Lord's Fall (Elder Races #5)(84)

As the Wyr had returned to New York throughout the night, word of Dragos’s fall would have gotten around. It must have been clear to everyone that he had been critically injured. Not only did the Wyr demesne need to see proof that he was all right, but so did the other demesnes and countries throughout the world.

Hell, for that matter, so did Wall Street investors.

Remorse twinged. She sat up and said, “I’m sorry.”

He gave her a hard hug. “Don’t be,” he said. “It’s been a hellish goddamn week. After the Games are over tomorrow, you and I are spending the weekend in bed. In the meantime, you should eat and rest.”

She smiled, a wry twist of the lips. “See you later.”

He gave her a swift kiss and left.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, she had showered and dressed in jeans and a sweater. She had also put on makeup and eaten so many buckwheat pancakes that her stomach was full to bursting.

When she called for a driver, Eva and Hugh appeared. At her look of surprise, Eva gave her a small grin and told her, “Imma just keep turning up now like a bad penny.”

Penny.

Pia doubled over and laughed uproariously, while the other two watched her with puzzled expressions. “I’ll explain it someday,” Pia told them. She cocked her head and smiled at Hugh. “It’s good to see you. Are you here for the reason I hope you are?”

He returned her smile, his plain bony features creased with good humor. “Got my hat in hand and I’m looking for a job, if you’ll have me.”

“I’m delighted to have you,” she told him. Not only did she genuinely like Hugh, but he and Eva already knew how to work together. It was a good start.

Eva told her, “This kind of gig was too big a change of pace for the others, but no surprise there. Johnny’s been waiting to have a word with you, though, if you can spare him a few minutes.”

“All right,” she said, resigned. “I need to get to the Garden, but I can take a few minutes right now.”

“He’s downstairs,” Eva said. “I told him to grab a coffee at Starbucks.” At her questioning look, the other woman added telepathically, He don’t know nuthin’ about nuthin’, Tink, but he’s got questions.

She nodded grimly and rode the elevator with Hugh and Eva down to the ground floor. Once they stepped into the Tower’s main lobby, Eva said to Hugh, “Get a car and meet us out front.”

“You got it,” Hugh said. He disappeared, winding through the crowd at a deceptively sleepy pace.

Pia and Eva walked into Starbucks where Johnny sat at the window counter with an empty coffee cup in front of him. He hunched over his computer game. He looked up as Eva tapped him on the shoulder, then he switched off the game and shoved it into his back pocket as he stood.

Pia clasped her hands behind her back, twisting her fingers together hard as she gave him a smile. “Hey there,” she said. “Thanks for everything you did on the trip. I’ll want to tell the others in person later, myself, but for now, would you pass on my thanks to them too?”

“Sure, I’ll tell them,” Johnny said. It saddened her that he seemed ill at ease and uncertain. “Look, about that night? You know, when the shit hit the fan, and we were at the passageway where the Elves were fighting.”

“I know which night you’re talking about,” she said quietly as she tensed.

He met her gaze shyly. “There for a while, I passed out, so I’m not sure what happened, but I know two things. I know I took a mean sumbitch wound. I even remember thinking, damn, I’m not gonna get over this one. Then when I woke up, you and Evie were there. Now I’ve got no scar. I’ve got nothing but the memory of that sword going in, and—” He blinked rapidly as he looked from one to the other. “I don’t know what you guys did or how you did it, but I wanted to say thank you.”

Pia’s face softened. She touched him on the shoulder. “We did what anybody would have done,” she told him gently, as she chose her words with care. She’d gotten used to dancing around telling the whole truth. “We poured all the healing juice we could into you.”

“That’s just it,” he said. “None of our healing potions were used.”

She and Eva looked at each other. “I had healing potion in my pack,” Pia said. That wasn’t a lie either. She did carry a few, just in case.

“There’s Hugh with the car,” said Eva. “We gotta go, sport.”

Eva and Johnny looked at each other. Moving as one, they stepped into a fierce hug. “It’s not gonna be the same without you,” he said, muffled.

“’Course it won’t.” She thumped him on the back. “You kids gonna have to worship my bitch-goddess self from afar.”

He laughed, his arms loosening. “See you around, bitch.”

“You know it.” Eva slapped him on the cheek, an affectionate tap, and turned to Pia. “Ready, Tink.”

She blew out a breath. “Let’s go.”

As they walked outside to the Cadillac idling at the curb, Eva said telepathically, See, like I told you. He’s confused and he don’t really know anything.

Pia didn’t reply as she climbed into the backseat.

No, Johnny didn’t know anything, she thought. But he knew enough to wonder about what really happened, and to question her story. Healing potion couldn’t have healed him so completely, not that bad of a wound, and not without leaving a scar.