Page 18 of Queen Crow
Ash is savage but less grumpy than before, kissing Lips and dragging her over to sit in his lap at the breakfast bar. Aodhan helps me to pull out pots and pans, then ends up in an argument with Harley about muscle cars that I couldn’t care less about.
Morrison slumps into one of the other stools and groans dramatically, only looking alive when Lips runs a hand through his hair and murmurs gentle words at him like he’s terminal, not just hungover. It’s loud and messy and everything I’ve ever wanted for us all.
It doesn’t matter how packed my murder board downstairs is, it feels like home again. If Atticus were here too, I would be the happiest I’ve ever been.
When Noah arrives in the doorway wearing one of my robes, he snaps, “Is someone dead or are we standing around in here screaming for no fucking reason?”
Ash swings around to throw an icy glare at him. “That could be arranged.”
We still have a little ways to go before it’s apeacefulfamily environment, but when I shove a plate of bacon at Noah, he takes it with a mumbled ‘thanks’ and heads to the dining room without another word.
* * *
Ash drives the Ferrari like he’s hoping we all die in it, a giant, fiery ball of flames on the six o’clock news style of death. He usually leaves that sort of recklessness up to Morrison, but he obviously needs to let some steam off.
It doesn’t help that Lips is sitting in the front with the only other five-point harness and I’m stuck in the back, sliding around like a freaking pinball. I don’t say a word, even though I wanted to threaten everything he loves in this world, because I’m a fucking saintly sister sometimes.
Lips curses him out on my behalf and threatens to bite his demon dick off, which is disturbing but very funny, mostly because he looks at her like she’s betrayed him deeply. Harley and Morrison have taken to calling him ‘demon dick’ just to get a rise out of him, and once I made them all swear to stop listing off reasons why the name is apt, I’ve been able to laugh along with them.
Harbin is already waiting outside the mansion when we arrive.
He’s alone, Roxas nowhere to be seen, and I’m grateful not to put up with the idiot for once. Lips shoots me a look every time I talk about how much I hate the asshole, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself at the pointy end of her knife sometime soon.
Lips slides out of the car before Ash has a chance to open the door for her, but for once he doesn’t snap at her, he just opens mine and helps me out.
“Thanks for meeting us here, Harbin. We didn’t want to pull Illi away for the night.”
He shrugs from where he’s leaning on the seat of his bike, a cigarette hanging out of one corner of his mouth, “No problem. I’m skipping church with the Boar to be here, so no skin off my ass.”
Lips chuckles and holds out a hand to him. “Thanks for talking to your boys about Poe. I’m still not a hundred percent about the Unseen down in Mississippi.”
He nods slowly, his eyes flicking back up to the mansion. “You know my stance on it. The Callaghans are better than most and if the heir is chasing her tail, then she’ll be fine down there.”
Huh.
I look over at Lips, but she just looks angry and kind of murderous at that comment. Not at him, just at the world, because of course her baby sister has caught the eye of some dirty biker.
Of course.
Harbin chuckles as he puts the cigarette out and straightens. “Yeah, he did some digging to try and find out about who her sister was too. I shut it down fast, and the Boar did too, so your secret is safe for now. I can’t wait to see his face when he finds out about the infamous Wolf though.”
I pull my phone out and double check the information there, just to brush up on the finer points here that we need to hit, and then I gently nudge Ash from where he’s still staring Harbin down with vicious murder.
“Let’s get this over with, I want to get back to the hospital.”
He glances down at me and nods, keeping his mouth shut about Atticus now that Lips has reamed him over it, I assume. She was vehement about getting him on my side, no matter who I chose.
Lips gives me a nod and then we walk right up to the house, through the side gate, and into the kitchen door. No alarms blare at us, no sirens or security, and that’s one of the many advantages of having the Coyote on our side and on our payroll.
Technology means nothing to him.
The kitchen is the picture of new money. Everything in it is flashy and oozing dollar signs, none of it about class or ease of use, and I hate the man even more.
The color palette is also abhorrent.
“I’m down to help if you wanna smash some plates in here, Queen Crow.”
I startle at the name, no one has used it outside of Atticus’ men, but I shake my head at him. “I’m here to do a lot more damage than some plates.”