Page 92 of The Devil’s Feather

Stop. What are you doing? He’s going to freak the fuck out.

The darkness had me in its teeth, stamping out that rational voice. I stood on the top step and strained. My fingers couldn’t quite reach the cubby. Again, only a giant would put a cubby there. I climbed down, repositioned the stepladder, and tried again.

This time I stepped on the frame, bracing against the wall. Almost. Aallllmost…

The cubby was empty.

The front door opened. “Elaine?”

Shit.

My foot slipped. The stepladder tipped over. I hit the bed with a loud whump, cracking my knee against the floor. The shakes started in my hands. They spread throughout my body. I curled up on the mattress and howled out my pain.

Deandra came running. “Laney, what the fuck happened?”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I was gonna…” My words smashed together, rolling into one big ball of clay. “Rafael used to shave with a straight razor and he put it up there so I wouldn’t be tempted but I’m so overwhelmed and I had too much to drink⁠—”

Dee bearhugged me into silence. “Shh, you’re ok. You didn’t relapse. You came real close, but you’re ok. Music Man was looking out for you.” She rocked me until the sniveling stopped.

I scrubbed at my eyes. “I’m ok, I think. Thank you.”

“Come on, let me look at that knee, and then let’s get you sobered up.” She bandaged my already-throbbing knee and dragged me, limping, into the kitchen. “If it’s not better by tomorrow, you’re going to Urgent Care.

“Also, Frank was over when you called. I had you on speaker, and he said some smartass shit about how you’d need a new meal ticket. Girl, I’ve never seen Annie get that heated. She ripped that old white man a new one.” Dee’s eyes sparkled with malicious glee. “I think they broke up.”

Three big glasses of water later, plus a rice dish I’d almost forgotten about in the fridge, the spinning in my head slowed. Thank god I kept leftovers. Rafael threw his away unless I wanted them. Not that much survived his appetite.

The brass hardware on the cabinets flashed as Deandra opened and closed them in quick succession, pointedly ignoring the gun on the counter. “Where the fuck do y’all keep the coffee?”

I’d give anything for a coffee made by Rafael right then; up to and including my soul. “I’ll make it. Please sit.”

Wait. Gold flashing. Like Mandeep’s jewelry. He’d said he wanted to help; surely he’d want to know about all this. I sent a wall of text.

Dee watched me open the inset with the espresso maker and fire up the machine. “When are you supposed to hear something?”

“Whenever Kathy calls back, I guess.” I almost exploded the oat milk by overheating it. “Um, we have some rose syrup that’s really good if you want it? I know how you like a milkshake.”

The phone rang as if summoned, and I catapulted out of the kitchen to grab it.

“Hey honey, it’s Kathy.”

“Please tell me Rafael’s ok.” I put her on speaker and Deandra huddled beside me.

“Well, not yet. I called in the cavalry to help look for him. Apparently, he’s not at that cabin anymore.” She sighed, and the phone crackled. “Nobody was there, but the front lawn was all torn up.”

Dammit, no more tears! “What can I do now?”

“That’s all we got for tonight, kiddo. It’s too dangerous to go stomping around in those steep hills in the dark. They’re gonna start in the morning if you wanna join. Just make sure you get to the station first.”

“How can I ever repay you?”

“Don’t worry about it, honey. All I did was call some folks. You just make sure my boy’s ok. Let me know when you find him. Maybe you two come visit me in New York sometime, eh? Or at least LA. I know how you Californians like your sunshine.” She hung up.

Deandra hugged me hard. “Was that Good Pussy Kathy?”

“The one and only.”

“Well, I wish there was a more fun reason to be having this sleepover, but I’m glad you called me.”