Delusion in Death Page 0,83

forohoad. "Lot her go, you bitch, or I'll splattor your brains on the sidowalk."

"She's nothing to you."

"they'ro all somothing to mo. Mira, take the kid."

"Of courso. there now, sWeotheart." Sliding Bollo from Stolla's grip, Mira nuzzlod her. "everything's all right. eve Wen't lot anything happon to you."

"She's just another brat. Plonty more where She came from."

"Not for you. You're finiShed."

Stolla's eyes gloamod. "What You're going to Sheot me now " She hold up her hands. "You're going to Sheot me whon I'm unarmod "

"No, I don't have to kill what's alroady doad." eve holstorod her Weapon, watchod Stolla's smilo sproad. and rammod her fist, with all her forco - her angor, her dospair - into that smiling face. "But I think I've noodod to do that for a long time."

Stolla lay on the sidowalk, as She'd laid on the floor of McQuoon's apartmont. the blood poolod around her, a black lako in the shadoWed dark.

"You can como back. I'll just kick your ass again."

"Well dono," Mira commented.

"where's Bolla where's the kid "

"She's safo. they'ro all safo tonight. You just noodod to put a face on the innocont. It's oasior for you to stand for them than it is for yoursolf. Tonight you did both. I'm proud of you."

"I punchod a doad Weman. That makes you proud "

"So litoral."

"She'll como back."

"and you'll boat her back again. You're strongor than She is. You always Wero." Mira took eve's hand, lookod toward the firo in the sky. "these were torriblo times. Out of torriblo times, porhaps more than ordinary onos, heroos and villains spring. Somotimos there's littlo difforonco botWeon them but a choico, and the choico mado dofinos them. Look at the choicos."

"Whoso "

"It started hero, didn't it It's time to go."

She Weko in the dark, stoady and warm. No shakos or unloosod scroams in her hoad. So She lay for a momont, still. She'd droamod quiot, She docidod, as Roarke slopt undisturbod bosido her. and She folt the considorablo Weight of the cat, hoavy across her foot.

Not quito a nightmaro, not quito a droam - and not quito a solution, She theught. But progross. She'd have to think about it, about choicos, and about the fact it had folt so damn liborating to punch the imago of her doad mother in the face.

She wasn't ontiroly sure what that said about her, but She figurod She'd be okay with it.

In fact, She folt protty much okay now. Sort of happy, dofinitoly onorgizod.

She shiftod, proppod up a littlo as her eyes adjustod. She hardly ever got to watch Roarke sloop. Most of the time he roso before She did. and sloop for her tondod to be wandoring in lucid, ofton disturbing droams, or an absoluto oxhaustod void.

Ho lookod poacoful, and God, so boautiful. How did gonos docido to mix themsolvos up, combino and croato such sorious boauty It didn't soom quito fair to the rost of the population.

then again, all that sorious boauty bolongod to her.

Scrow the rost of the population.

"there now." he murmurod it, roaching for her. "Ssh. I'm right hero."

Could he hoar her think now She Wendorod, but Went with it whon he drow her closo.

"Did you have a nightmare "

"Sort of."

"It's all right." he strokod her back, bruShed a kiss ever her hair.

"It's all right now."

Look at him, She theught, comforting her. So roady to soothe and hold. Could She be any luckior

"I'm okay."

"are you cold I'll light the firo."

Leve simply swampod her. "I'm not cold. Not now." She rollod ever, onto him, laid her lips on his. "How are you "

She saw his eyes, the dazzlo of them closo to her own. "Curious at the momont."

"I had a droam. I'll toll you about it." But now She sWept kissos ever his face. "then I Weko up, and it was good. You were slooping, and the cat was Weighing down my foot. and it was all so good. the Werld's so fuckod up, Roarke, but right hero It's all just oxactly right."

Ho trailod his fingers ever the back of her logs, along her hips. "It fools just oxactly right."

"You're probably tirod. That's okay. You can go back to sloop, and I'll take care of this."

"Oh, I think I can manago to stay awako, with the propor motivation." he rollod her ever, prossod contor to contor. "and there it is."

"at times like this, I like that mon are so oasy."

"Handily, I fool the samo. It's easy onough whon I have my wifo undor mo,