fine.”
“And what of Richard? And the
pack?”
“I talked to Richard earlier
today. He’s already begun to interview new lupas.”
“He may find a mate, but the
pack will never have a leader as strong as you.”
I sighed. “They’ll be fine.”
“And the Pard?”
“I just interviewed a
prospective Nimir-raj yesterday. I think he’ll be better for the Pard than I
ever could be. I’m just human, Jean-Claude. There are some things I don’t
understand, and that I don’t want to understand.”
“And what of the Triumvirate?
You are our third. You CANNOT just leave us like this, Anita. Remember what
happened with Obsidian Butterfly and Red Woman’s Husband? Remember the holes in
your aura? We need to seal those holes, Anita. They are a weakness.”
I shook my head no. “I’m keeping
my humanity, Jean-Claude. I don’t want to live forever.”
An indignant expression crossed
Jean-Claude’s face. “You are my human servant, and I think you shall do what I
see fit!”
“Like hell I will! I—” Jean-Claude interrupted me, shushing me. He
looked like he was listening to something. “What?” I demanded.
His dark blue eyes held a fire
of anger. “How could you be so careless, Anita?”
“What the hell are you talking
about?”
“I can hear it!”
“Hear what? Would you stop being
so damned cryptic and just tell me!”
“Life, ma petite.” He touched my
lower abdomen. “A life, growing here. How could you be so careless? I can hear
it’s tiny heartbeat, even though sight is deceiving.”
My jaw literally dropped. I
swallowed hard, touching my lower abs, where Jean-Claude had touched me. Could
he be telling the truth? Surely he was. What could he gain from lying about
this? I had been nauseous this morning, but had brushed it off. Is this why I
had been sick? Edward and I hadn’t used protection, and hadn’t had a second thought
about it. Jean-Claude very well could be telling the truth.
“You cannot keep it, Anita. The
Executioner? With an infant? It would be a liability beyond all comprehension.”
I frowned, stepping back. “It’s
my baby, Jean-Claude. You get no say in this.” I wanted the child. I would have
had it, even if it wasn’t wanted. It wasn’t the kid’s fault that Edward and I
were careless, or in this case, in love.
“I get no say in this? You are
my human servant. I have just as much decisive power as you.”
I could feel the absolute rage
burning in the pit of my stomach. “What happened to you, Jean-Claude? Is this
the real you? Was everything else just an act?”
“I don’t know what you are
talking about, Anita.”
“The HELL you don’t!”
He gripped my shoulders, holding
me fast. “You are mine, Anita Blake.”
I flew into St. Louis late this
afternoon. I found a hotel to stay in. By the time I was settled in, darkness
had fallen. It was time to go see this Jonathan Clydesfeld. Initials, JC. Are
you following my train of thought? Back in Sante Fe, it occurred to me what
Jonanthan Clydesfeld stands for. John, in French, is Jean. Clyde, in French, is
Claude. The vampire would have been a lot safer if he didn’t have such a flair
for clever things. Now he would have to pay for it.
I drove to the Circus, parking
close to the door marked PERSONNELL ONLY. I knew it opened from the inside. But
I had ways around that. Once I broke in that door, I made my way down the
stairs slowly. I had the Berretta out, trained on the ground. My eyes swept the
halls, searching for any signs of danger. There was such a thrill of adrenalin
thrumming through me it made me a little bit dizzy. That high of knowing I was
in grave danger was why I love this job. The hard weight of the mini uzi
hanging from its strap, resting against my back was a familiar friend. My black
leather coat swirled around me, it was familiar too. And it hid so many great
toys.
I reached the door of what I
remember to be the living room. I listened closely. Anita and Jean-Claude were
in there, having an argument. Go figure.
“You are mine, Anita Blake,” I
heard Jean-Claude say, harshly. All hopes of catching Jean-Claude alone in the
circus tonight diminished, I took that as my cue to step into the room, Beretta
out and ready. But maybe it was better that Anita was here. I would have a
witness to Jean-Claude’s reaction when I announce I know it was him trying to
kill me.
“Wrong, fang face.” By the look
on the vampire’s face, I knew I surprised him. And that pleased me. “Anita was
mine, long before she met you, or the werewolf. She was my student, and my soul
mate, long before you ever set your pretty blue eyes on her.”
“Why, Monsieur Edward, what an
unpleasant surprise.” His dark eyebrows knitted together in a frown.
“Let go of her, Jean-Claude.” My
voice was empty, but menacing. The Berretta 9mm was steadily pointed at his
head. I wanted to pull the trigger, oh so badly. Who says men have no self
control?
He did, pushing her towards me
rather roughly. But Anita kept her feet, and drew her Browning. She kept it
trained on the ground, and I knew she was watching the door behind me. That’s
my girl. “What’s going on, Edward?”
“I have some interesting
information you might like to hear, Anita,” I said, my tone bland. But my eyes
never left Jean-Claude’s face. I never looked him in the eye, I knew better.
Anita looked puzzled. “And why
does this news bring you here? I thought you were trying to stay away from St.
Louis.”
“You remember there’s a contract
out on my head?”
“Yeah.”
“Well guess who put it out. I’ll
give you a clue. He’s in this room, and it wasn’t me.”
Anita’s eyes widened, and I
could almost feel the anger rolling off of her. “Jean-Claude?” I could hear the
disbelief in her voice. The vampire stayed silent, his face blank and eyes
calculating.
“You told me once Anita, that I
could only kill him in self-defense. I think I’m well within my rights now.”
Before Anita could answer,
Jean-Claude laughed. It grated against my ears, an irritating sound. “Monsieur
Edward, you can shoot me, but are you willing to risk something I am sure you
will value far above your own life?”
I raised an eyebrow, not sure
what he was talking about. The gun never wavered. “Try again, fang face, minus
the riddle.”
“Ma petite is carrying a life
inside of her, that I believe you, Death, helped create. It is poetically
ironic, non?”
I looked to Anita. “Is he
telling the truth, Anita?”
“I’m not sure, Edward,” she
answered truthfully. “But very likely yes. I’ve been sick a lot in the
mornings.”
I nodded slowly, once up, once
down. She was pregnant. With my child. I was going to be a father. A thrill of
fear and excitement ran through me, that I managed to hide. The kids part of my
musings was coming true even sooner than I thought. “She is, I can assure you,”
said the vampire. “I can hear the two different sets of heartbeats. One is tiny
and frantic, and oh so young. And the other is strong, and…unfaithful.” I
caught that reference.
“One can only be so faithful, as
to what is deserved,” I said, my eyes icy.
Looking into his eyes, I knew we
now had an understanding. He hated me out of jealousy, I hated him for the same
reason, and because he was a monster. And we would try to kill each other, if
this continued. Hell, he had already tried to kill me. It was my turn now,
wasn’t it? “So because I am a vampire, I do not deserve Anita’s faithfulness?”
Jean-Claude crossed his arms, glaring at me.
“You don’t deserve her, period,
Fang Face. You never did.”
“And I suppose you think you do?
You are just as monstrous as I am, Death. How did you put it before? You just
do not have the fangs.”
“That’s right, and that makes
all the difference.”
“You never answered my
question,” Jean-Claude pointed out. “Do you think YOU deserve her?”
“No,” I honestly answered. “But
I love her anyway.” I realized that was the first time I had ever openly
admitted that I love Anita. It was like a weight had been lifted from my chest.
It didn’t hurt, or feel bad, or I didn’t fall apart, as I thought I might. It
felt good. “We need to come to terms, vampire.”
“I agree,” he answered, voice
careful.
“You call off the hitters. I’ll
give you 24 hours. But if you don’t, you will wish you were never born hundreds
of years ago. I wont kill you while Anita is still in her present condition. I
won’t risk losing this child. But there are worse things than death, but there
aren’t many worse things than Death. It would just make my day to give you some
scars that would match Asher’s. Do you understand?”
The vampire nodded. “I will call
off the contract as soon as you leave.”
“Good.” I nodded towards the
doors. “Let’s go, Anita.”
We backed up to the door, both
of us watching Jean-Claude closely. “One more thing, Jean-Claude,” said Anita
at the door.
“Oui, ma petite?”
“You stay away from me, from
Edward, and my baby. Or I will kill you myself. Understand?”
He sighed. “Of course.”
“And that includes dreams. Stay
out of my head. If you don’t, we’ll test how bonding these marks are.
Understand?”
“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes at
us. We fled up the stairs. I had an uneasy feeling that this wasn’t over yet.
Edward walked me to my rental
jeep. My original had been blown to smithereens by Olaf. Like my house.
Destructive bastard. Edward’s green mazda rental that he always seemed to get
was parked two spots away from mine. His eyes slid from side to side, watching
for threats. The black leather duster moved around him like something alive. He
looked equally good as Death, as he did Ted Forrester. Why choose when you
don’t have to?
“I have to go back to my hotel
room for tonight, to give the contract a day to subside, just to be safe. But I
will see you in the morning,” Edward said quietly. He kissed me on the forehead, and walked to his car. He said
nothing about the baby. Shit. Maybe he just didn’t know what to say. God, I
hoped so. I drove back to my hotel.
2***
Morning came, along with a knock
on the door. I had a good feeling I knew who it was. I opened the door, and
Edward walked inside. He was wearing khakis, brown shoes, a brown belt, a white
dress shirt, and a khaki jacket was slung over one arm. I blinked my eyes a few
times, feeling out of context in my rumpled t-shirt and cotton shorts that I
hadn’t changed out of yet. “What’s the occasion?”
He shrugged, his lips curved in
a half smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Just probably the biggest thing that’s
happened to us since we met that will probably change our lives forever.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m
pregnant, so you dressed up. That explains everything,” I said sarcastically.
Edward sat at the foot of my
bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. He craned his neck up to look at me. “Do
you not want to celebrate, Anita?” There was uncertainty in his voice. I had
confused him. Damn it. I knelt down in front of Edward, situated between his
legs, one arm on each of his thighs. I looked up at him, a gentle smile on my
lips.
“Of course I want to celebrate,
Edward.”
He nodded, tucking a lock of
hair behind my ear. “So do I.” He leaned down, kissing me gently. “I missed
you.”
“We were only apart for four or
five days, Edward.”
“So?”
“So I missed you too.” Edward
rested his head on mine.
“Do you think it will be a boy
or a girl?” he asked.
“I don’t know. What do you
want?”
“A girl.”
“I want a boy.”
“We’ll just have to wait and
see.”
“If we have a boy we could name
him Browning,” I joked.
“Ah, but if it’s a girl we can
name her Beretta.”
“Berretta Blake?” I asked. Of
course, Browning Blake wasn’t much better
“Berretta Forrester,” he said,
in a correcting tone.
“We’re not married,” I said in a
correcting tone of my own.
“We’re not married,” she said.
“But we could be, by the time
the baby’s born.”
“We could.”
The next words came out of my mouth without even thinking about
it. “Will you marry me?” As I realized what I just asked the adrenaline raced
through my body. I fought not to tremble like a leaf. Would she say yes? My
instincts told me she would, but the rest of my body was afraid she would say
no.
Only a second passed before she
answered, “Yes.” She didn’t even stop to think about it. She didn’t have to. I
leaned down to kiss her, capturing her mouth with my own. She raised up,
pushing me back on the bed so she was laying on top of me.
Between intervals of kissing
her, I said, “That only leaves one more question.”
“Hmm?” she asked, pressing her
lips to mine.
“How big of a diamond do you
want?” I was smiling as I asked, I couldn’t help myself.
“Not too big,” she answered. “I
don’t want to get it caught on stuff. You know me.”
I nodded. “That’s what I thought
you would say.”
///
We had to settle for an inside
celebration. We never made it out of the hotel room, or the bed, for that
matter.
3***
Two more days passed in St.
Louis. I called Catherine to tell her I was engaged, and moving. She insisted
that I come over for dinner, and bring “Ted.” We went. I cried. I had lunch
with Ronnie the next day. I cried more. But Ronnie was glad I was getting rid
of Jean-Claude. For that, she was willing to let me go. She was surprised I was
leaving Richard too. She had always liked him better. If only she knew.
It was almost as hard to say
goodbye to Dolph and Zebrowski, and the rest of the gang. I told them to call
me if things got too messy. Zebrowski hugged me to a point where I had an
actual fear for the well being of my insides. And I hugged Dolph. I don’t think
I’ve ever seen him so surprised before.
And it was just as hard to say
bye to the pack. Jason kissed me. He was lucky Edward wasn’t there. Sylvie play
punched me on the shoulder, and called me a tough bitch with a smile. No, I
didn’t shoot her. I took it as a compliment, coming from Sylvie. Richard
surprisingly hugged me goodbye. But there was no heat there. Just a hug. I was
thankful for that.
Once the new pard leader, Micah,
arrived in town Edward and I were free to go. Jean-Claude sent me a dozen red
roses on the day of our departure. I promptly threw them away. This made Edward
happy.
Anita gripped the arms of her
chair on the plane like a lifeline, as usual. I really found it amusing, but I
hid my smile, not wanting to make her angry. She had an even shorter temper
than before now, with the baby. Damn hormones.
We entered my house, turning on
all the lights, seeming to bring it all to life. Home sweet home, I thought
sarcastically to myself. Yeah, we definitely had to get a new house.
After all the suitcases had been
put away and dinner had been eaten we sat down of the couch together. I could
feel the box with the diamond digging into my side from my pants pocket. Lacing
our fingers together, I kissed the back of her left hand. “This looks empty,” I
commented, squeezing her hand. Anita raised an eyebrow, giving me her best
‘what the hell are you talking about now?’ look. I drew the box from my pocket
and flipped it open, displaying the gold ring with the small diamond, just as
she requested. Well, it was actually a cluster of small diamonds, but it was a
small cluster! So I had stayed within the requirements…I think.
Edward flipped open the black
velvet box to display a gold ring, with a small cluster of small diamonds as
the ornament. It was lovely, and I wouldn’t get it hung up on anything anymore
than I would one small diamond. My expression changed to a soft smile as he slipped
it on my ring finger. I had imagined this moment before as a little girl or a
teenager as some man getting down on one knee in a restaurant or something. But
this was unconventional. This was Edward. And I wouldn’t have wanted it any
other way.
I kissed him lightly. “I love
you,” I whispered above his lips. He smiled, pressing his lips to mine.
“Not as much as I love you,” he
said, leaning over me on the couch so we were lying down.
“Nuh-uh,” I argued, trying to
hide my smile.
“Uh-huh,” he teased, feathering
kisses along my neck. I let out a small moan, my senses sent spinning from his
touch. He moved back up to my lips, and I sat up on my elbows to reach him
better. “When do you want to schedule the wedding?” he asked between kisses.
This was a hell of a time to ask, because I couldn’t think straight right now.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “You
pick a month.”
Edward let out a small snicker,
ducking his head to laugh into my hair. “I think it’s more your choice than
mine,” he said softly into my ear.
“Why?” I asked, nibbling at his
neck. I noticed a small tremor run through his body, which satisfied me. It was
good to know I wasn’t the only one being turned to mush.
“It depends on how plump you
want to look in your wedding dress,” he answered with a smile, sitting up to
look at me.
“Good point.” I sighed. When
would I start to show? Two months? I never took a child development class, and
I was suddenly wishing I had. I would have to start reading books. Damn. “In a
month?” I suggested.
“It’ll be a squeeze, but I think
we can do it,” Edward answered, that irritating smile in place. “Of course, if
we waited any longer, it would be a definite squeeze for you,” he joked.
I sat up, forcing him back. I
stood from the couch, waving a finger in his direction. “Don’t you even start
with the fat jokes,” I said. “I’m not showing yet,” I insisted, turning
on my heel to go to the kitchen, my appetite increasing to include all hours of
the night. Edward was on his feet in a second, wrapping his arms around my
waist, pulling me back against him. I turned my head up to look at him, and he
bent his neck to press his lips to mine, claiming my mouth for his own. My
craving was suddenly switched from food to something else.
4***
Anita Blake, Wedding Planner. It
doesn’t quite fit, does it? I didn’t think so. Which is why when Ronny called
down after getting her invitation offering to help with the details, I
graciously accepted.
“No, no, no,” I said in a
monotonous tone, flipping through page after page. Ronnie and I were sitting at
the kitchen table, perusing wedding dress catalogs from stores in Albuquerque.
It was one week from the wedding, and I still hadn’t picked a wedding dress I
liked. Pretty much everything else was taken care of. The flowers, the bride’s
maids’ dresses, the church, the reception, the rings, the people. Ronnie was my
maid of honor. Catherine, and Cherry were my bride’s maids. Josh was going to
be the ring bearer. Surprisingly, Edward had chosen Bernardo as his best man.
Ronnie laughed, exasperated.
“God, Anita! There has to be something you like!”
“It’s all too fancy! A little
bit of lace or a cool fabric I wouldn’t mind, but damn! Its all glitz
and pearls and shit that I don’t want to deal with!” Ronnie’s laugh was joined
by a snicker of Edward’s. He was home from his own little mission: house
shopping. When he had proposed that we buy our own house, I hadn’t objected. I
told him go find one he likes, and if I approve, then we would go for it.
Edward leaned on the back of my
chair, looking at the dresses over my head. “Those are pretty ridiculous,” he
agreed, turning the page for me. “How bout this one?” he asked, gesturing
towards one of the dresses with his finger. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or
if he was serious.
“You’ve got to be joking,” I
said, flipping the page. “That’s not bad,” I said, pointing to one of the white
dresses. It was white fabric with some sort of flowery design in it. But that
was all there was. There was no pearls, no beading, no unnecessary trains or
lace or other CRAP that I didn’t want. The skirt was long and would hit the
ground, the top was form fitting, there were no sleeves. It was good for the
Sante Fe heat. “Looks good to me, let’s go get it,” I stated, standing from my
chair. Edward narrowly avoided being hit by the back of it.
“Let’s take the hummer,” he
suggested, putting on his sunglasses.
“You’re coming too?” I asked, a
little bit surprised. Ronnie said nothing.
“Sure, why not. We can stop by a
house I found on the way back.”
I smiled. “A house? Do you like
it?”
He shook his head. I couldn’t
see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but his lips were curved in a smile. “I’m
not telling. I want you to make up your own decision.”
“Well you must like it a little
bit, or else we wouldn’t be looking at it.”
“Yes, but how much, is going to
be my secret,” he tossed over his shoulder, heading for the door.
—5
I kept glancing at Edward from
the corner of my eye, in the passenger’s seat of the Hummer. As I studied his
blond hair, blue eyes, handsome face that I loved so much, and pale skin, I
realized Judith would adore him. And what if the baby turned out to be just as
blue eyed and blond as him? Then in my whole family, my own family, I
would still look like the small dark mistake.
I didn’t hold it against Edward
for being the epitome of WASP breeding, but the thought of how much Judith
would approve, and how she would think I chose him with her in mind still put
me in a foul mood. Crossing my arms, I slouched down in the seat.
We had already gone and bought
the wedding dress. It was white, and Lord knows there were those who could
throw it in my face that I didn’t deserve it. I had been coffin bait and
Ulfric’s mate. But this was a new start, and I didn’t care. I was leaving that
all behind me in the New Mexico dust.
Glancing in the mirror, I could
see Ronnie in the back seat of the Hummer. She knew I was down in my thoughts.
Sitting up straight once again, I smiled at her, at least pretending to not be
worried about being alienated in my own family even more than I already was.
Edward glanced over in my
direction, not fooled. He switched to driving with his left hand, and squeezed
mine. Leaning over, he whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry, Anita. I’ll try to
tone down my flaming Aryan heritage at least until your family leaves.” I
couldn’t help but smile slightly, and didn’t know how he read my thoughts so
well.
I knew I shouldn’t have been
surprised when we turned off onto a gravel road about an hour outside of
Albuquerque, but I was.
TBC