Read Online Crushed (City of Eldrich Book 2) by Laura Kirwan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laura Kirwan
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forgiven?”
Natalie nodded. “Of course you are. I’m sorry I was such a weepy ninny.”
“Please,” Meaghan said. “I yelled at you. I’m glad you didn’t throw something at me.”
Natalie’s mouth twitched into a grin. “I really wanted to for a second there.”
Meaghan smiled back, relieved. “With magic or muscle?”
Natalie laughed. “Both. If there’d been a piano handy, you’d have been toast.”
“Good thing we aren’t out West. Then you could have used a big boulder like Wile E. Coyote.”
“My Acme bitchy-sister-destructo-ray—except the coyote always gets his ass kicked. I think I’d better stick with pianos.”
They laughed until they both started coughing and had to stop to blow their noses.
“So,” Natalie said, wiping her eyes with her arm. “Now what?”
“Shit, I don’t know,” Meaghan said. “I never had a sister before. I’m guessing you didn’t get the impervious gene from Matthew?”
Natalie shook her head. “I’m all Mom. So far, at least. I can get zapped like everybody else if I don’t watch out.” She sipped her wine. “You’re calling him Matthew again, instead of Dad. Don’t be mad at him, okay? He really regretted not having you around all those years and only kept his distance because he didn’t know how to fix things, but mostly because he didn’t want you to get stuck with all this. It’s why it took us so long to do what we did.”
Meaghan nodded, her eyes filling with tears. Natalie and Kady had cast spells on the people around Meaghan to help nudge her into coming to Eldrich. She would have been fired from her job in Arizona eventually, because she hadn’t been able to hide how disgusted she’d become with her boss’s flexible ethics, but the magic hastened it.
“I . . . it surprised me how mad I got at him when you guys told me,” Meaghan said, pushing her tears back down. “I really thought I’d gotten past it.” She finished her wine in a large gulp. “If you ever do get past it.”
“You get past it,” Natalie said, “when you decide to. You got ambushed tonight. You’ll get there. And nothing’s really changed between us. You’re still my boss and I’m still here to help you navigate both jobs. But please don’t tell anybody. The risk if I am carrying the impervious gene—you’d think that and my magical skill would be mutually exclusive—but if they aren’t . . .”
Meaghan nodded. “A lot of bad guys might get interested. Either to get rid of you or exploit you.”
“Don’t think that hasn’t kept me up nights.”
“So people really don’t know?” Meaghan asked.
“As far as Russ and I can tell. Although you’re the first who ever thought we were . . . ewww. You know. How did you ever reach that conclusion?”
Meaghan shrugged. “I could tell you were hiding something. The big magic secrets had already been spilled, so I figured it had to be about sex.”
“Well,” Natalie said with a smile. “You were half right, I guess.” She held up the empty bottle. “You want me to open another?”
Before Meaghan could answer, the world exploded.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A thunderous boom and the sound of breaking glass echoed from the direction of Jamie’s house.
Natalie ran to the gate accessing the tiny overgrown alley between the houses. Jamie’s house sat around the corner, his back gate only about twenty feet away.
Meaghan grabbed Natalie and pointed to her bare feet. “Glass. Get some shoes and I’ll meet you there.” Natalie nodded and ran into the house.
Meaghan dashed down the alley to Jamie’s back gate. A high board fence surrounded the backyard. She threw herself at the wooden gate and heard a padlock rattle in its hasp.
The six-foot fence was too high to climb, so Meaghan ran back to Natalie’s house. There she found Natalie comforting Patrice. Natalie caught Meaghan’s eye, her face grim, eyes wide with shock.
“Look at this,” Natalie said, her voice tight. She gently
Natalie nodded. “Of course you are. I’m sorry I was such a weepy ninny.”
“Please,” Meaghan said. “I yelled at you. I’m glad you didn’t throw something at me.”
Natalie’s mouth twitched into a grin. “I really wanted to for a second there.”
Meaghan smiled back, relieved. “With magic or muscle?”
Natalie laughed. “Both. If there’d been a piano handy, you’d have been toast.”
“Good thing we aren’t out West. Then you could have used a big boulder like Wile E. Coyote.”
“My Acme bitchy-sister-destructo-ray—except the coyote always gets his ass kicked. I think I’d better stick with pianos.”
They laughed until they both started coughing and had to stop to blow their noses.
“So,” Natalie said, wiping her eyes with her arm. “Now what?”
“Shit, I don’t know,” Meaghan said. “I never had a sister before. I’m guessing you didn’t get the impervious gene from Matthew?”
Natalie shook her head. “I’m all Mom. So far, at least. I can get zapped like everybody else if I don’t watch out.” She sipped her wine. “You’re calling him Matthew again, instead of Dad. Don’t be mad at him, okay? He really regretted not having you around all those years and only kept his distance because he didn’t know how to fix things, but mostly because he didn’t want you to get stuck with all this. It’s why it took us so long to do what we did.”
Meaghan nodded, her eyes filling with tears. Natalie and Kady had cast spells on the people around Meaghan to help nudge her into coming to Eldrich. She would have been fired from her job in Arizona eventually, because she hadn’t been able to hide how disgusted she’d become with her boss’s flexible ethics, but the magic hastened it.
“I . . . it surprised me how mad I got at him when you guys told me,” Meaghan said, pushing her tears back down. “I really thought I’d gotten past it.” She finished her wine in a large gulp. “If you ever do get past it.”
“You get past it,” Natalie said, “when you decide to. You got ambushed tonight. You’ll get there. And nothing’s really changed between us. You’re still my boss and I’m still here to help you navigate both jobs. But please don’t tell anybody. The risk if I am carrying the impervious gene—you’d think that and my magical skill would be mutually exclusive—but if they aren’t . . .”
Meaghan nodded. “A lot of bad guys might get interested. Either to get rid of you or exploit you.”
“Don’t think that hasn’t kept me up nights.”
“So people really don’t know?” Meaghan asked.
“As far as Russ and I can tell. Although you’re the first who ever thought we were . . . ewww. You know. How did you ever reach that conclusion?”
Meaghan shrugged. “I could tell you were hiding something. The big magic secrets had already been spilled, so I figured it had to be about sex.”
“Well,” Natalie said with a smile. “You were half right, I guess.” She held up the empty bottle. “You want me to open another?”
Before Meaghan could answer, the world exploded.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A thunderous boom and the sound of breaking glass echoed from the direction of Jamie’s house.
Natalie ran to the gate accessing the tiny overgrown alley between the houses. Jamie’s house sat around the corner, his back gate only about twenty feet away.
Meaghan grabbed Natalie and pointed to her bare feet. “Glass. Get some shoes and I’ll meet you there.” Natalie nodded and ran into the house.
Meaghan dashed down the alley to Jamie’s back gate. A high board fence surrounded the backyard. She threw herself at the wooden gate and heard a padlock rattle in its hasp.
The six-foot fence was too high to climb, so Meaghan ran back to Natalie’s house. There she found Natalie comforting Patrice. Natalie caught Meaghan’s eye, her face grim, eyes wide with shock.
“Look at this,” Natalie said, her voice tight. She gently
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