Talking around her
mouthful so that she sprayed a bit of scone…important to put him off if he was
a stalker not worth beating…she said, “Well, at least you look good.”
“I’m glad you think
so.” He gave her the once-over and nodded. “Not bad, all things considering. Those
circles under your eyes aren’t doing you any favors, but one wouldn’t
immediately pick up on the monumental drinking problem you’re courting. The suicidal tendencies you’ve developed
aren't in evidence either.”
Damn Todd and his big mouth, Kimi thought. She ignored the fact he
would never share such knowledge with a stranger. Doing so kept her from
feeling rattled that Larry knew far too much about her.
Lowering her voice
to make it threatening, she snarled, “Fuck you. Tell me about Raven or you
won’t have teeth to chew your sandwich.”
He snorted but
answered. “As I said, she’s alive and well. Making bad guys rue the day they
met her—as well as some of the ones who prefer to keep her around.” He laughed,
as if enjoying some private joke.
“Proof. I want to
talk to her in person.”
Larry took a bite
and chewed it seemingly forever before swallowing so that he could answer. “Oh,
you want to talk to her face-to-face, do you? That would take a long-distance
journey, I’m afraid. Farther than the ends of the Earth.”
Kimi was sick of his
smug attitude. She decided she would pound the motherfucker and take the consequences
with a smile. “Either you give me something right now, or I kill you in front
of all these nice people. In an ugly fashion that will make them swear off
donuts for the rest of their lives.”
Larry turned his
back to the rest of the room and leaned towards Kimi. “How is this?”
His face changed.
Not his expression, his whole fucking
face. His dark skin grew darker, his cheeks beefed up, his blue eyes
changed to brown. Though his body and hair remained the same, it was Maurice
looking at her from only inches away.
His features shifted
again, changing quickly. Todd’s All-American visage smirked at Kimi. Next came
the donut counterperson with her Native features. Then Kimi was looking at
herself, except with Larry’s blue-black hair swept back from her face.
The last face he put
on before he changed back into Larry was Raven’s. Kimi stared into her friend’s
normal-blue-not-Husky-blue eyes framed in black lashes, at the cute pug
nose, at the familiar round cheeks of her sister from another mister.
Then it was Larry
again, a devastatingly handsome creature who couldn’t be a man, who’d shocked
Kimi so badly that she couldn’t summon a scream.
Alcohol poisoning. Or post-drunk hallucination. Maybe a full-on nervous
breakdown. God knows I’m way overdue to go completely insane.
Her companion
returned to his normal position, allowing him to keep an eye on the rest of the
shop and anything that happened in front of it. He took another bite of his
breakfast, washing it down with juice before telling her, “My name is Laaruu. I
am of a race from the world of Paatuun in an alternate universe. That’s where
your Raven is. That’s where I’d like to take you, Kimi Furio.”
She whispered, “I’ve
lost my fucking mind.”
No release date set.
