Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6) - Jim Butcher Page 0,95

twitched one shoulder in a minimal shrug, and went back to talking with her mom.

A minute later only five people were within twenty or thirty feet: me, Murphy, her mom, little sister, Lisa, and the man whose lap she was draped across. The guy with the cooler. They were behind Murphy and me, and I turned my body halfway so that I could look at them without totally ignoring Murphy and her mom.

Lisa reminded me a lot of Murphy, had Murphy been an estrogen princess rather than a warrior princess. Blond hair, fair skin, a pert nose, and cornflower blue eyes. She wore a scarlet baby-doll T-shirt with the Chicago Bulls' team logo stretched out over her chest. Her shorts had been blue jeans at some point, but they had come down with a bad case of spandex envy. She wore flip-flops and dangled them from her painted toes as she sat across the lap of the man I presumed to be the fiancé Murphy had mentioned.

He made quite a contrast with Lisa. He was a bit older than her, for one. Not double her age or anything, but definitely older. He was being careful not to let any expression show on his face, and it made me think that he was worried about something.

"Mom," Murphy was saying. "This is my friend Harry. Harry, this is my mother, Marion."

I put on my best smile for Mother Murphy and stepped forward, offering her my hand. "Charmed, ma'am."

She shook my hand and gave me a calculating look. Her grip reminded me of Murphy's—her hands were small, strong, and had been hardened by work. "Thank you, Harry."

"And this is my baby sister, Lisa," Murphy said, turning to face her for the first time. "Lisa, this is—" Murphy froze, her words dying into a choking gasp. "Rich," she said after a second, her voice shaking with a tide of emotion. "What are you doing here?"

He murmured something to Lisa. The girl slipped off his lap, and he stood slowly up. "Hello, Karrin. You're looking well."

"You miserable son of a bitch," Murphy spat. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Karrin," Murphy's mom snapped. "There is no place for that kind of language here."

"Oh, please!" Lisa cried.

"I don't have to put up with that, Karrin," Rich growled.

Murphy clenched her hands into fists.

"Whoa, whoa, people," I said. I must have been feeling suicidal, because I took a step forward and placed myself in the middle of the circle of angry stares. "Come on, guys. At least let me get introduced to everyone before the fighting starts, so I'll know who to duck."

There was a second of heavy silence, and then Rich snorted out a quiet laugh and subsided back into his chair. Lisa folded her arms. Murphy tensed up a little, but with her it was a good sign. She always got that deadly relaxed look to her stance when she was about to kick someone's ass.

"Thank you, Harry," Mama Murphy said in a loud tone. She stepped forward with a paper plate laden with a hamburger and passed it to me. "It's nice to know there is another adult present. Why don't we get everyone introduced, Karrin."

I checked the burger. It had everything on it but cheese. Just the way I liked it. I was favorably impressed with Mama Murphy. And I was starving, too. More bonus points.

Murphy stepped up beside me. "Right. Introductions. Harry, this is my baby sister, Lisa." She glared daggers at the man. "And this is Rich. My second husband."

Oh, dear Lord.

Murphy stared from her mom to her sister to Rich. "I know we haven't talked in a while, Mother. So let's get caught up. Why don't we start with why Lisa is engaged to my ex-husband and none of you even bothered to tell me?"

Lisa lifted her chin. "It isn't my fault if you're too much of a bitch to get a man to stay with you. Rich wanted an actual woman, which is why you aren't involved with him anymore. And I didn't tell you because it was none of your damned business."

"Lisa," scolded Mama Murphy. "That is not the kind of language a lady uses."

"And those aren't the kind of clothes a lady wears," Murphy said, her voice tart. "She might as well talk like a whore, too."

"Karrin!" Mama Murphy protested, her voice shocked.

There wasn't time for this, either. I stepped up next to Murphy and gave Rich a half-desperate look.

"Ohhhhh-kay," Rich said. He stood up from his chair, slipping