Page 112 of A Wolf After My Own Heart
“We don’t know that. It might just be a grease fire or something.” Technically true. But she wasn’t a big believer in coincidences. Not a single one of her smoke alarms had gone off. “Up. Window.”
Devoss hooked the EZ-OUT to the windowsill, then watched as the thing unfolded itself down the outside of the house. “Hey! You weren’t exaggerating the other day. This ladderisquick to install.”
“We’ll make sure to send them an appreciative email later.”
“Ugh. Nobody sends emails anymore. Well, maybe grandmas.”
“Listen. Both of you.” She put her hands on Sally’s shoulders. “You’re going to climb down this laddercarefully. Just like the jungle gym at school.”
“I think ‘jungle gym’ is offensive to people who live in actual jungles,” Devoss said, because he was smart and brave and also a pain in the ass.
“Devoss will be right behind you. I’ll come last.”
“No!”
“Sally, you’ll be fi—”
“What if the bad guys come up after we’re out and you’re in here all by yourself? You need us!” Sally pointed to Lila’s fingers with their short, blunt nails. “Your claws are pitiful!”
“You are wonderful now get your ass out that window.Move.” And then, as Sally’s tip-tilted eyes filled with tears, Lila added, “I will be fine. You’ve seen me work.”
“C’mon, Sally.” Devoss picked her up, and Lila helped him ease the child out the window until her arms were on the sill and she was standing on the ladder, small face pinched with anxiety. “Think how pissed Caro’s gonna be that she missed this. I’m right behind you.”
“O—okay.”
“Watch her,” she told Devoss, then went to her closet.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When she’s just a couple of steps from the bottom, you go.”
“Wouldn’t dream of arguing with you.”
“Wise.”
“Even though you have firsthand knowledge that I don’t need a ladder to get to the ground.”
Lila broke a major-ass gun rule, then joined Devoss at the window. “Here. Turn around.” She stuffed Osa down the back of his jeans
“Ack!”
and then he was climbing out the window. “I’m going, jeez!” he said before she could open her mouth. She poked her head out and saw Sally standing on the ground, cupping her elbows and looking up at them, her face a pale, frightened oval.
“Fuck,” Lila said, went back to the door, listened
(good—if weird—that I still don’t hear anything)
checked it for heat again
(cool it’s cool that’s excellent there’s time)
and then went to her closet, grabbed one of the few boxes left to unpack, and went back to the window. Devoss was standing next to Sally, both of them squinting up at her.
“Heads up!” She pitched the box of sweaters, took one last glance around the room, and started down the ladder.Next, what next? I left my phone in the kitchen like a moron… Find a way to call 911, try and figure out where the fire is and how bad. Keep the kids safe. In the opposite order.“Open the box and put on sweaters!”
Mama Mac and Daniels and Oz (and presumably Garsea) were safe, that was something. She and Oz weren’t non-dating anymore, they would never be a thing, just two ships passing in, et cetera, and BTW, if Berne hurt him, he could kiss his patellas goodbye.
But Oz was off somewhere working his case, getting on Garsea’s nerves and probably confronting evil, and not just when he sassed Faulkner. So that was a relief.
