Page 22 of Into Darkness (Night Prowler 6)
And what did she mean by, “you took the bullet out”? What could Lu possibly have done to remove a poison bullet while unconscious?
She could get those answers later, but right now there was one critical thing Lu had to determine in order to decide what she was going to do next.
Holding perfectly still, her attention honed on every tic and blink and telling twitch of Morgan’s muscles, Lu said, “My father died in my arms yesterday. I have no home, no friends, and I’m most likely the target of an international manhunt. I can honestly say I don’t care if I die because I have absolutely nothing to live for, so if you brought me here for something I’m not going to like, I promise you this: I won’t hesitate to kill you or anyone else who tries to hurt me. I won’t go down without a fight.”
They stared at one another while drop after drop of water fell with a melancholy plink from one of the longest stalactites above to a small pool on the cave floor below.
“So. Tell me, Morgan. Are we going to b
e friends or not?”
The oddest thing happened then. Morgan’s eyes misted, a little furrow appeared between her brows. She gave a small shake of her head, and her expression softened until Lu would have sworn what she was seeing was pride.
“You won’t remember me, of course,” Morgan whispered. “You were just a baby. But I never forgot you. I prayed every day, every bloody day that we’d find you. And we finally did. And Christ on a cracker if you aren’t just like her, all piss and vinegar and a giant set of steel balls.”
All the little hairs on Lu’s arms stood on end.
Just like who?
Morgan sniffed. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. She said, “I’m your godmother, pet. Yours and your sister’s. Welcome home.”
EIGHT
Godmother. Sister. Home. Those words crashed around the inside of Lu’s skull, pulverizing her ability to hold any other thought. For a moment her vision wavered, the edges of everything blurred, and she realized it was because of the moisture swimming in her eyes.
“And here I thought yesterday was eventful,” said Lu, numb with shock.
Morgan swiped at her eyes and gave Lu a brilliant smile. “Oh, thank heavens! How I’ve missed sarcasm! There’s a serious lack of snark in this colony, ducky. Everyone’s as dry as a nun’s snatch.”
With that unappetizing visual, Morgan crushed her into a hug.
After a moment in which Lu stood there stiffly with her arms at her sides, still dumbfounded, Morgan suggested, “Pretend I’m Magnus. You didn’t seem to have any trouble figuring out how to get your arms around him.”
Lu felt as if she were having an out of body experience as she slowly wrapped her arms around Morgan’s waist. She closed her eyes, rested her head on Morgan’s shoulder, and marveled at the insanity of life. One minute you’re being chased by assassins, the next you’re trading hugs with your new fairy godmother.
It was a testament to the sheer strength of the survival instinct that more people didn’t eat a bullet for breakfast.
She said, “Hopefully you’ll like it more than he did.”
“Oh, he liked it well enough.” Morgan pulled away and smiled, smoothing a stray hair away from Lu’s forehead with a motherly touch. “He stabbed the last poor bastard who tried to hug him, so barking and running away with his tail between his legs is a big improvement.”
“Stabbed?” Lu repeated, incredulous. Even to someone with a lifelong no-touching policy, that seemed a little much.
Morgan’s smile turned wry. “He isn’t exactly what you’d call touchy-feely.”
No kidding.
Lu took a deep, calming breath. “I’m sorry I said I’d kill you. I mean I guess I would have, but . . . now that I know you’re my godmother, it seems a little . . . aggressive.”
Morgan waved it off, saying, “Oh, pet, if I had fivepence for every time someone’s threatened my life, I’d be a bloody billionaire.”
Pence: another unknown word. Were they like credits? Uncomfortable, Lu shifted her weight from foot to foot. She’d never felt stupid before, but coming up against the obvious limitations of her knowledge made her feel exactly that.
Examining her expression, Morgan said softly, “There’s a lot of people who are really eager to meet you. But there’s no rush; you can stay here and rest for as long as you like, get your bearings. Get cleaned up, have a bath. I’ll send some fresh clothes and food in—”
“No,” said Lu abruptly, filled with an eagerness and hope she hadn’t felt in years. “I want to meet everyone. I want to know everything. I want to do it now.”
Morgan’s face did that softening thing again. She shook her head, swallowing. “Well, then,” she said, her voice catching, a little tremble in her lower lip, “onward and upward!”
