The Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood #14) - J. R. Ward Page 0,125

there were some in the pipeline, and maybe the Omega hurried up the induction. But that’s not a huge scale.”

“Nope. We’re making progress.”

“I want to be there when the last one is poofed out of existence.”

Rhage narrowed his eyes. “The only way that’s going to happen is taking out the Omega.”

“I’ve been thinking about how to do that.” V took the newspaper back. “Trust me—”

A round of rapping on the door cut the brother off.

“Come in, Manny,” Rhage said. “Let’s get this—”

“Oh, hell, no,” V muttered as the panel was thrown wide.

Lassiter stood between the jambs in a yellow slicker that was big as a circus tent, an umbrella popped open over his head, and a pair of wellies on his feet. His legs were bare. Which was not a good sign.

“No, I do not want to buy a watch,” Rhage said, “so you can keep all that closed, buttercup.”

“Watches?” Lassiter came in, or tried to—the umbrella got caught on the jamb. “Screw that. I heard you had a little trouble with your Jacuzzi early this morning.”

He tossed his Mary Poppins back out into the corridor and did a ta-da! with something yellow in his palm. And then the bastard started to sing. Badly.

“Rubbbbber duuuuucky, you’re the one … You make bath time looooots of funnnnnn…”

V glanced over. “Are you shoving that up his ass or am I?”

“We can take turns,” Rhage shouted over the singing. “Hey, can I get a doctor in here!”

If he could just have his cast removed, it would make the beat-down of the angel so much easier. Plus the medical staff could help clean up the Lassiter pieces.

#perfect

When Mary got to Safe Place, she peeled off her layers in her office, put her purse on the floor by her chair, and signed into her computer.

Every night when she arrived, she checked that Facebook page—because she’d had to discipline herself not to do it on her phone or else run the risk of Internet vapor lock. And every night, right before the update hit the screen, her heart stopped and she held her breath.

She told herself it was because she desperately wanted to send the girl to some white-picket-fence situation in South Carolina with a dog, a cat, and a parakeet, and a set of mystical, Hallmark grandparents who turned out not to be dead.

The only trouble with that altruistic fantasy?

When yet again there was no word on the uncle, Mary found herself sagging in her chair and letting out the breath in her lungs with relief.

Which was about as professional as her unconsciously trying to drive the kid to the mansion that first night after her mother’s death.

The truth was, however … that sometime in the past few days, a shift had happened in her heart. She had begun to think that—

“Ms. Luce?”

Mary sat up with a shout. “Oh, Bitty. Hi, how are you?”

The girl stepped back from the doorway. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That’s okay. I was just about to head up and check on you.”

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“Please.”

Bitty was careful to close the door without making a sound, and Mary had to wonder if that was the result of having tiptoed around her father for so long. Tonight, the girl had her hair in a ponytail and a blue sweater on over the dress she’d worn two evenings before. Her shoes were her other pair, the ones that were brown and came up to her ankles.

“I need to tell you something.”

Mary indicated the chair opposite her. “Have a seat.”

When Bitty did, Mary rolled around so that she was free of the desk and they were facing each other without any obstacles. Crossing her legs, she steepled her fingers.

The girl stayed silent, her eyes traveling around the walls of the office. There wasn’t a lot to look at, other than a couple of drawings done by some of the kids and a map of Lake George that Mary had hung up because it reminded her of summers when she’d been young.

It was not a surprise when that stare drifted over to the box with Annalye’s urn in it.

“Whatever it is, Bitty, we can deal with it.”

“My mother lied,” the girl blurted. “I’m not nine. I’m thirteen.”

Mary was careful to show no surprise. “Okay. Well, that’s all right. That’s perfectly fine.”

Bitty looked over. “She was afraid I wasn’t young enough, that there was some kind of age limit to staying here or receiving help through the healer’s clinic. She told me