“Obviously not,” I assure him, “But what can be done? You heard Eamon.”
He perks up, grinning, “I got her to agree to… stipulations.” As we walk down the stairs, he explains them all to me.
When we get to his last one, I laugh, “She did not agree to that.”
“She absolutely did. With promises that it’s not going to be as terrible as it seems,” he assures me.
I’d much prefer to discuss this further between the three of us, but it can wait. If nothing else, his negotiated terms have bought us time before Bel runs off to destroy the men who tortured her. If we can give her immortality, and she moves to Vegas without a fight, that’s even better.
Entering the kitchen, the sight before me takes my breath away. Bel’s cackling with her unbound hand on Isla’s arm, her laughing indulgently back at Bel. We are endlessly fortunate that Isla has such a capacity for forgiveness. There’s no way Bel could recover without her closest friend here to comfort her.
Looking at us from the corner of her eye, Isla states, “I’m borrowing your girl for a few hours today.” I open my mouth to argue that she can’t be far from us, but she continues with a brow raised, daring me to fight, “She needs to see a real doctor. I knowEamon The Demonmight have some combat med training, but if she’s got nerve damage, she needs to see someone right now.”
Bel laughs again at the mirthful way Isla says his name. Even I have to hold back a chuckle at the ridiculousness of such a terrifying creature having a name that rhymes with what he is. Distantly, I wonder what the story is on that, but I suppose it’ll remain a mystery.
Eamon did not strike me as the type to share.
“Of course,” Fritz obliges, “We’ll just follow a few blocks behind and stake out the office. No worries.”
“Great. Then we-”
“Okay, slow down there, I,” Bel holds up a palm, “There’s something else I need to do today, too.”
“And we need to hammer out the details on moving you,” Fritz adds. Both girls snap their heads to where he stands with a coffee in hand, happy and clueless as can be. Bel looks ready to kill him for telling Isla before she could, and Isla wants to kill him for suggesting such a thing.
“What?” Isla asks, voice cold as ice, “Movewhere?”
I smack Fritz’s shoulder with the back of my hand before explaining, “It’s not safe now that the hunters know where she lives. Fritz’s suite has tons of security, human witnesses, it’s practically a fortress.”
“And I already ordered everything she needs to work from her own room,” he comments, rubbing his shoulder as if it actually hurts.
“You did?” Bel’s eyes light up, and he nods, undoubtedly feeling the warmth of her small, surprised smile from across the room.
He timidly admits, “It was going to be a surprise. I told Norman to have it prepared by the time I return.”
Isla’s arms droop to her sides in dejection, “But, you can’t move to Vegas. It’s so far. We’ll never see each other.”
“You’re welcome to come visit any time, of course, Isla,” I try to comfort her, knowing the loss this will mean for them. They’ve been all each other had for a long while now, and if it were avoidable, I wouldn’t dare tear them apart this way. “In fact, we were going to suggest you come spend a few weeks there with us while we get Belissenda and myself adjusted.”
She lands in a chair at the kitchen table, sighing, “I can’t,” she looks up at Bel, “I’m sorry. I wish I could. You know that. But I’m… I’m swamped right now. I can’t take weeks off, I’m already blowing off clients right now to be here.”
We all wait in silence for a moment before Fritz pipes up excitedly, “Christmas!” The three of us stare at him, hoping for an explanation of his idea. Noting all of our blank expressions, he continues, “I’ll host Christmas at my place. It’ll beperfect.You can come stay with us, see where Bel is living. We’ll show you around and you can win some money at the casino? Yeah! We’ll even do New Years Vegas style,” he snaps at her in excitement. “And you guys can invite whoever you want. Your roommate Bel? Remind me his name?”
“Charlie,” she smiles at him, “We could invite him and his husband? He just texted me the other day about the holidays, so it would be perfect timing. That gives us about four weeks to plan. Does that work, Isla?”
Isla seems to consider it, doing the math in her head before nodding, “I already blocked out the week around it for a vacation, so it won’t be too difficult. But, that means it’ll be over a month before we see each other.”
“Nonsense,” I tell them, “We’ll come back several times between now and then to empty this apartment, so I’ll ensure that you two can spend time together each time we do.”
“Fine,” Isla relents, “but for today, my best friend is mine and you two can be neither seen or heard.”
With scattered laughter, the two of them gather their things, and we all leave Bel’s home. The walk to the car is filled with trepidation, Bel looking cautiously around every corner, her heart rate spiking at every sound. As they climb into Isla’s car and Fritz and I enter his rental, I note the sorrowful look Bel’s friend gives her. Bel’s fear of the outside world is palpable, and we all feel the sting of it.
“I need to return this today,” Fritz tells me as he starts his vehicle, “Maybe I’ll just fucking buy one.”
“You do not own a vehicle of your own?” I ask.
With a laugh, he admits, “I had a bike. Crashed it. But if we’re going to be moving Bel’s stuff, and I’ll have the two of you with me from now on, I don’t know,” he shrugs, “having something big enough for all of us makes sense.”
