Lindsey sat at his desk in the small den that acted as his study. He was
trying to work on a case that was coming to court soon. Something about a
car accident, and who was at fault. It was small stuff, nothing that he
couldn't win with ease. Nothing challenging. His mind wandered to the
brunette sleeping in his room. Now that was a challenge. He had no idea
what he was going to do about this situation. He didn't really want her
hanging around. She wasn't exactly trustworthy, nor was she the best of
houseguests. She'd nearly decked him when he'd tried to help her with the
bandages he'd brought for the wound on her stomach. Had told him to keep
his dirty hands off. He'd replied that she shouldn't flatter herself, and
it had only gone downhill from there. Eventually he'd made it out in one
piece and had sequestered himself in the study.
pHe wondered about the plane crash. She'd mentioned that the pilot had morphed into a werewolf, but that didn't make sense to him. As far as he knew, the firm was very careful about these things. It always had the plane and its staff checked out by some of its shamen, or by a witch. The higher-ups would have known about the were-wolf. The only conclusion he could come to was that the firm had sent Lilah and Gavin up in that plane only to crash. That was why he didn't just toss her out. Much as he would have liked to, he couldn't just leave her on her own, while injured, if the firm was trying to kill her for some reason. Sometimes this new conscience was a damned pain in the ass. With a slight sigh, he turned back to his work.
P************************************************************************* ****
pSome time later, Lilah woke again, and found that she could now sit up without the nasty whirling in her head. Very slowly, she got to her feet and staggered over to the ensuite bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she had to bite back a gasp. She looked terrible. Battered and bruised, she also had a large cut on her forehead, accompanied by a bump. She cursed. Noting her dry lips and throat, she decided to try and find her way to the kitchen. She'd get some water or, better yet, something harder.
pShe carefully made her way into the hall and proceeded to the right, leaning on the wall for support. Yes, she could have just called Lindsey for help, but there was no way in Hell that she'd ever do it. She didn't need his help or anyone else's for that matter. She didn't rely on anyone. She hadn't for a long, long time.
P************************************************************************* ****
p"But mommy, why do you have to go out again?"
p"Because Lilah. Mommy needs to spend time with adults."
p"But mommy, why can't you spend time with me?"
pThe blow was so hard and fast that she didn't even see it coming. The girl staggered back, craddling her face in her hand.
p"Why do you always have to be such a selfish little brat?" snapped her mother. "I provide a roof over your head, and food for you, and you repay me by whining when I try to get a little pleasure for myself? You're such a little bitch. Now, stop your whimpering or I'll give you something to whimper about!" With that, the woman turned on her heel and left, off to meet her boyfriend of the month.
pAlone for yet another night, the six year old girl went off to prepare her dinner, nurse her face, and soothe her heart.
p************************************************************************* ***
pLindsey could hear a strange kind of scraping, dragging noise in the hall. Furrowing a brow, he got to his feet, hoping it was his dog dragging out all the laundry again. Sometimes that damned dog drove him up the wall. We walked into the hall and was greeted by the sight of his former partner walking against the wall, toward the kitchen. She obviously wasn't up to being out of bed yet, but of course she hadn't deigned to ask for help. To his surprise, not only irritation, but concern nagged at him.
p"Lilah, what the hell are you doing up? I thought the whole thing where you need to stay in bed was pretty clear."
pFrowning, she looked at him. "Stop trying to push me around. I don't need you telling me what to do."
pHe resisted the overwhelming urge to throttle the woman. "Lilah, you're hurt. If you don't rest, you're just going to make it worse."
p"Lindsey, I am going to the kitchen. I am getting a drink, and then I am calling the office."
p"Not going to happen Lilah."
p"What, you're going to stop me?"
pHis voice remained calm and even. "If need be, yes."
pShe glared at him. "I'd kick your ass."
p"No you wouldn't. You couldn't kick Gavin's ass right now, and that's saying a lot."
pLilah had to smirk a little at that one. Gavin had been a windbag, all bluster and posing. Then she shook her head. No, she was pissed at Lindsey damn it. He wasn't supposed to be making her laugh. "I'm going in there and I'm calling home."
p"That's not a good idea Lilah."
p"What the hell do you mean it's not a good idea? They'll know about the crash. They'll think I'm dead."
p"That's a good thing."
p"Very funny Lindsey."
p"Lilah, you don't want to go back there."
p"Look Lindsey, if you're going to preach to me about how the firm is evil, and how I should leave it behind and live a better life and yada yada, I don't want to hear it."
pGrabbing her shoulders, he pushed her back, pinning her to a wall. "When did you get so blind and stupid Lilah? Think about this. The firm hired out that plane exclusively for you and Gavin and the goon squad, right? And you know how paranoid the firm is. They check out everything Lilah. They'd have known about the pilot being a werewolf, but they still put you on that plane. They wanted you dead. So if you call them, they'll know you're alive, and they'll finish you off."
pLooking at him, she tried to grasp what he was saying. It didn't make any sense. She hadn't screwed up big time, she'd carried out all her orders... No, he was just messing with her head. He had to be.
p"I'm not buying it McDonald. I haven't done anything to piss them off. There's no reason that they'd want me dead."
pHe sighed. "Lilah, you and I both know that the firm's motives are almost never obvious. Maybe they had some reason other than a screw-up on your part. Look. Give it one week. Just one week Lilah. By that time, if they really wanted you dead, you'll know. They'll have destroyed all the evidence of their connection to the plane and its passengers. And if I'm wrong about them, then you can call them and tell them that you were out of it all week. Or you can tell them that you had amnesia. I don't care. But give it time."
pA wave of dizziness nearly knocked her off of her feet. "Fine." she agreed, not really feeling up to continuing the debate. "Now let me go."
pHe stepped to one side, releasing her shoulders, but took a hold of her upper arm, in order to help her to the kitchen.
p"Let go of me... I don't need your help."
p"You don't know where I keep the liquor."
p"Right. Good point. Ok, fine. Lead on McDuff."
/body
pHe wondered about the plane crash. She'd mentioned that the pilot had morphed into a werewolf, but that didn't make sense to him. As far as he knew, the firm was very careful about these things. It always had the plane and its staff checked out by some of its shamen, or by a witch. The higher-ups would have known about the were-wolf. The only conclusion he could come to was that the firm had sent Lilah and Gavin up in that plane only to crash. That was why he didn't just toss her out. Much as he would have liked to, he couldn't just leave her on her own, while injured, if the firm was trying to kill her for some reason. Sometimes this new conscience was a damned pain in the ass. With a slight sigh, he turned back to his work.
P************************************************************************* ****
pSome time later, Lilah woke again, and found that she could now sit up without the nasty whirling in her head. Very slowly, she got to her feet and staggered over to the ensuite bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she had to bite back a gasp. She looked terrible. Battered and bruised, she also had a large cut on her forehead, accompanied by a bump. She cursed. Noting her dry lips and throat, she decided to try and find her way to the kitchen. She'd get some water or, better yet, something harder.
pShe carefully made her way into the hall and proceeded to the right, leaning on the wall for support. Yes, she could have just called Lindsey for help, but there was no way in Hell that she'd ever do it. She didn't need his help or anyone else's for that matter. She didn't rely on anyone. She hadn't for a long, long time.
P************************************************************************* ****
p"But mommy, why do you have to go out again?"
p"Because Lilah. Mommy needs to spend time with adults."
p"But mommy, why can't you spend time with me?"
pThe blow was so hard and fast that she didn't even see it coming. The girl staggered back, craddling her face in her hand.
p"Why do you always have to be such a selfish little brat?" snapped her mother. "I provide a roof over your head, and food for you, and you repay me by whining when I try to get a little pleasure for myself? You're such a little bitch. Now, stop your whimpering or I'll give you something to whimper about!" With that, the woman turned on her heel and left, off to meet her boyfriend of the month.
pAlone for yet another night, the six year old girl went off to prepare her dinner, nurse her face, and soothe her heart.
p************************************************************************* ***
pLindsey could hear a strange kind of scraping, dragging noise in the hall. Furrowing a brow, he got to his feet, hoping it was his dog dragging out all the laundry again. Sometimes that damned dog drove him up the wall. We walked into the hall and was greeted by the sight of his former partner walking against the wall, toward the kitchen. She obviously wasn't up to being out of bed yet, but of course she hadn't deigned to ask for help. To his surprise, not only irritation, but concern nagged at him.
p"Lilah, what the hell are you doing up? I thought the whole thing where you need to stay in bed was pretty clear."
pFrowning, she looked at him. "Stop trying to push me around. I don't need you telling me what to do."
pHe resisted the overwhelming urge to throttle the woman. "Lilah, you're hurt. If you don't rest, you're just going to make it worse."
p"Lindsey, I am going to the kitchen. I am getting a drink, and then I am calling the office."
p"Not going to happen Lilah."
p"What, you're going to stop me?"
pHis voice remained calm and even. "If need be, yes."
pShe glared at him. "I'd kick your ass."
p"No you wouldn't. You couldn't kick Gavin's ass right now, and that's saying a lot."
pLilah had to smirk a little at that one. Gavin had been a windbag, all bluster and posing. Then she shook her head. No, she was pissed at Lindsey damn it. He wasn't supposed to be making her laugh. "I'm going in there and I'm calling home."
p"That's not a good idea Lilah."
p"What the hell do you mean it's not a good idea? They'll know about the crash. They'll think I'm dead."
p"That's a good thing."
p"Very funny Lindsey."
p"Lilah, you don't want to go back there."
p"Look Lindsey, if you're going to preach to me about how the firm is evil, and how I should leave it behind and live a better life and yada yada, I don't want to hear it."
pGrabbing her shoulders, he pushed her back, pinning her to a wall. "When did you get so blind and stupid Lilah? Think about this. The firm hired out that plane exclusively for you and Gavin and the goon squad, right? And you know how paranoid the firm is. They check out everything Lilah. They'd have known about the pilot being a werewolf, but they still put you on that plane. They wanted you dead. So if you call them, they'll know you're alive, and they'll finish you off."
pLooking at him, she tried to grasp what he was saying. It didn't make any sense. She hadn't screwed up big time, she'd carried out all her orders... No, he was just messing with her head. He had to be.
p"I'm not buying it McDonald. I haven't done anything to piss them off. There's no reason that they'd want me dead."
pHe sighed. "Lilah, you and I both know that the firm's motives are almost never obvious. Maybe they had some reason other than a screw-up on your part. Look. Give it one week. Just one week Lilah. By that time, if they really wanted you dead, you'll know. They'll have destroyed all the evidence of their connection to the plane and its passengers. And if I'm wrong about them, then you can call them and tell them that you were out of it all week. Or you can tell them that you had amnesia. I don't care. But give it time."
pA wave of dizziness nearly knocked her off of her feet. "Fine." she agreed, not really feeling up to continuing the debate. "Now let me go."
pHe stepped to one side, releasing her shoulders, but took a hold of her upper arm, in order to help her to the kitchen.
p"Let go of me... I don't need your help."
p"You don't know where I keep the liquor."
p"Right. Good point. Ok, fine. Lead on McDuff."
/body
