Page 6 of Midnight Auto Parts
Standing in the damp grass, I shot Josie a text to let her know about the disappearing loaner and, just in case, I shared our location with her.
Kierce appeared right behind me, startling me when he had been so careful to normalize himself lately.
As I thought it, I could have kicked myself for not noticing sooner. Dimming himself was a kindness, and I was grateful for it, but I had been viewing it like slapping on or peeling off glamour. A toning down of his appearance. Avoiding the use of his powers as usual? That smacked of diminishing himself too.
Those who were different got sorted into neat and tidy boxes to make them fit in better. Labels made everyone more comfortable except for those stuck wearing them. What right did I have to tape the box he had existed in since becoming the Viduus closed just as he was prying up a corner?
“Kierce?” I waited for him to step up beside me. “Does it bother you that I’m struggling to adapt?”
“No.” He caught me by the arm. “Why would you think that?”
“I’ve been asking you to hide who you are, because I can’t handle the truth.Mytruth.” I pounded a tight fist over my heart. “It’s not you.I’mthe problem. I’m the one who can’t pull it together.”
“Your acceptance of me isn’t conditional on your acceptance of yourself.” He slid his fingers into the hair at my nape. “You’ve more than proven that to me.” He applied the slightest pressure, tipping my head back. “I wish you could see yourself the way I do.”
A mirror can’t show your worth.
He told me that once, and it stuck with me.
But a mirror couldn’t help me now, when I feared I wouldn’t recognize what stared back at me.
“You’re mighty assertive lately.” A smile tugged at my mouth. “I don’t hate it.”
A response parted his lips as the rumble of a familiar engine tore my focus away from his lips.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I planted my palms on his chest, pushing him back, lamenting the glide of his hand that signaled the moment ending. “What is she doing here?”
The hulking black truck had become a fixture around The Body Shop in recent weeks, as had its driver.
A throaty complaint from Badb caught Kierce’s ear, and he frowned. “I’ll be right back.”
Carter, dressed for work, parked behind the wagon and joined me with a cheddar puff bag in hand.
She noted Kierce trailing Badb into the woods then focused on me.
“What brings you out here?” I anchored my hands on my hips. “Are you trying to give Josie back?”
“Do I look like someone who wants to wake up in a chokehold from the pothos on her nightstand?”
“You let her plantify your house?” I clucked my tongue. “Big mistake.”
“I figured that out after I made her mad two nights ago and found the damn plant curling around a steak knife handle the next morning.” She rubbed her eyes. “I haven’t slept since.” She blinked orange dust off her lashes. “Josie is…”
“…my little sister,” I reminded her curtly before lifting my eyebrows. “Now, you were saying?”
“Josie is a fantastic houseguest, and I can’t believe I have the honor of hosting her?”
“Much better.” I caught my attention swinging to her front passenger seat. “Why are you here, really?”
Harrow’s absence reminded me he was recovering from gunshot wounds he earned during our last case.
And I hadn’t called him or called on him, and I didn’t plan to either.
“Josie mentioned you were on a repo,” she hedged, balling up her trash. “You tracked the loaner here?”
“The signal cut out on this spot. We were searching the area for clues to explain the blip.”
“That’s exactly what I thought when I drove up to Kierce fisting your hair.”