Page 97 of A Wolf After My Own Heart
About that ovulation kit—Dev only thinks it’s Kama-Rupa because he’s too young to get that it’s just a fairy tale.
“Kama what? What are we talking about? And can we stop? Because I’m dying, Daniels. The angel of death is ready to tap dance my soul to Hell.”
For that she got another eye roll and, even better, the room to herself, as the girls, having done their best to destroy her, departed.
* * *
“Oh, God, oh, God, this is fresh-squeezed orange juice, oh, God.” Lila drained the glass, almost shuddering at how good and sweet it was. Then she nearly Frenched Macropi, who was holding out two Advil. “Not enough,” Lila told her, “but a good start.” She shook two more out of the bottle, then gulped them down with more juice. “Ahhhhhh. I may yet live. Can’t remember the last time I got that loaded.”
“One-on-one time with Oz will do that to a girl.” This from a smirking stranger who was one of the most striking women Lila had ever seen. She was petite and slim—maybe 110 pounds?—with raven hair and crystal blue eyes. Her ruby-red suit set off her pale skin to terrific effect; against the mundane backdrop of Lila’s kitchen, the woman practically glowed. Like Snow White, if Snow White had a perma-smirk and a crisp British accent. “You must be Lila.”
“I must.”
“I am Nadia Faulkner. Annette would be lost without me.”
“I don’t doubt it. I’ve seen her in the field.”
“Yes! With all your cunning little bear traps, with which you were able to thoroughly subdue her.” Nadia gurgled laughter. “Tell me what I must do to get a copy of that security cam footage. Name your price, my dearest, because if I must sell everything I own, except for my Anne Klein suits, that ought to go without saying, then I will, because I must,musthave that footage.”
“You don’t have to sell a thing. Gimme an email address and it’s yours.”
“You didn’t destroy it?” Garsea asked, and she had the nerve to sound appalled.
“Why thehellwould I destroy it, Garsea?”
“Wishful thinking?” Macropi guessed, busy at the stove. Lila couldn’t smell bacon, but shecouldsmell…Oh my God, waffles!
“I wasn’t thoroughly subdued,” Garsea whined. “Just taken by surprise. Several times. In a shockingly short time. David was furious. With me,” she clarified. “Not you, Lila.”
“WhereisDavid?” Macropi asked. “There’s plenty for him.”
“Case,” Garsea replied. “Don’t worry, I’ll gladly devour his share.”
“I don’t care about anything you two are discussing,” Nadia declared. Then to Lila: “I give you full marks for ingenuity. But how did you come to have everything set up to decimate Annette, dear,dearLila?”
“I wasn’t decimated!”
“I just Googled ‘bear repellant.’ I’m bummed the Bear-B-Gone is on backorder. I was dying to try it out.”
Nadia sidled closer and took a barely audible whiff. “It’s true, and no mistake…youareStable.”
“Depends on who you ask. And don’t sniff me, it’s rude.”
Nadia turned to Macropi. “Oh, I like this one. Can’t you do something to abort the inevitable household catastrophe that always leads to the tenant’s swift departure?” To Lila: “Youhaveheard this house is rumored to be cursed, yes?”
“It’s not like I’m doing any of it on purpose, Nadia,” Macropi replied, exasperated. “Besides, Lila’s tough. It’ll take more than a squirrel coup—”
“Or a stove fire,” Garsea added.
“—or asbestos in the attic—”
“—or a vole invasion—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lila said, cutting them off before she had to hear about more Curs(ed) catastrophes.
“It looks like she’s talking to you,” Garsea told Faulkner, “but she’s really talking about everyone in the room. She’s not subtle.”
“Says the woman who got cut while she pawed through my underwear drawer.”
