Chapter 12 #3
I shrugged. “But I’m out of there, right? It’s true. I’m home. If this is real, and not a dream or a hallucination, then she has to be real, too. Right?”
Ethan looked troubled. “Right. And I saw how she was with her sister. That was pretty goddamn convincing. But I have a hard time believing my luck, too. It happened so fast. I haven’t adjusted yet.
” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “But you’re real.
I’m real. And whatever this girl is doing, or why she’s doing it, I’m grateful. ”
I lifted up my scraped, scabby hand, and laid it carefully over his.
We stayed there, stuck in that stiff, awkward pose. Afraid to break the tenuous contact.
A knock on the door made me jump, and the moment was gone, like a soap bubble bursting.
“Are you decent?” Angela sang out.
“Come on in,” Ethan called.
The door opened, and Angela leaned in, beaming.
“Just so you know. Dr. Demiguel examined Reggie and Cass, and says they seem fine, as far as he can tell. I’m getting dinner on the table now.
” She looked at me. “You’ll sleep in here tonight, okay?
There’s no time to get your apartment opened up tonight, and I think you should all stay close together.
At least until you have a clean bill of health. ”
“Agreed,” Ethan said. “We’ll get your apartment ready later.”
“I put Cass and Reggie in the corner bedroom. There’s a nice big king-sized bed, so they have plenty of room in there. I’ve left towels and night stuff and toothbrushes.”
Ethan’s eyes flicked over to mine, too fast to catch, but I knew that he was hiding a smile. “Thanks, Angela,” he said. “You’re the best.”
“Don’t you forget it, hon. So come eat! The enchiladas are about to come out of the oven. There’s chili, fresh cornbread, green salads and savory salads.”
“Sounds awesome,” Ethan said. “We’ll be right in.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “Can you deal with a family dinner? You could eat in here and just power down. You must be exhausted. Everyone would understand.”
I thought about it. It was tempting, but it would be a dick move, to ruin the triumphant hero’s return by cowering in my room. “I’m good for the family dinner.”
“Okay. Put your arm over my shoulder so I can take the weight off your feet.”
“I can walk,” I said. “I’m good.”
“Would you just please fucking give me this, Shane?” His voice had an edge. “I know it was way worse for you, but we had a year of hell too. Just this. It’s all I ask.”
“It won’t be just this,” I told him. “There will be more. Lots more. I know you.”
He snorted. “Well, good. That’s an encouraging sign.”
He had a point. Fuck it. I was being stupid and stubborn. I lifted my arm, draped it around his shoulder, and almost howled when I put my weight on my freshly bandaged feet. The adrenaline had worn off. So had Demiguel’s anesthetic spray.
I leaned on my brother as I hobbled to the dining room. The physical contact felt both familiar and alien. So did this place that I knew so well, where I had spent years with family and friends.
We got to the dining room. Everyone stopped talking.
The Drake brothers were there, all three of them, plus the blonde that I had met in the breezeway.
Kat, she had called herself. Amos and Darius both looked me over and gave me a careful embrace and a gentle pat on the back, as if I might fall apart on them if they squeezed too hard.
The table was loaded with food. I was used to the small plastic trays of dry, bland, tasteless food that appeared in the metal drawer at intervals, like mediocre magic.
The colors and aromas of Angela’s feast made me dizzy.
“You sit next to your rescuer, of course,” Angela directed, herding me over to the chair next to Red. Or Cass, she’d said. That was her real name, but I couldn’t think of her as anything but Red. I’d make that adjustment later. One thing at a time.
Her gorgeous hair was freshly washed, and a cloud of warm, perfumed air hung about it. She wore a thick, fuzzy green sweater that clung to her slim body.
Reggie leaned forward to study me with intense curiosity. “Are you the guy who told them to come and rescue me?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” I confessed.
“Thank you,” she said solemnly. “I was dying in there, locked in that room.”
“Yeah,” I said, with feeling. “Same. Your sister made it happen, though.”
Reggie’s face shone as she looked up at her big sister. Red seized her in a rocking side hug. When they came apart, their eyes were freshly wet.
“I’m so glad you got me out,” Reggie said. “Even if I die of Varen’s now, that’s okay. I’d rather die when I’m with you than stay in that awful room one more second.”
That was followed by horrified silence.
“You most certainly will not die!” Angela sounded insulted by the very idea.
“Sure I could,” Reggie said matter-of-factly. “People die all the time. Mom died. I know it can happen. Fast, too. Boom, and off you go.”
“We’ll see about that,” Ethan said. “We’ve got a supply of your medicine from the fridge in your room.
We’re going to get all the smartest people we know to examine those medicines to see if those clinic types were being straight with you.
Considering how crappy that place was, I wouldn’t trust anything they told you. ”
“Absolutely,” Reggie agreed. “If I could live, it would be great. I actually want to, now. This place is really nice.”
Ethan turned to Kat. “Did you call Rose?”
“First thing,” she replied. “She’ll be here tomorrow morning.” Kat turned to us with a reassuring smile. “Rose is a friend of ours. She’s a brilliant pharmacologist. She’ll check out that medicine we got from the clinic. We’ll know more soon.”
“Thank you,” Red said gratefully. She turned to me. “Your family is awesome.”
“Glad you like them,” I murmured.
“I like them, too!” Reggie announced. “They’re nice!”
“The feeling’s mutual, sweetheart,” Amos told her with a grin.
Angela bustled in with yet another steaming oven dish loaded with something that smelled amazingly good.
I was overloading with all the sensory input.
Even the fabulous food felt like an assault on my brain.
But I’d be damned if I was going to run away from these people, or from Angela and her food, which was her primary love language.
Or my family, who had just dragged my sorry ass out of the shit.
No fainting, no seizures, no running for the bathroom allowed. Just… breathe.
“You okay?” Red reached under the table and grabbed my hand, which made my dick perk right up and take notice. Which, under the circumstances, was a welcome distraction. “You’re looking a little green. Overload?”
I shot her a grateful glance. “Little bit.”
Her fingers tightened. Her hand was strong. Reggie leaned forward on the other side of her and smiled, and I saw the resemblance, beyond just their complexions. The smile that lit up her little face. Cute kid. I liked her on sight.
“You’ll meet my daughter Holly tomorrow,” I told Reggie. “She’s about your age.”
“Kat told me,” Reggie said. “She sounds great. She likes the same kind of books as me. I looked through her bookcase. Fantasy adventure. Those are the best.”
I felt my face ache again at the unfamiliar smile. Then Angela leaned over my shoulder. “You’ve hardly eaten anything, honey. Can I get you something else?”
“No, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I’m just not used to this much food anymore. My stomach is confused.”
“Well, it’s just going to have to get used to proper eating, that’s all I have to say about it.” There was a catch in Angela’s voice as she leaned down and pressed a kiss onto the top of my head. She patted Red’s shoulder. “Thanks for bringing him back to us, honey. We were lost without him.”
Red’s smile was luminous. “We rescued each other,” she said. “And you guys got Reggie for me. So I think I’m actually a little behind, in the ledger sheet of favors.”
“Nonsense,” Angela said.
“It’s really romantic,” Reggie observed.
There was a sudden silence, broken by Remy’s chuckle. “That’s for sure.”
Then Angela’s caramelized bread pudding came out, goopy and tender and amazing. I hadn’t tasted anything sweet since my world exploded. It jarred my brain with its intensity. I could only manage a couple of bites.
Reggie was yawning and nodding, eyes half closed. “Think it’s time for you to hit the hay, honey girl,” Red told her.
“Will you come, too?” the little girl asked sleepily.
“I’ll tuck you in, and then I’ll come back out here for a little while, to finish dinner and talk for a bit. But I’ll be back really soon,” Red promised.
“Okay.” Reggie got up, swaying. “G’night,” she said, waving at the room at large.
“The bathroom’s all stocked,” Angela reminded them. “Use anything you need. I laid out pajamas on the bed for you. Holly’s stuff is a little big for her, but it’ll do.”
“Thanks,” Red said gratefully.
I watched, feeling weirdly abandoned, as the two redheads filed out of the room, leaving me staring at my brother, his fiancée, and the Drakes.
Angela brought out a carafe of coffee, and set it in the middle of the table. Cups were poured all around. They stared at me expectantly.
“So,” Remy said. “How did that tiny girl pull off a rescue op on her own?”
“I think she’s some kind of tech genius,” I said.
“Ethan and Frey will have to investigate those details. It’s way over my head.
Truth is, she hasn’t told me much. We never had time.
She found out that Halliwell was having me gassed to death.
She switched out the canister with a sedative.
Stole my body on the way to the incinerator.
She stole a van with an ice sculpture in it.
Halliwell’s corporate logo, carved into a half a ton of ice.
She booked out of there at high speed, and then brought me back with some ass-kicking upper that made me wake up kicking and screaming. ”
“Far-fucking-out,” Darius murmured. “So you were out the whole time? Until the van?”
“Right,” I said.