"Lover At Last" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ward, J.R.)

Blay dematerialized around to the back terrace just in time to see the Cessna slam into the snow, the crash like a fat man doing a belly flop in a pool, great waves of white kicking up all over the place. And then the aircraft turned into the biggest Weedwacker known to man, the combination of its steel body and too-fast velocity ripping through stands of fruit trees, and beds of flowers that had been secured for the winter, and shit, even the lineup of bird fountains.

But fuck all that. He didnтАЩt care if the whole place got regraded, as long as that plane stoppedтАжbefore the retaining wall.

For a split second, he was of half a mind to materialize in front of the thing and put his hands out, but that was crazy. If the Cessna didnтАЩt seem even annoyed at the marble statuary it was now mowing down, it wasnтАЩt going to give two shits about a living, breathing maleтАФ

For no apparent reason, all that out-of-control began to spin, the wing facing Blay swinging around as if Qhuinn was trying to steer. The fishtail was the perfect moveтАФit went without saying that there were no brakes, and assuming the corkscrew stayed tight, it would give them more area to lose forward momentum in.

Shit, they were getting really close to the retaining wallтАФ

Sparks lit up the night, along with a metal-on-stone scream that announced that тАЬreally close to the wallтАЭ had been replaced with тАЬright up againstтАЭтАФbut thanks to the wrenching turn Qhuinn had pulled off, they had skidded into a parallel position, rather than a head-on one.

Blay started running in the direction of the light show, and as he did, others joined him, a whole cast of people falling in line. There was no stopping this, but they could damn well be on hand when thingsтАФ

Crunch!

тАФended.

The airplane finally met an inanimate object it couldnтАЩt get the best of: the shed that was used to keep some of the lawn equipment and gardening supplies in at the very rear of the garden.

Dead stop.

And it was way too quiet. All Blay heard was the pffing impact of his shitkickers traveling through the snow, and his breath punching out into the cold air, and the scramble of the others behind him.

He was the first to reach the aircraft, and he went for the door that by some miracle was facing outward and not into the concrete wall. Wrenching the thing open, and getting out his flashlight, he didnтАЩt know what to expect insideтАФsmoke? Fumes? Blood and body parts?

Zsadist was sitting rigid in a backward-facing seat, his big body strapped in, both hands locked on the armrests. The Brother was staring straight ahead and not blinking.

тАЬHave we stopped moving?тАЭ he said hoarsely.

Okay, apparently even a Brother could feel shock.

тАЬYes, you have.тАЭ Blay didnтАЩt want to be rude, but now that he was sure one of them had made it, he had to see if QhuinnтАФ

The male stumbled out of the cockpit. In the light of BlayтАЩs beam, he looked like heтАЩd been on a hard-core amusement ride, his hair slicked back from his windburned forehead, his blue and green eyes peeled wide in a face that was striped with fresh blood, every limb on him shaking.

тАЬAre you all right!тАЭ he hollered, like maybe his ears were ringing in the aftermath of a lot of noise. тАЬZтАФsay somethingтАФтАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm right here,тАЭ the Brother answered, grimacing as he pried one of his clawed hands off the armrest and held it up. тАЬIтАЩm okay, sonтАФIтАЩm all right.тАЭ

Qhuinn grabbed onto what was extended, and that was when his knees went out from under him. He just crumpled around their clasped palms, his voice cracking so much he could barely speak.

тАЬI justтАжwanted you to be okayтАж.I justтАжwanted youтАжto be okayтАФoh, GodтАжfor your daughterтАжI just wanted you to be okayтАж.тАЭ

Zsadist, the Brother who never touched anyone, reached out and put his free hand on QhuinnтАЩs bent head. Looking up, he said softly, тАЬDonтАЩt let anyone in here. Give him a minute, тАЩkay?тАЭ

Blay nodded and turned away, blocking the doorway with his body. тАЬTheyтАЩre all rightтАФtheyтАЩre all rightтАж.тАЭ

As he babbled at the crowd, the number of faces staring up at him was a good dozen, but Bella wasnтАЩt among them. Where was sheтАФ