Page 79
Story: Ghosts of Averoigne
“Did I fucking stutter?” Xiomara snapped. “Yes, Australia. Boomerangs. Kangaroos. All that happy shit. Oh, and warmer weather. Lots warmer than where you are now. So fucking warm you’ll wish you were back at the Averoigne, rolling around in the snow.”
Kara let out a happy sigh. “Warmer than here? I’m i
n,” she said. “When do I leave?”
“Later today,” said Xiomara. “And not ‘I’, LoPresti. ‘We’. The both of you. I need you both down there.”
Kara’s stomach twisted again almost instantly.
Both of us…
“Do you think you can handle it?” Xiomara was saying. “Another assignment together, without scratching each other’s eyes out?”
She shot Logan a sideways glance. He was actually smiling.
“I’m game if she is,” he shrugged.
“Good then it’s settled,” said Xiomara.
Kara’s mouth dropped open. “But—”
“There’s a car already on its way,” the Head of the Order said. “Gather your belongings now. You’ll be heading straight to the airport.”
Australia!
“You know,” Kara said carefully, “we just finished this assignment. And we rocked it, might I add.” She leaned back and crossed her own arms. “It might be nice to have a day or two off.”
On screen, Xiomara laughed again, this time loudly. “Sure,” she said, “no problem.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s see… you’ve got a two hour car ride and an eighteen hour flight. Add in some time on the customs line and there. That’s your day off.”
Kara dropped her chin to her chest. Logan sighed in obvious defeat.
“Enjoy your fucking day off,” Xiomara smiled back at them pleasantly.
Forty-three
“You sure you’re okay with us ditching you like this?”
Kara’s question wasn’t even a question. Even so, she had to ask it. She owed that much to Jeremy at least.
“Of course,” he smiled down at her. “I’ll be fine.”
“Because if not, I’ll make that little chocolate-eating witch give us some more time here. Help you wrap things up here.”
Kara was jostled from behind, and immediately apologized to. The Averoigne’s lobby was bustling again. Guests checking in and out. Cars pulling up and driving away. Luggage carts being pulled across its carpeted halls.
“It’s all good,” Jeremy said. “Really.” He let out a tired but exhilarated sigh. “It’s gonna be a while here anyway. I’ve got reports to write, loose ends to tie up. I told Radcliffe he can open the third floor again, but he still doesn’t believe me. Xiomara’s going to talk to him though. And she wants me around to supervise that whole thing, so…”
He trailed off with a shrug. “At least I’ll get to have a white Christmas.”
Kara looked outside. The snow was beautiful now that it had stopped. Her eyes shifted to his, and it was almost like he knew what she was thinking. Jeremy took her by the hand.
“You know,” he said, “I never apologized for what happened. I never got to tell you—”
“It’s okay,” she said.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79 (Reading here)
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100