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I hadn't minded being gay with Landon, except for the idea of giving up having kids of my own. I'd had
dreams about being a dad someday. But I had no idea Gran would pick up on all that when she read me.
It was way, way too soon and I didn't want to scare Danielle away.
I said,  Danielle, I wasn't really planning our wedding or nothing...
Gran laughed.  I'm teasing him, Dani. And don't worry, Jarrod. I won't tell her what else you were
thinking.
 Just stick my head in a bucket,  I muttered, putting my hands over my face.
Danielle said,  Gran! and her exasperated tone told me she was all easy and familiar with her full-
blood grandmother to an impressive degree. I would not have used that tone with Grandfather.
Gran actually ruffled my hair. People didn't do that much, since I hit my full size, but she did.
 You're a good boy and Danielle's safe with you. Which means I'll sleep easier. What's your Trait,
dear?
 Truth Reading. And a hint of Sensing.
Danielle said,  Sensing is when you know stuff without being told, right?
 Yeah. For me, I can tell when someone in my family is in trouble. It's come in handy a couple of
times. I smiled, to lighten the mood.  Like the time my little sister climbed a tree and got stuck up
there. 'Course, I was ten at the time, on a sleepover at a friend's house across town. I knew you were
s'posed to call the fire department to rescue cats out of trees, so that's what I did. Next thing Mom
knew, she had a hook and ladder in the front yard.
Gran said,  I'm sure she was grateful your sister was all right.
 She'd rather I'd just called her, but yeah, I guess. Mika's panic had made me scared and stupid,
but Mom hadn't been mad at me.  So Danielle, what's your Trait?
Danielle blushed and looked at the floor. Gran said,  She's a Fire-starter. Kept us all hopping when
she was a baby.
 Um. That's exciting. I wasn't that fond of fire, but it wasn't likely to come up a lot. At her age, her
control would be good.
 So, he's a Truth Reader, Danielle-love. That's a little trickier, in a relationship. Gran looked at me.
 Have you had other girlfriends? How did that go, knowing when they were lying to you?
I took a breath.  I had a boyfriend, ma'am. For over a year, so I guess it went okay. We split up, but
not because I knew about him telling lies. Landon hadn't really bothered to lie to me. He thought so
highly of himself, he didn't feel the need to hide the shit he did. He'd figured I'd either go along, or it'd
be my loss, I guess. It had felt like a bad loss for a while, but it didn't hurt so much now.
Danielle shifted uncomfortably when I mentioned Landon, but I wasn't going to hide who I was.
Especially not from someone who could probably spot a lie as well as I could. Gran made a little
sound, but she seemed more thoughtful than disgusted or surprised.  Well, I guess that's for you and
Dani to figure out now. She stood and I held out my hand. We shook, and Gran held onto me for an
instant longer than I expected. A few expressions chased each other through her eyes, but I couldn't tell
what they were. After a moment she let go, and gave me an odd look, intense and steady.  Remember,
it's okay to be a hero, but watch out for the bystanders.
 Huh?
She just smiled.  I'm heading to bed. Jerrod, tell your parents to come by sometime. I'd like to meet
them. I've been alone a long time.
 Yes, ma'am. I'll tell my dad. And Grandfather.
 Now get going. If I know my daughter Lori, she's hovering by the window waiting for Danielle to
get home.
I glanced at my watch. We still had half an hour, but it was probably better not to cut it too fine.
 Yes, ma'am.
Danielle stood, and stretched on tiptoe to kiss her grandmother's cheek.  Thanks, Gran.
 I'm glad you brought him by. A sudden, predatory look came into the old lady's eyes.  I'd pay
money to be around the first time the two of you meet up with Bill. If he so much as looks at you
wrong again, Jerrod will take that little bloodsucker apart. And you will let him, won't you?
Danielle blushed and looked down unhappily. I made a note of the name. Bill. For some reason,
Danielle's grandmother hadn't dealt with this guy herself. Maybe Danielle had asked her not to. But she
was right. I would be way more than happy to handle the creep, if he showed up.
The streets were getting quieter as midnight approached. I drove on auto pilot, with a lot of stuff
going through my mind. After a while, I had to pay more attention as the traffic picked up, and I only
realized why when Danielle said,  This isn't the way to my house.
I stared, suddenly seeing that I'd brought us most of the way downtown.  Shit. Sorry. I was going
to blame it on being distracted, when I realized it was nothing of the sort.  Shit! That was far more
heart-felt. Because when I paid attention, I could feel Landon's panic, beating in on me. And I guess
although I'd broken up with him, somehow he'd stayed like family. Because I could tell he was in a load
of trouble. I pulled over in front of an all-night convenience store, even though my foot wanted to
stomp on the gas and go.
 Danielle, listen. It occurred to me, I could tell her exactly what was going on. No fumbling or
hiding it. Wow, that was really nice.  You know about the Sensing. So, right now, I can Sense that
Landon's really scared.
 Landon? Your ex-boyfriend?
 Yes. I saw her bite her lip hard, and hurried to add,  And he is ex. I swear. But I still know he's
about to get his ass beat on. So... What was my duty here?  I can get you home on time and let it
happen. Painful for him, but for all I know, he deserves it and it's not likely to be fatal. Or I can let you
get out here with money for a cab. You'd make it home on time that way too. Or you can come with me,
while I go rescue Landon.
Danielle glanced at me briefly, and then said,  Drive, you big moron. Her laugh was a bit hesitant, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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