Read Online Unbearable by Tracy Cooper-Posey - Free Book Online
Authors: Tracy Cooper-Posey
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how to be anything other than a hunter, so the chances are the bus will hit me before I start going gray. Besides, this isn’t something I can put in a will, even if I had one.”
“You want us to protect Riley,” Nick said. “If Azazel ever comes back.”
“I know you will do that anyway,” Tally said. “I still want you to promise me, here and now. I want you to swear that no matter what happens, if Azazel comes back, if the clan is raised again, you will make sure that Riley survives. No matter what,” she added fiercely.
“No matter what happens,” I said. “We will.”
“Nick?”
“Of course I will. With my life, if I have to.”
Tally relaxed. This time, her smile was more natural. “Thank you.”
“You should sleep,” Nick added. “It could be a long, useless day tomorrow.”
January 5, 1984
Florida, even in January, was warm enough that we could forego our coats and parkas and not look ridiculously out of place. Even Tally stripped off her outer layer and looked up at the blue, sunny sky before dropping sunglasses into place.
Nyanther looked around curiously while unconsciously plucking at his sweater. It was the first time he had experienced southern climates and land that looked considerably different from Scotland’s misty moors and glens. He sniffed, sampling the air, which was rich with the smell of green, growing things. His old instincts were making him wary.
We had found the road-side diner that Miguel had directed us to and Miguel arrived only a few minutes later, his dilapidated Buick belching blue smoke into the air.
“You drove that from Miami?” Nick asked Miguel as he climbed out of the car.
In the last two days, Nick had become more like his old self. He even teased Nyanther about his new interest in all things technological, including thick magazines devoted to electronics that he had spent most of the journey from New York reading. Now he was giving Miguel hell about his car.
Miguel grinned unabashedly. “I paid cash for it, amigo . Now I owe no one. Just gas for it to run, that is all.”
“You’re not insured?” Nick asked curiously.
Miguel glanced around, checking for strangers who might be listening. He did it without turning his head. “Insurance is for those with papers, Nicholas.” He patted the hood of the DeVille. “Or those with too much money.” He waved everyone toward the diner. “Let’s eat, my rich friends!” He plucked Riley out of Tally’s arms and bounced her on his hip and up into the air over his head, laughing as much as Riley did.
Miguel ate enormously, while we all ordered coffee and watched. Even Tally declined to eat, which she had been doing more and more often lately. Finally, Miguel burped heavily and sat back with a satisfied sigh, tousled Riley’s curls and dug a crumpled map out of his jacket pocket.
We cleared the table and he spread the sheet. It was a finely detailed map of Ocala county and there were crosses in blue ink scattered over the map. This was a typical hunter tactic—track reports and sightings, group them on a map and head for ground zero, where the sightings were most heavily clustered.
Miguel pointed to the thatch of crosses to the east of Ocala itself. “Ocala National Forest,” he said. “Lots of water, lots of limestone cliffs and trees everywhere,” he added. “Just one problem.”
“Tourists,” Tally said.
Miguel pointed at her.
“Even in January?” Nick asked.
“Hey, even the bonita is wearing shades, man,” Miguel pointed out. “This is Florida. It don’t get cold here.”
“The numbers of people will be fewer than spring or fall, I’m sure,” Tally said. “Besides, we can’t wait. Now is as good as it gets.”
I didn’t feel any happier than Nick looked. People complicated matters. People made the work far more dangerous.
As the waitress arrived with fresh coffee, Miguel put the map away, making it look casual. He chucked Riley’s cheek and looked around the table.
“You want us to protect Riley,” Nick said. “If Azazel ever comes back.”
“I know you will do that anyway,” Tally said. “I still want you to promise me, here and now. I want you to swear that no matter what happens, if Azazel comes back, if the clan is raised again, you will make sure that Riley survives. No matter what,” she added fiercely.
“No matter what happens,” I said. “We will.”
“Nick?”
“Of course I will. With my life, if I have to.”
Tally relaxed. This time, her smile was more natural. “Thank you.”
“You should sleep,” Nick added. “It could be a long, useless day tomorrow.”
January 5, 1984
Florida, even in January, was warm enough that we could forego our coats and parkas and not look ridiculously out of place. Even Tally stripped off her outer layer and looked up at the blue, sunny sky before dropping sunglasses into place.
Nyanther looked around curiously while unconsciously plucking at his sweater. It was the first time he had experienced southern climates and land that looked considerably different from Scotland’s misty moors and glens. He sniffed, sampling the air, which was rich with the smell of green, growing things. His old instincts were making him wary.
We had found the road-side diner that Miguel had directed us to and Miguel arrived only a few minutes later, his dilapidated Buick belching blue smoke into the air.
“You drove that from Miami?” Nick asked Miguel as he climbed out of the car.
In the last two days, Nick had become more like his old self. He even teased Nyanther about his new interest in all things technological, including thick magazines devoted to electronics that he had spent most of the journey from New York reading. Now he was giving Miguel hell about his car.
Miguel grinned unabashedly. “I paid cash for it, amigo . Now I owe no one. Just gas for it to run, that is all.”
“You’re not insured?” Nick asked curiously.
Miguel glanced around, checking for strangers who might be listening. He did it without turning his head. “Insurance is for those with papers, Nicholas.” He patted the hood of the DeVille. “Or those with too much money.” He waved everyone toward the diner. “Let’s eat, my rich friends!” He plucked Riley out of Tally’s arms and bounced her on his hip and up into the air over his head, laughing as much as Riley did.
Miguel ate enormously, while we all ordered coffee and watched. Even Tally declined to eat, which she had been doing more and more often lately. Finally, Miguel burped heavily and sat back with a satisfied sigh, tousled Riley’s curls and dug a crumpled map out of his jacket pocket.
We cleared the table and he spread the sheet. It was a finely detailed map of Ocala county and there were crosses in blue ink scattered over the map. This was a typical hunter tactic—track reports and sightings, group them on a map and head for ground zero, where the sightings were most heavily clustered.
Miguel pointed to the thatch of crosses to the east of Ocala itself. “Ocala National Forest,” he said. “Lots of water, lots of limestone cliffs and trees everywhere,” he added. “Just one problem.”
“Tourists,” Tally said.
Miguel pointed at her.
“Even in January?” Nick asked.
“Hey, even the bonita is wearing shades, man,” Miguel pointed out. “This is Florida. It don’t get cold here.”
“The numbers of people will be fewer than spring or fall, I’m sure,” Tally said. “Besides, we can’t wait. Now is as good as it gets.”
I didn’t feel any happier than Nick looked. People complicated matters. People made the work far more dangerous.
As the waitress arrived with fresh coffee, Miguel put the map away, making it look casual. He chucked Riley’s cheek and looked around the table.
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