Flight from Mayhem by Yasmine Galenorn Read Free Book Online Page A

hobo bag was as big as a backpack. Given I knew she never traveled without her iPad, two packs of cigarettes, a notepad, a water bottle, and a small box of cookies, as well as makeup and every other necessity to womankind, the size of her purse made sense. She was wearing sunglasses and a sheer pink scarf tied under her chin to protect the ever-present bouffant from the rain.
    When we were inside, she pulled off her sunglasses and glanced around, frowning. “I don’t see Marlene, but that doesn’t mean she’s not here.” As a waitress came up, Bette told her we were meeting a friend and the girl let us meander around, looking for her. After a few minutes, Bette was satisfied Marlene hadn’t arrived yet and so we took a booth near the door so she could easily find us when she arrived.
    I opened the menu, though every diner I had been in seemed to serve the same variations in food—Americana spread across the nation. Food guaranteed to be the same wherever you went, so you never had to worry about what you were getting.
    â€œI’ll start with a chocolate shake, please. With whipped cream on top?” I had developed a love for the frothy drinks. It didn’t matter to me what flavor they were; as long as it was liquid ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top, I was happy.
    Bette grinned. “You just can’t get enough of those, can you?”
    I shook my head. In the past week, during our lunch break—which would be a late-night snack for most people—I had ordered a shake with my delivery of whatever else I might want. “You’ve got me there.”
    She ordered coffee and a large cola.
    I glanced around. The diner was filled with the lunch crowd. It had been a while since I had eaten out at this time. Usually, by now I was curled up on the sofa, watching TV while I waited to doze off for the few hours I needed to sleep. After the waitress brought our drinks, I frowned and glanced at the clock.
    â€œShe knows where to meet us, right?”
    â€œRight. I think I’ll give her a call. She might be stuck in traffic.” Bette pulled out her phone and dialed while I sucked down my milkshake. A moment later, she set down her phone, frowning at it. “She’s not answering. That’s strange. As old world as she can be, Marlene never goes anywhere without her phone.”
    â€œMaybe she’s driving and can’t answer?” I motioned to the waitress. “Another?”
    â€œNo, I think something’s wrong.” Bette was usually pretty laid-back, so the frantic tone in her voice set me on alert. She wasn’t prone to hysterics.
    â€œDo you want to drop by her place and see if everything is okay?” I called the waitress back. “Make that to go, please.”
    Bette nodded. “We’ll give it five more minutes, till your shake is ready, and if she hasn’t shown up by then, I’d appreciate it if you’d come check things out with me.”
    The waitress brought my shake and we paid for our drinks. Bette ordered a dozen doughnuts to go and then we headed back to her car. I stuffed a cinnamon-covered doughnut in my mouth and stuck my shake in the cup holder, next to Bette’s refill. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I couldtell that the Melusine was fretting. She might be a tough old broad, but she cared about her friends more than most people cared about their families.
    Marlene lived in a house near the arboretum. It was a single-story bungalow, small and cozy and pretty, with a garden that had been allowed to grow gracefully wild. The moment we stepped off the sidewalk and onto the walkway up to the house, a sense of peace flowed over me, like soft silk trailing past. The driveway was empty. If she was home, someone else had her car.
    â€œI can tell one of the Woodland Fae live here.” I kept my voice down—it seemed proper. No shouting, no swearing. This land was tended to by a steward of