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24
Dimitri was relievedto see me. He must have beenespeciallyrelieved to see Sindari, because he patted the passenger seat and gave the tiger the prime position. I sat in the back with Jennifer as we headed up I-5. With the lake and her awful experience falling behind, she managed to give us her address. She also admitted my tiger was really gucci, which I gathered was not a suggestion that he be made into ahandbag.
Someone’s stomach rumbled—it might have been mine—and Dimitri handed out paper-wrapped meals of beef and rice with Nin’s trademark sauce. By the time Jennifer had eaten, she almost seemed like a normal kid. Aside from the haunted look in hereyes.
I didn’t ask what she’d gone through, but it was sure to leave lasting marks. Since I had my own issues to work through, I’d let someone more qualified help her with her emotional scars. My job—my legal, noble, and definitely not criminal job, thank you very much, Zav—was only to kill the bad guys and bring their kidnap victimshome.
“I totally dug the submarine too,” Jennifer added. “But I could have swum almost as fast. I’m on the swim team atschool.”
A pang went through me as I thought of Amber. I wondered if she had another meet coming up. Maybe, if I wasn’t too busy dodging the law, I could go watch. Something about everything I’d been through made me want to watchandspeak with her and tell her how well she was doing. But I doubted she wanted anything to do with the mom who’d walked away all those years ago. That hurt, but I stood by my reasons. If tough-as-nails Willard had nearly been taken down by my enemies, a teenage girl wouldn’t have a chance. It was better if I stayedaway.
“Are you in high school?” Iasked.
If so, Jennifer was older than I’d thought, but I didn’t think the middle schools here had swimteams.
“Yeah, a freshman. I know, I’mshort.”
“You ever compete against Edmonds-Woodway?”
“Ofcourse.”
“Did you swim against AmberStavropoulos?”
Dimitri glanced back at me but didn’t say anything. He drove us off the freeway and onto tree-lined streets full of ranchers from the1950s.
“Yes,” Jennifer said. “Oh my gosh, she’s such an Amazon. She isnotshort.”
“Does that mean she beatyou?”
“Yeah, but she’s already varsity. She’s on a year-round team. I just do summer league. But I still could have out-swum that… What was that thing? A giantsquid?”
“More or less. You might want to avoid Lake Union for awhile.”
“Or forever!” She shuddereddramatically.
We pulled over to the side of the street, the house dark. It was well past midnight. Jennifer hopped out and reached in the window to ruffle Sindari’s head before running up to the frontdoor.
Val, I do not approve of children,Sindari informedme.
Why not? She thinks you’re gucci. Isn’t that better than being called apet?
They are presumptuous with theirhands.
It’s a sign of affection. You loomed protectively at her side while a dragon manhandledme.
Did he not give you hisblood?
Yes, but he could have asked for the vial instead of freezing me to the grass and sticking his hand in my jacket. You want to talk about presumptuous—that’spresumptuous.
We waited to make sure someone came to the door and let Jennifer in—judging by the hugs I saw, she’d been missing more than a few hours—and Dimitri took off before anyone could come out and questionus.
“Where to next?” heasked.
“Woodinville.”
“So dark elves can shoot crossbow quarrels at usagain?”
“I think they’re going to be busy repairing their home or finding a new one. I’ve got all except one of the vials of blood that Zoltan asked for. I’m hoping we can just add Willard’s to the formula when we bring it to her instead of making two trips.” Especially since she’d mentioned being underguard.
