do bad things, they’re doing them to us all.
I wanted to say to Doug: You’re wrong. This has nothing to do with you, it’s all about Aegira. It wasn’t your fight. I’m sorry, so sorry, so sorry.
I’d resolved to go hit Larry up for some intel when he reappeared, looking serious and tired. He’s still so handsome, I thought, as I watched, suddenly paralyzed, as he came towards me. His grey hair adds this distinguished edge to his twinkly face, and watching him like this, I could imagine a thousand duty nurses falling for him every day, on every shift. As inappropriate as it was, I suddenly wondered why he was the only man in town who’d never come calling on Mom. I couldn’t speak as he came to me and picked up my hand, staring into my mute face.
“It’s bad,” he confirmed. “Not as bad as the girl. He’s alive. Though truthfully, Rania, I’m not sure how. Any other man’d be dead. We might still lose him.” Beautiful Larry, not pulling any punches. He knew I’d pull one on him if he did. “He’s in some kind of coma now.”
“What can you do for him?” My stomach lurched sickly at Larry’s words, and a white-hot hole was burning in my vision. I had to work really hard to stay focused. I wanted to go house to house through Aegira, wrench out the inhabitants and beat the truth from them. Because one of them was intent on hurting people I love. As I asked Larry the question, I was shredding a paper cup in my hands, tearing the rim from the lip like it was made of tissue paper.
“Pretty much pain relief only. And he’s in a lot of pain. I’m almost certain we aren’t getting it all. But we’re helping a bit. I have no idea what else to do, and I’m almost certain there’s no science or medicine we’ve got that can fix what’s been done to his ears, and through them, to his brain, to his central nervous system. He’s been fried.”
I tried to swallow the sticky-sweet stuff choking my mouth, and dulling my brain. I knew I couldn’t afford the luxury of being dull right now. I had to get to work, protect the others from this thing, make sure this didn’t happen again. But it was just so damn hard to see, to focus.
I should have a better lead on this by now.
Zorax must be the baddy, he had Imogen’s locket. Which meant if Carragheen really did help him, then Carragheen couldn’t be trusted. By the Goddess Mother, had I just been blinded by instinct, and chemistry? Was Doug lying there, ruined, because I got the hots for some lying merman? I rubbed my face with my hands, roughly, and noticed, for the first time, the tears.
Ran help me, please not Doug. What if I was wrong to end things with him, last year? What if I was meant to be with him all along? What if he was the one from my dreams?
I didn’t have any answers, but the cop in me was already starting to calibrate my plan.
And so far, it was this. I was gonna get these assholes, if it was the last thing I did.
“Larry, I’m gonna have to go. I can’t explain…”
“You don’t need to, Rania. Go. Go find these a-holes. I’ll take care of Doug.” He gave me a quick hug, and I could have melted into the solid, reassuring strength of him. “One more thing. I know you probably haven’t thought about this. But we’re gonna need a cover story here. Have you thought about anything to say?”
I shook my head, lost, mute. I didn’t have a clue.
“Okay, well I’m just gonna put it out there that you picked him up from the city, where he was helping out with some new weapons testing stuff, okay? People know he’s into some secret shit. I’ll do it low key, you know, like it’s secret and shouldn’t be passed on. That’ll guarantee everyone knows about it by tomorrow.” He laughed, a dry, humorless sound.
“Thanks Larry,” I shrugged, finally locating my vocal chords.
He smiled thinly and waved at me to go.
I pushed through the doors and looked at Doug’s half-dead van. I was really going to attract way too much attention in that. A low, cross barking reminded me that Benito was still inside the injured wreck. I scanned the parking lot, and saw Mary’s little sedan parked sedately in the