Page 12 of A Wolf After My Own Heart
“Tell me about it. Major selling point as far as I was concerned.” A pity the landlord hadn’t mentioned the bear cub situation… Perhaps she’d raise that at the next tenant meeting. The thought made her grin. “Okay, so…your folks? You got separated?”
Sally was crunching her way through her third slice. Hadn’t even waited for Lila to zap it in the microwave. “Uh-huh. Mommy’s been sick, too. So it’s really important I get back to them.”
“That sucks.”
The child nodded. “Uh-huh. Daddy’s taking care of her and all, but she doesn’t like being sick. She’s tired all the time.”
“Okay. So you were separated…”
“Well, they had to take a special trip to Boston, but they’re late coming back.”
“How late?”
“A couple of days,” she replied vaguely. “So I need to be ready for when Daddy comes.”
“Which is why that guy came looking for you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“To take you away? But not in a good way?”
“I need to be ready,” the child said again, and the intensity was strange in such a youngster.
“So what’s the plan?”
“You’re asking me? I’m ten.”
Lila sat back in her chair. “Well,Idon’t have a plan. Well, maybe tracking down the guy from last night—except that’d be a dim move, according to every movie in the world.”
The girl laughed at her. “You can’t track him!”
“Could if I wanted,” Lila replied, offended. “Wait, you know who he is? What’s his name? Does he live around here? Do you know why he’s after you?”
“Uh-huh.” She shrugged. “But like I said, you couldn’t track him. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. He’s gonna come here.”
“Of course he is,” Lila sighed. “That’s what my life is now.”And here’s the stupid part: I can’t wait to see him again. Probably because there’s something wrong with me.How d’you know the guy?”
“Caseworker. Adumbone.” The child sighed. “Okay, that’s kinda mean. It’s just, he won’t listen to me! About anything!”
“I noticed the same quality. It’s why he ended up in my basement.”
“Ha! That’s right.” Sally smirked. “When I heard all the swearing I grabbed my chance.”
“Yeah, and next time you suck down all my honey and then dart off into the night, close the front door all the way.”
“Oh. Okay.” Chastened, Sally added, “Anyways, when he comes back, be careful. If you make him mad, his sister willeatyou.”
Lila, who had been getting up from her kitchen chair, froze mid-rise. “Please tell me that’s hyperbole.”
“Dunno what that is.”
“It means exaggeration.”
“Then just say exaggeration.”
“Hey!” Lila said sharply. “Did I break into your house and then tell you what words to use?” She didn’t bother ducking; the pizza crust sailed past her left shoulder. “Too wide,” she observed.
“I didn’t break in! I just…came. Into your house. Because of how you were. Last night.”
