Page 91 of A Murderous Crow
I’d carried heavier by way of packs, backpacking across Europe; but a man couldn’t do this forever. I made our way to the front, where Hangman waited with a blanket. I set her carefully on her feet, and we wrapped her up. I lifted her once more as he unlocked and opened the gate for us to slip through. Spooky waited in the Land Rover, just steps outside.
“Syn said to drive you back to your place,” he called through the open and waiting back door.
“Good looking out,” I called, and Hangman held the rear door as I helped Savannah down to her feet and urged her to crawl into the back. She did and settled in the rear driver’s side seat, holding out a hand to me to join her, which I did swiftly, pulling her into my arms.
“She alright?” Spook asked as I settled into the back seat with her.
“I’m good,” she mumbled, spent.
“Good deal,” he said turning back front, Hangman shutting the door on us, closing us into the vehicle the warmth enveloping us as Spook had the heat blasting.
Spooky drove us home, pulling up to the side gate and hopping out to unlock it for me as well as the French doors leading into my kitchen.
“Upstairs, get a warm bath running for me, Prospect.” I told him when he came back and opened up the back door of the Range. He nodded and jogged back into my place, went upstairs, and did what I asked before coming back down. It was nearly two a.m. and the streets were empty, so we didn’t sweat the Rover being out there for a few.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“No, see yah,” he gave a nod and went out, closing things up behind him.
I had settled in my chair with Savannah wrapped in the soft blanket across my lap.
“How you feel, Kitten?” I asked her softly.
“Exhausted,” she said. “But happy.”
“Yeah?” I asked her.
“Yeah – that was fun. I want to do it again some time.”
I laughed, softly and asked, “Can you make it upstairs?”
“Mm, hm.” She slid from my lap and stood, holding the blanket around her. “I’m cold,” she complained.
I said, “I got a bath going, come on upstairs and let’s warm you up, get some of these scratches and scrapes taken care of.”
“Oh, shit. I hope nothing is too bad. I have work tomorrow.”
I laughed, and said, “We’ll figure that out. Even if I have to do both your job and mine tomorrow… or later today as it were.”
I followed her upstairs and she laughed softly and said, “Anyone asks me, I’ll tell them I fell off one of the rental bicycles. They aren’t very well maintained, you know.”
“Never used one,” I said.
“I fell off one once when I first moved here.”
I helped her into the bath and she hissed, and I couldn’t tell if it was because it was too warm or if it was her bare feet.
“Sit, let me get you cleaned up so I can have a look at you – I heard Specter got a little rough.”
“I didn’t expect a full body tackle to the ground,” she said, “but I’m fine.”
“You’re tough,” I praised and she smiled, leaning back in the bath. I plucked a twig and some bits of Spanish Moss from her hair and she wrinkled her nose at me.
I got my comb off the side of the sink and sat down on the stool behind her and carefully started picking the tangles and debris out of her hair while the tub finished filling and she hugged her knees.
“You okay?” I asked slowly.
“Death really scared me,” she murmured.
