Chapter 11 Liar
Chapter Eleven
LIAR
“Where are you?” Daniel growled over the phone. It was two hours after he’d left, and I was safely tucked on a jet with a plate of the best spaghetti in Vegas, and a wickedly delicious chocolate cupcake beside it.
“I’ve been abducted by super villains. Their super powers are gastronomical, so there was no chance for me to escape.
Seriously, they mentioned something about a House of Beasts wanting to kill me, and that I should be taken somewhere safe.
You know how I hate being taken somewhere safe, but they’re such diabolically good cooks, I couldn’t resist.”
He growled again, but then was silent for a few seconds. “That’s not a bad idea, hiding you until things settle down. That way, I can work with the house to find Nix. If only I could trust them not to kill you for fun or on accident. Those females aren’t exactly safe.”
“Which is why they’re so great. They’ll be dangerous to anyone who tries to kidnap me or take my blood. How is he?”
“Who?”
“Flowers. You know, my father-type person.”
He sighed heavily. “I wish you’d never met him. He’s annoying. Conscious, and calling his lawyers. Apparently he has an army of lawyers. Most of them will shoot you in a dark alley if the court case isn’t working out.”
“Wow. He sounds super cool. Are you sure he’s not a villain?”
He snorted. “No. He’s the worst kind of hero. Pity he didn’t die.”
“He saved my life. Is that a pity too? Now you’re being annoying. If something happens to him after I gave him CPR, I’ll be seriously sad. Might kill myself.”
“I’m not going to kill your father. What kind of psychopath do you think I am?”
“The kind that kills people’s fathers. Obviously. Seriously, wish you were here. This spaghetti is to die for. And these cupcakes?” I sighed happily and took another bite of the chocolate explosion.
“You sound too happy,” he said, suddenly suspicious. “Are the cupcakes drugged?”
“I’m not happy,” I said quickly through my full mouth. “I’m traumatized. Seeing people die is traumatizing. And of course the cupcakes are drugged. These are super villains over here. Anyway, thanks for calling and giving me an update. How long do you think it will take to rescue Nix?”
He was quiet for a moment. “That depends,” he finally said, clearly hedging.
“I know that he might be kind of…out of it for awhile.”
“He might be a completely different person. The Nix you knew might never come back. To be honest…”
“Why would you start something like honesty? Who even are you?”
“If he’s not stable, you probably shouldn’t see him again. But we will get the cure for you.”
“With the House of Beasts’ army? Sounds like a mess. Also, it’s research, not a cure. Don’t get my hopes up.”
Jezebel studied me with narrowing eyes from her seat across from me, white leather setting off her white blingy pants.
This was a very interesting topic to her.
Of course it was. If the army got there before we got out with a hopefully sedated Nix, there would be big problems, particularly since the army wanted to kill me for killing the Crocodile.
Not that you could prove I’d killed her. Probably.
Beastie said, “Sunshine, I’ll always protect you. Even if it’s from Nix. I promise.”
I frowned at my spaghetti. I had to eat.
Jezebel had told me that I had to eat, and if I didn’t eat every single bite, she’d turn the jet around.
Thinking about Nix made it hard to have an appetite.
I might be going to my death, but I had to try to save both of us.
“Ah, Beastie. You’re making me all sentimental.
I’m about to drip snot into my noodles. Then again, what’s a promise from a psychopath? ”
“Quite serious, I assure you,” he said, all snobbish.
I grinned. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say. Stay safe. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“I will do all kinds of things that you wouldn’t do, but I won’t tell you about it.”
“That’s alright then.” I hung up and dropped my phone before forcing myself to eat another bite.
“You’re an excellent liar,” Jezebel said with a nod. “They call him the Prophet for his ability to see the moves of his adversary far in advance. Luckily, he doesn’t consider you his opposition, so he’s not looking too closely at your trajectory.”
I snorted. “He didn’t know the Crocodile was going to try and kill me. Not much a Prophet if you ask me.”
“She wasn’t until Flowers came into the picture. They’re old enemies. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
I scowled at her. “She used me to turn Nix into a monster. I’m not supposed to take that personally?”
“No. And she was right about Flowers causing problems with her plans, she just didn’t know how right she was. You plus Flowers equaled complete disaster for her.”
“Do you think I’ll actually be able to bring Nix back, or do you think…”
“If I didn’t see a good chance, we wouldn’t be here. I’d take you to Aruba or somewhere else miserably sunny and see to giving you a pleasant send-off. If that’s how you really want to go instead of with both guns blazing. Then again, sometimes everything gets tiring.”
“Yeah? Do you think you’ll ever find a nice guy to settle down with? Maybe get a ranch or something?”
She studied me with hard eyes that slowly softened until she eventually shrugged. “I’m too particular about what I consider a nice guy.”
“Really? But you do know some? Because seriously, all the guys I know are psychos. I have no idea where you’d even find a nice guy. You’d probably like a rehabilitated villain instead. A vigilante. I could set you up with Daniel. He has absolutely no virtues.”
She laughed lightly. “Your Daniel is set on you, Kitten. Good thing you’ve got a strong husband who can keep all the other predators away.
I don’t need that. I don’t need the Prince of Beasts to devour my enemies.
I do that well enough on my own. I’ve known one nice guy, but he didn’t know me. I can be a bit frightening.”
“He knew your adorable persona?” I studied her intently. “How in the world did you pull that off? You must be an even better liar than me.”
She shrugged. “I do all right adapting to a role.”
“What makes a guy nice?”
“He made me feel special, seen, appreciated. He respected my thoughts while admiring my beauty. I worked so hard to have intelligent things to say for him that didn’t involve criminal activities.
” Her Texan accent drifted away, leaving something more east coast. “I tried so hard to be who he thought I was, but eventually, he discovered that my entire identity was stolen. After that, it’s hard to trust someone, even if you are incredibly trusting.
He wasn’t nearly stupid enough. The next nice guy I date will have to be very simple-minded so he can’t see through the ruse. ”
“Sounds like a plan. What happened to him?”
She frowned at me. “How should I know?”
I blinked at her. “You knew one nice guy? You’d keep tabs on him, particularly if you thought he was vulnerable. You might accidentally interfere with other predators who might see him as easy prey.”
She pursed her lips and eyed me. “You read very well. He’s building water purification systems in third world countries.”
“Ah, so not just a nice guy, a good nice guy.” I whistled. “Good luck finding another one of those.”
She scowled at me. “I don’t need that level of goodness, just someone who knows how to ride and rope, and appreciate cowboy beans.”
“So you’ll be sticking with your Texas Rodeo Queen persona?”
“It’s the one I’ve had the longest. It’s comfortable.” She frowned down at her chest. “Except the Las Vegas proportions are not my ideal. I can’t wait to get rid of them. It’s easier to find a nice guy when your assets aren’t so overwhelming.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want to reconnect with this good-nice guy?”
She looked up at me, shock and horror in her eyes. “Heavens no. That boat sailed so long ago, it’s not even a memory.”
“Clearly. He’s probably married with five kids by now.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “He never married.”
“Well, maybe I can set him up with my good friend Bea. She’s a solid skater.”
She studied me with furrowed brows until she shrugged. “The last person he dated was a doctor who did reconstructive surgery on children in war-torn countries. That sounds exactly like a skater.”
I pointed at her. “You think you aren’t good enough for him.”
She snorted and pointed back at me, but she had a pistol in her hand, so it had a little more emphasis.
“Honey, I know I’m not good enough for him.
” She holstered her pistol and sighed heavily, sending her sequins glittering.
“Which is why it’s so important to have the proper expectations.
All of his set told me I wasn’t good enough for him, and they were right.
They just didn’t know how right they were.
I hope he gets married to a nice, good, well-adjusted woman who can settle into his life without a hitch. ”
“But he isn’t married yet. It could be that he doesn’t want a nice, good, well-adjusted woman. He might want someone a little more active.”
She smiled at me, but her eyes were sad.
“Sometimes we all want something that isn’t good for us.
Nix is good for you, though. Like you’re good for him.
At least he was. Here’s Pinkie. She’ll teach you how to play ukelele.
Eat up, Kitten. You’ll need your strength.
” She got up and moved towards the front of the plane to check on the pilots or something else diabolical.
Maybe she was going to check her nice-good guy’s social media.