Page 9 of Deadly Deception
“And Franklin’s captain is okay with him taking sudden time off?” Momma asked.
I shrugged. “Captain Cicely probably wasn’t all that happy, but I also think she understands. Franklin’s doing this as a favor to his mentor, and knowing Captain Cicely, she admires the loyalty.” Franklin would do the same for her if the situation were reversed. “He’s asked for the next seven days off, just like me. Franklin says he’s due a lot of vacation time, so I don’t think the department can debate it.” The timing was the only sticking point.
Momma nodded as she stared at her clasped hands. Between folding and packing I kept shooting her furtive glances she couldn’t see. Puzzled, I finally stopped and rounded the bed to sit beside her. “What’s wrong? It’s not like I haven’t traveled before.”
“No, I know. But all those other times you were headed to California to see your father.” A soft smile slipped across Momma’s face. “I never had to worry about your safety while you were with Nikodemus. I think we both know he’d tear the world apart to keep you safe.” Momma’s fingers slid through my hair, reminding me of her comforting touch when I’d been a child. Maybe it was just as comforting to her as to me. “I know Franklin will be with you, but…”
“He’s not a warlock,” I finished, and Momma nodded. “We’ll be okay. We’re heading to Franklin’s old stomping grounds. He knows the lay of the land.”
“Do you think you’ll get a chance to meet any of his family?”
It was my turn to squirm, nerves making my stomach flutter. “Franklin says he’d like that.”
Momma’s fingers stilled before starting again. “And that makes you nervous?”
I shrugged, focusing my gaze in the distance. “I’ve never had to meet…” I rolled my hand in the air and muttered, “It’s not like there’s been anyone serious before, and I’m not sure how they’ll react to what I am.”
“You mean the most amazing individual that ever lived?” Momma teased, but only half-heartedly. I knew she believed every word and couldn’t understand why the world at large didn’t agree.
“Momma, it’s not that—”
“Is Franklin concerned?”
I shook my head. “No. He says it will be fine.”
“But you don’t believe him?”
“History proves otherwise.” Not regarding Franklin’s family in particular—I had no idea what their prejudices might be. It was nice to think that any family that had produced an open-minded man like Franklin would be full of similar family members, but that simply wasn’t true. Families were often complicated entities. Just because you shared genetics didn’t mean you shared ideals.
“Hmm… I’d belittle your experiences by claiming you’re wrong. Still, some people surprise you. Look at the Harts.”
The tension in my chest eased thinking about my neighbor Mrs. Calista Hart and her dog, Miss Pattycakes. Mrs. Hart’s husband had still been alive when I’d moved into my house, and they’d both let me know that, unlike my other neighbors, they were perfectly fine with having a gay necromancer living next door. I rode in the ambulance with Mrs. Hart the day her husband was driven to the emergency room. He died that day, and the world grew a little dimmer with his loss.
Thinking of Mrs. Hart, I asked, “Will you stop by and check on her while I’m gone?”
“Of course,” Momma agreed easily. “I’ll do a sweep of the house too. I know your father’s warded the area and you’ve got the human security cameras now too, but there’s nothing like a pair of human eyes.”
No there wasn’t. I just hoped no one spray-painted graffiti on the sidewalk in front of my house again. Momma didn’tknow about that incident, and I had no intention of telling her. Those damning words would break her heart. I still wasn’t sure if it had been one of my neighbors or one of the members of Bart Livingston’s goon squad. If Bart had been behind it, then problem solved. The man was dead, his soul shredded to the point of no return compliments of a serial killer.
“Speaking of charms, I’m assuming you’re taking several with you.”
“You assume correctly. I’ll put the more questionable ones in the suitcase. As long as it’s stowed in the hull, airport security won’t mind.” Airports now had magic detectors as well as metal detectors. It wasn’t foolproof, but it helped cut down on some earlier terrorist disasters. Honestly, I thought retribution by fairy law curbed a lot of that type of destructive appetite. It was difficult hiding from fairies, and they didn’t believe in leniency. Fairy law was very black and white. Gray wasn’t a color they recognized easily. “Pops was annoyed I didn’t give him more notice before traveling. He said he would have sent me something else.” What that might be, I had no idea. I was fairly certain I had at least one of everything that Pops made.
Momma laughed. “I don’t know why you sound surprised.”
Neither did I.
“You can bet he’ll call you even more often over the next few days. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll answer the phone.”
Momma wasn’t wrong. “I’ll do my best.” I wanted to whine and complain about how often Pops found it necessary to check up on me, but I didn’t. It wasn’t fair to Pops. He’d almost lost me. In my warlock father’s eyes, I was far too fragile, my life span already too short. Hastening my end didn’t sit well with him.
Checking the time, Momma sighed dramatically. “I’d best get out of your way. You’ve got more packing to do, and Franklin should be here soon to pick you up.”
We rose at the same time, and I wrapped my arms around Momma’s shoulders, hugging her tight. Momma hugged me back just as fierce. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“I’m holding you to that.” When Momma pulled away, her eyes shimmered but didn’t leak. “Tell Franklin to drive safe. He can’t control the plane, but he can control the car on the way to Mobile.” The Mobile, Alabama airport had a direct flight to Chicago, so we were flying out of there.
“I’ll pass the word along.”
