Page 145 of Black Curtain

“Whenever you’re ready. This is going to be the most insanely annoying honeymoon in world history… we might as well get the show on the road.”

I laughed, and elbowed him again.

Clicking off his headset, he tugged it off his ear and stuffed it in his pocket. He then proceeded to grab my legs and pull them into his lap, tugging on my toes.

He glared at Cowboy and Angel.

I knew it was all his weird humor, even before he spoke.

“We’re going to have a giant DO NOT DISTURB sign on our bungalow,” Black informed both of them darkly. “Anyone comes in there, they’re losing a toe.” He tugged on my pinkie toe. “Possibly a finger…” He tugged on my pinkie finger.

“Hey,” I protested. “Why are you eyeing MY toes and fingers? You’re supposed to be guarding those. Not using them as examples of things you want to hack off.”

Angel burst out in a laugh, shaking her head.

Cowboy opened one eye. He gave Black a meaningful look, then closed it again.

I found myself looking around at everyone on the plane.

Every seat I could see was taken. I knew even more sat in the back, where the seats came closer to those on a regular commercial plane. To my left, Nick sat with Dalejem on two more seats, next to Dexter and Luce. Across from them were Ace, Mika, Jax, and Kiko.

On their other side, I saw Lawrence Farraday sitting with Yumi and Hiroto, Nick’s parents. Manny, Yarli, Lawless, Alexander Holmes, and Wu from the science team sat with them as well, forming another small pod of people. Just in front of us were some of the rowdies––Dog, Easton, Magic, Devin, Magic, Luna, and a few others of the younger seers and New Mexicans.

Frank and his wife and kids sat near them, along with Joseph and his wife.

Javier, A.J., Wendall, and a bunch of others among the senior staff on Black’s team sat with them, too.

Black had told them to fill the plane.

It looked like we’d pretty much accomplished that.

Is it okay?Black murmured in my mind. He was massaging my legs now.Not exactly the secluded honeymoon we had planned… but I felt like the deserved it after all of this.

I leaned on his side, closing my eyes.

As long as you were serious about that “Do Not Disturb” sign… at least for some of that time. I’m fine with us racking up as much of a bill on Brick’s tab as we possibly can. Including on room service. And us having our own private hot tub.

A harder scowl touched Black’s lips.

That one held a lot less humor.

Well. We are still working for him… in practical terms, if not technically. Since he’s still got half of my seers answering to Archangel, it seems only right.

I lifted my head off his shoulder. “We are? Working for them? Why?”

“Only for a little while longer, doc.”

I felt what he meant, and frowned, glancing over at Yarli and a few of the other senior infiltrators and military-trained seers.

I guessed they’d probably pulled Dalejem into it by now.

Probably Jax, too.

They were still selectively erasing humans who had concrete memories of interacting with seers, or vampires, or both.

“And Charles?” I asked. “Did someone find the body?”

Black shrugged, but wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

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