No. If she looked at the top of his head much longer, she was going to start ripping his hair out. And she really liked his hair.
Neecy allowed her gaze to wander around Yager’s bedroom. So far, the only part of the house she’d actually seen. Yager wouldn’t let her leave. He brought her food, water, magazines, books. Anything she wanted, he made sure she got. He only let Morgan, Didi, and a few of the Crows at a time into visit her. He insisted on shoveling soup down her throat like it was some kind of cure-‐all.
Yager’s bedroom in his Long Island home was as beautiful as his City apartment.
And just like his other bed, the frame was big, stainless steel, and perfect for fucking in. But, no. Yager wouldn’t touch her except to hold her when she slept.
She initially thought maybe he’d lost interest, seeing as her entire body resembled one big, bloody bruise. Then she realized he kept disappearing into the bathroom to take showers. Lots and lots of showers. He had to be the cleanest man on the planet.
She had the distinct feeling those showers were mighty cold.
As Yager contemplated the chessboard like the Rosetta Stone, Neecy looked at the bedroom doorway and freedom. That’s when she saw it.
Silently, Mike Molinski ran down the hallway, a wet towel in his hand. Tearing after him a few seconds later, was a very wet and extremely naked Janelle.
Yager’s hand raised over the chessboard, but he shook his head and lowered it again.
Mike came tearing back, still swinging that towel over his head.
Yager clucked his tongue against his teeth, but didn’t lift his head.
Janelle leaped past the doorway. A few seconds later, her and Mike re-‐appeared.
She had Mike in a headlock, but he wasn’t giving up that towel. Both were still completely silent, even as Janelle repeatedly and brutally punched Molinski in the face.
If Neecy couldn’t hear Yager’s geeky “thinking” sounds, she’d assumed she’d gone deaf.
The struggling pair stumbled out of Neecy’s line of sight.
“You’re trying to box me in, Dr. Lawrence.” Yager flashed her a gorgeous grin.
“But I’m not falling for it.”
His head dropped back down and Janelle came back into sight. She held one end of the towel and desperately tried to yank it away from Mike, who had the other end. She dragged him across the hallway floor, but he still wouldn’t let it go. And Neecy knew that grin of his would set Janelle’s hair on fire.
“Aha! I got it!” Yager made a couple of moves, but Neecy had completely lost interest, now that Tye suddenly appeared. He picked Mike up and disappeared with him. She knew what he did with him, though, as the muffled sounds of someone tossed down a flight of stairs made it into the bedroom.
The towel in his hand, Tye walked up to a shivering, visibly raging Janelle. He held out the towel to her and she snatched it from him, storming off. Too much dignity to bother wrapping it around herself.
Tye watched her walk away. Actually, that was a little tame. It was more like he absorbed every detail of Janelle’s dimpled ass walking back down the hallway.
When one of the many bathroom doors slammed closed, Tye flashed Neecy a delicious grin. He shrugged, wiggled his eyebrows, and walked away.
Yager leaned back, his palms flat on the mattress, his arms propping him up.
“Check mate, baby.”
He looked so hurt when she burst out laughing and couldn’t stop.
Yager gratefully took the cup of coffee Delia handed him and walked over to the glass doors leading from his kitchen to his backyard. Quietly he stood next to Tye.
“She doing okay?” Tye finally asked.
“Yeah. So far.”
“Her mood getting any better?”
“Hey, cut her some slack. I’d love to see how well you’d take an ax to the back.”
“I don’t have a problem with it. I’m just not used to seeing Neecy Lawrence expressing an actual…”
“Emotion?”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“She’s too exhausted and drained to have her usual walls up.”
“Which you’re not minding one bit.”
“Nope. Not really.”
Delia came up behind Yager. “I’m making her a grilled cheese sandwich…I’m afraid if you bring her soup again, she’ll hurt you.”
Watching Mike walk across the backyard, Yager said, “Soup is good for her.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll give her both. Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Happy now?”
“Very.”
The trio stopped speaking as one of Neecy’s crows suddenly dive-‐bombed Mike.
“Whoa!” Delia stepped closer as Mike swung his arms to get the bird away from him. “Yager, I thought you said Neecy was asleep.”
“She is asleep. She was out cold when I came down here.”
Two more crows dived at Mike, freaking the poor kid out. Then six more.
“Then what the…”
Tye sipped his coffee as Mike did his best to keep the birds away from him. “It’s not Neecy,” he offered casually. “It’s that meat and bird seed I put in his pockets.”
Delia covered her mouth in surprise, but she couldn’t stifle the laughter.
Yager shook his head. “Why?”
They watched as Mike ran to the doors, trying to get in. But, apparently, Tye locked them and seemed in no rush to unlock them.
“He knows why.”
Mike slammed his fist against the thick glass and pointed at Tye while the growing number of birds steadily attacked his coat and therefore him.
“You motherfucker!”
“See?” Tye took another sip of his coffee. “Told you he knows why.”
Neecy stared out Yager’s bedroom window at the Crows and Ravens hanging around in his backyard. She didn’t even know anyone was in the room with her until she felt a small hand on her shoulder.
She smiled down into Arri’s concerned face. “Hey, kid.”
“You okay, Neece?” She knew Arri’d read her colors. She already knew she wasn’t okay.
Neecy shrugged with one shoulder. “I’m breathing.”
“Is that good enough?”
“Better than I had a right to hope.”
“You’re worried about your wings.” It wasn’t a question.
“It sounds so stupid when you say it out loud.”
“Why? Those wings have been a part of you for years.”
“Yeah. But it seems awfully petty to worry about my wings when I could easily be having this discussion in Valhalla with Odin.”
“But you’re not. You’re here. And you’re still a Crow, Neecy. You’ll always be a Crow.”
“Yeah. A maimed, useless Crow.”
“Neece…”
Before Arri could finish, Yager walked into the room with a pile of books and DVDs for Neecy. He looked at both women and immediately frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Neecy didn’t lie, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t let others lie for her. She glanced at Arri and immediately the girl said, “Oh, I’m just whining. Mike is being such a…a…”
“Asshole?”
“Scmuck?”
“Fucker?”
“Spastic colon?”
Arri giggled but turned her face away. She was even shy about laughing.
“Yeah. All of the above,” she practically whispered.
Yager dropped his pile of stuff on the bed. “Well, I wouldn’t sweat it, Arri. I think he’ll be mellow for at least a few hours.”
Neecy’s eyes narrowed. “Okay. What did you guys do to him?”
Yager blinked innocently. “Baby, we didn’t do anything to Mike.”
“You leave him alone, Wilhelm Yager.” Now both Arri and Yager stared at her.
“What? I like Mike. He’s funny.”
Disgusted, Arri walked out while Yager continued to stare at her.
“What?”