Page 55 of Deadly Lineage
“You’re not,” Franklin answered while shooting me a conspiratorial glance. “The investigation has wrapped up for the night. I was just saying goodbye to Boone.”
Well, that was certainly one way to put it. Kissing wasn’t my usual go-to way to depart a situation, but I hoped Franklin and I could make itourroutine for parting ways.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Boone,” Franklin said before stepping away. “Take care and call me if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“Consider yourself on speed dial,” I responded with a cheeky grin and wave of my phone.
Franklin’s grin widened before he turned fully and headed back to the replacement vehicle the department had dropped off. As he walked away, I realized I’d left my car at Linus Remington’s crime scene. Franklin promised to drive me back to my car so I could pick it up. I planned on holding him to that promise. Tomorrow.
I stood there, phone dangling from my right hand while my left uselessly followed suit. I watched Franklin get in his car, close the door, and head down the street. I was still staring at his fading taillights when Momma punched my arm.
“Ow,” I protested as my phone dropped to the grassy ground. “You do remember the part where I was just in a high-speed chase that resulted in a ditched vehicle, don’t you?” I rubbed my shoulder dramatically while giving Momma puppy dog eyes.
“Please, you just finished reassuring me that you’re fine. Are you going to stand there now and tell me that you and your man lied to me?”
I started to protest but fell over my words when my brain computed. “My man?”
Momma rolled her eyes. “Do not give me that. I’ve got eyes, Erasmus, and those eyes tell me I just interrupted more thanpolice work. Or is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Sweet Gaia. You did not just say that lame-ass line.”
“I most certainly did. Now, are you gonna offer your momma a drink, or are you gonna send me back home straight away?”
I could have said I needed some time alone, but tonight wasn’t about me. Intellectually, Momma knew I was fine, but the slight tremble in her fingers told me she needed more. Momma needed time—time with me. She needed to see and hear that I was okay. She needed to know that her son was still in one piece, no harm done.
With that in mind, I offered Momma my arm and walked her toward my back porch. The light automatically flared to life when it sensed motion, making our walk a little less treacherous. As we made our way through the grass, Momma laid her head on my shoulder. Her soft hair brushed my neck and her fingers gripped my arm a little tighter than necessary.
“I was so worried, Erasmus. When your father called me, I…” Her voice trailed off and I thought I heard a sniffle. “Iwon’t make you promise never to make me worry again. It’s what mommas do. Just promise me you’ll be careful. I can’t bear the thought of losing you, and your father…thatis a volatile situation.”
I hid my trembling fingers by gripping tightly to the screen door and easing it open. The hinges managed their typical tonal complaint. Momma was all too right about Pops. He hid it well, or more to the point, he simply didn’t talk about his fears. Despite keeping his feelings on lockdown, I was well aware I was his biggest, most threatening fear. For his own good, Pops should have abandoned me like nearly every other warlock did their necromancer children. I’d always counted myself lucky that he hadn’t. I still counted myself lucky. What I was also beginning to count myself as was selfish. I wouldn’t be the one left behind. Pops would be.
I helped Momma onto the couch and settled in next to her. I should have offered Momma a drink. I didn’t. A cool beverage wasn’t what she needed right now.
Clutching my fingers tight, Momma pulled my hand into her lap while her opposite hand ran repetitively over our intertwined fingers.
“Are you really okay?” she nearly whispered.
“I really am,” I promised. Given how upset she was, I wasn’t about to tell Momma about the part Aurelia had played. “I just wish we could have caught the culprits.”
Momma’s fingers squeezed tighter. “I think it’s best you didn’t. If half the things I’ve heard are true, you were outgunned. God only knows what would have happened if you’d cornered them.”
Momma probably wasn’t wrong. “If I were a warlock, I could have done something to stop them. I wouldn’t have been so useless and—”
“Erasmus Samuel Boone, don’t you dare utter another word. You know how I feel about those kinds of thoughts. You are perfect just the way you are. My God and your Gaia made you just the way you were supposed to be, and I’ll not hear a word different. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t been thankful for who you are, or that I’ve wished you’d been born a different way. You need to get that through your thick skull.”
The tightness in my chest eased. I don’t think I realized how much I considered the weight I’d been carrying.
Inhaling, I counted to ten before letting that breath go, attempting to expel all the bad personal vibes and self-recrimination with it. “I’m sorry, Momma. I think not being able to help more with the investigation is getting to me. I’m a necromancer. I bring souls back from the dead, at least temporarily, and I can’t manage that.” I reconsidered my words and amended them. “I mean, I can bring the soul back, but it’s not very helpful.”
“Maybe so and maybe not. I’m not a detective or a necromancer. What I do know is that you’ve never given anything less than one hundred percent in your life.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I think Mrs. Layman would disagree.”
Momma scoffed. “I think you’ve matured a little bit from sixth grade algebra.”
My grin was automatic. “I doubt my math skills have improved much, despite Mrs. Layman’s best efforts.”
I basked in Momma’s soft chuckle. “Bless that woman, she did try. She was determined to see you through. She was a good teacher. I think she retired far too soon.”
