ANGEL BLUE [1]

LEAD 32: fallen eye-doll

      “What’re you doing?” Sam asks when I open the kitchen drawers to find a knife.

      I find a reasonably sized curated blade and hold it up to the light. I’m dressed in the only formal going out attire that I own, A.K.A the burgundy blouse and black jeans with my Litas. I make a face in the reflection of the knife and lower it onto the countertop, sighing.

      “Alkaios says he needs blood and I assume he means that of Diablos,” I wave my hand in the air. “I’m not showing up to the little diversion dinner with fang marks anywhere as discreet as they may be, if Alkaios wants blood, then I’m going to give it to him my way.”

      “We’ll have enough between me and Snaginsky,” he says, sliding the knife to his side of the counter. “Besides, would it even matter that you didn’t go on this distraction date or whatever?”

      “Why, are you jealous?” my brow twitches.

      “No,” Sam answers rather quickly, his nostrils flaring.

      I roll my eyes, “I bet the next thing is that you want me to have Christmas dinner with your folks.”

      Sam gives me a look, one that conveys that my joke is correct. He clears his throat and slides the knife closer to him, probably to get it out of my reach if the wild urge to stab him came along. Believe me, my fingers twitched in anticipation. There’s one thing I hate more than my own parents, and that’s Sam’s (minus good ol’ GSP of course).

      (a) I can tell straight away from what Sam’s told me about his mother that she has very strong opinions of everyone else and her beliefs come first and foremost above all. (b) If I told her I’m not of faith, she has the right to tell me to stay away from her son. (c) Georgia and Nadine are varying women, being a barrister and florist―I have a bad feeling that if I say one word out of line I could find my arse in a courtroom or somehow be drugged with daisies and wake up in Africa. (d) My biggest concern of all is the Pingelly family integrating with the Stevens clan, the dysfunctional Janine and Robert will surely put on a show for the Pingelly’s.

      As you can tell, I’m jumping for joy at the thought of meeting the family.

      “Christmas is in three days Stevens; I invited my mum and sisters down for Manhattan. I told them I was seeing someone and they want to meet you and your family, I didn’t give them any explicit details but they’re eager to meet you,” he shrugs.

       It’s too bad that I’m not busting my buttons on seeing them. I can just imagine how Christmas will turn out, I bet ten bucks that something ‘eventful’ is going to happen―a mutilated hand comes out of the turkey when it’s being carved, the AB crew tag along and start working on new leads in the middle of the dinner, Snag’s invited and as a present he brings a packet of condoms for me and Sam…

      “Are you kidding me? Dad still thinks I’m bunking with Blake and both Blake and Banks think I’m staying with him―I haven’t told anyone about us and now your family wants to meet mine? Christ, my mum’s probably going to fly over from bloody London with her boy toy and crash my non-existent Christmas plans with Dad and―” he cuts me off.

      “I’ve spoken to Chief Stevens about a conjoined arrangement, don’t worry I said it was strictly professional―to build the bridge between the NYPD and FBI, and I said that coincidently my family would be in Manhattan at the time and Chief Stevens actually came up with the idea of holding a group Christmas dinner with both of our families,” Sam explains.

      I’m not sure if it would be right to laugh or cry. (a) The Prat used a smooth cover, playing on the FBI and NYPD feud. (b) Dad just played along with it as if he didn’t suspect a thing, yeah cause the hickies on my neck are magic ‘allergic reactions’ I get from the new body lotion I use. (c) This entire coincidence will surely crash and burn and our parents will find out about us.