JUSTIN’S GIRL: By Lori Titus
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011The Marradith Ryder Series: The Art of Shadows, Part 64
Lysette Vega had a sense that trouble was coming.
She had gotten three calls from her father, Justin Granthem, and had found excellent excuses to ignore them over the past month. But this time, when his name flashed across the screen of her phone, she felt that she had no choice to answer.
“Justin?” she asked softly. She knew he’d probably prefer to be called Dad or something, but they were nowhere near that close.
“Sweetheart,” he said carefully. She thought that he was testing the sound of the word, the way it felt in his mouth.
“Yes?”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine, but you sound nervous,” she said. Her voice sounded so much like his mother that it bothered him a little. Not just the tone, but the inflection as well.
“Maybe. A bit. Look, I know about the work that you do for Ramshead and Pollard. It’s mostly just tracking other Wolves, right?”
“Yes.”
“From your firm, are there any witches there that you’ve woked with personally? Someone who is talented and can keep things quiet. I need someone who knows a thing or two about demons.”
Lysette paused. That was an entirely different question than she was expecting.
“I do know one. She works side jobs, and will keep it quiet, because she does it off the radar, so to speak. And just to warn you? I don’t really know exactly what that girl is. She’s not just a human witch. She’s… something else.”
“Who is she?”
“You’ve met her before. The girl that works in the front office. Natasha Taylor.”
***
“Your friend is …funny,” David said.
Marradith was standing at the door of the room that she now shared with Harley. She was down the hall taking a shower, and the water running could be heard in the hallway.
“What do you want?” Marradith said quietly. “She just got here, so I don’t think that she’ll want to jump up and go anywhere. You don’t have to drive us, you know.”
“I figured as much. But I know she had a lot of questions for you. Are you alright?”
“Yes, I am. If I were her I’d have asked the same things she did.” She blushed, realizing that he’d heard every detail. She had to keep reminding herself that his powers were on par with her own.
“It’s part of this life anyway, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. Doesn’t make it easy to get used to, though.”
“There is one favor you can do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Danny is with our cousin. I’m sure he’s there at the sheriff’s station with him. Can you go pick him up?”
“I’ll be happy to do that. You feel safe here while I’m going to be gone?”
“Yes, I do,” she smiled. “It’s only thirty minutes round trip, I’m sure.”
“Okay. You have my cell if you need anything.”
Marradith watched from the window as his car pulled away. She wanted to speak to Justin, and she was going to make sure that David had no way of hearing her when she did.
***
Justin’s line was busy, so she decided to text him instead:
Babe. Harley made it here safe. Wants to meet you though. Do you think you can come out for my birthday party?
His reply was quick:
Yes, I’ll make it out there on your birthday if nothing else. Trying to figure out some things from here. Don’t worry about anything. Just try to have fun.
Marradith answered:
I will. Always less fun without you, Granthem.
She pressed “end” and shoved her phone into her pocket.
Marradith got up and almost walked straight into the man.
She didn’t understand how he could be standing there when she was alone only a moment before. Without looking up at him, she punched the intruder squarely in the gut.
He fell to his knees, grunting in pain.
“Goddamn Dee Dee,” Scott Ryder said. “Are they feeding you steroids or something?”
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©2011 Lori Titus
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