"Banks, L A - Vampire Huntress - Between The books 1-14" - читать интересную книгу автора (Banks L. A)

УYeah,Ф Shabazz said flatly. УHeТll be all right, though, once the dust settles.Ф

Rider stared at Shabazz hard. УNo. He wonТt.Ф

For a moment, neither man spoke.

УListen to me, СBazz. You donТt know what this is like, Сcause you ainТt dealt with it like I have,Ф Rider said with no anger in his tone. It was just a fact. УAfter Tara didnТt come back rightЕ I reconnected with my oleТ pal Jack Daniels. I tried to blot out her memory with a string of pole dancers. I canТt even count Сem all. I was about his age when it happened.Ф

Rider stared at Shabazz as he spoke, trying to be sure his comrade in arms didnТt just blow off the fragile nature of what was about to go down. УIТm twice that kidТs age, and there are still times when I want to play Russian roulette with my revolver.Ф

He allowed his gaze to briefly go towards Padre Lopez, dragging ShabazzТs with it. УHe ainТt right, either. Just seeing a love like that, after whatever images Rivera blasted him with in the clericsТ safe house, thatТs another man on the edge, and heТs a priest. How long you think JoseТs gonna last in the same household with Rivera knockinТ boots with Damali before he bugs?Ф

Rider fell silent for a moment as Shabazz looked away. УYouТre the head philosopher on the team, so get to this, oh Zen master, and dig it. The kidТs a nose like me, СBazz. All heТs gotta do is pass her in the hallways of the compound to know when she and Carlos have been at it, and heТs so damned linked to Rivera from that vamp blood line that could be still residentЧsince we donТt know what The Light burned out or not, that poor kid will feel it through his freakinТ skin, СBazz, when the man touches her. You hearing me, Guardian brother? God forbid her voice shatters glass in that compound with Jose in earshot, and the next sound weТll be hearing is a gunshot through JoseТs temple.Ф

Both men stared at each other.

УLetТs be real, Shabazz. Could you deal with it if Kamal was suddenly living in our compound for some bizarre reason, and you knew when he and Mar both disappeared what was going on? Or you felt it? Or you heard it? Or you caught the scent of raw sex when she walked by? Or, lemme play devilТs advocate, my man, and take it to the next levelЕ could ya deal with hearing deep bass line satisfaction coming from her room? Or put up with seeing them all giggly and happy in the freakinТ morning, passing love looks over the kitchen table at breakfast?Ф Rider spit and raked his sweat matted hair. УNone of us have had to deal with what that kid is gonna have to go throughЧeven us old heads. Not even me, you, nor Mike got constitutions strong enough for that shit. So, Jose, to my mind, is on suicide watch. ThatТs what IТm talking about.Ф

УYeah. I hear you,Ф Shabazz murmured, his gaze leaving RiderТs to settle on Jose. УWeТll keep an eye on him.Ф He let his breath out hard again. УI ainТt got no wisdom for the young priest, though. Father Pat gotta handle that.Ф Shabazz raked his locks as his gaze filled with compassion and landed back on Jose. УWe gotta move his room to the other side of the compound, maybe put a damned soundproof barrier around hersЕ set some rulesЕ maaaanЕ tell her and Rivera to, uh, try to be discrete when we get home. IТll talk to him, you talk to him, Mar gotta talk to her, Сcause youТre right. I was just tryinТ to get us all home so we could live. I hadnТt even tripped into the future. Aw, shit, Rider. ManЕ I donТt what else to do.Ф

УIf it ainТt one thing itТs another,Ф Rider muttered in a weary tone, Уand like they say, СHouston, we got a problem.Т This one is kickinТ my ass.Ф

УMine, too. Now that you brought it up.Ф

Both men watched the teamТs gentle giant quietly move to stand with them. Big Mike pounded their fists as his gaze scanned the rest of the team from a sideline glance.

УYТall know I canТt help but overhear things,Ф Mike said carefully, eyeing Rider and Shabazz and keeping his voice low. УWe gonna hafta watch the other young bucks, too.Ф He motioned with his chin toward JL and Dan. УJL is wigged, battle-freaked. He and Jose are thick as thieves, tight. Him seeing Jose like this is making him wonder about his own chances of ever having his own woman and a normal life. That kid has been damned near celibate since we all came together as one unit. Watch how he keeps looking at Lopez with that deer in the headlights expression, then over to his boy, Jose.Ф

УKnow the look well,Ф Rider said with an appreciative scowl. УThe, Сplease God, not me,Т look.Ф

УYup,Ф Shabazz muttered. УJust like in the joint. You watching somebody get messed over and made into somebodyТs bitch, you canТt do nothing about it, and all you pray as you try to be cool and not listen or hear, even if itТs your boy, isЕ please God, not me. Human reaction, man.Ф

УYeah but itТs also the kinda reaction thatТll make a man wig, and try to bolt. We gotta lock down this unit before we get back home,Ф Mike said in a private, tense whisper. УPlus, Carlos is like DanТs idolЕ if something ainТt right with our boy, Rivera, Dan will be the weak link. Dan thinks the brother walks on water, which ainТt a good thing if Rivera ainТt come back from the ashes without a problem.Ф

Rider, Shabazz, and Big Mike pounded fists in unison.

Shabazz lifted his chin, motioning discretely toward Carlos. УSomething ainТt right with the brother, though. ThatТs the thing thatТs eatinТ out my guts. I donТt care what we just saw with our eyes. IТm feeling some type-a way. My gut ainТt neva wrong.Ф

УThatТs why weТre having this conversation, dude.Ф Rider folded his arms over his chest and looked at the ground. УItТs all in his eyes.Ф

Mike swallowed hard. УWhatever it is, is gonna kill baby-girl, ya know.Ф His huge shoulders slumped. УAll of us who been to war, or been soldiers know that, it ainТt just about getting home in one piece. ThatТs the first priority, true, but maybe the easiest part of going to war is dodging a bullet or a land mine. The hard part is coming back with your head and your spirit straight. ThatТs what be looking funny in a manТs eyes, and be sounding a little off in his voice. Rivera donТt sound right to me, neither. Tone of voice is off, brothers. He donТt sound like the Carlos I been listeninТ to before this.Ф

УThen, letТs get this brother to hallowed ground and do what we gotta do,Ф Shabazz said flatly. But his eyes held a deep sadness that each of the three men in the small huddle could identify with.

УSay a prayer,Ф Rider replied quietly, running his palms down his face as they dispersed. УIf IТm tellinТ ya that, then you know IТm outta options.Ф



Marlene stood a few feet away from Damali, gazing at her back and roving a quiet scan across CarlosТs body. Intermittently she glanced up toward the heavens. Everything about his energy was scrambled, and they only had a few more minutes before theyТd have to break camp, get to the cathedral, and try to find safe haven on hallowed ground. She put an added ring of protection around the group, layering in her heartfelt prayers with that of the clerics. God help DamaliТs sanity if Carlos was back, but not whole.