“ Right.” He did as she said.
“ Please don’t make me regret not killing you.” She shot him in the thigh.
“ Ouch.”
“ You owe me,” she said.
“ I’ll try to remember that.” He grimaced, fell back onto the pillows.
“ I think that went well.” Lila said.
“ Maybe you’re not as bad as I thought,” Izzy said.
“ Maybe not,” Lila said. Then, “Let’s go get Black and the dog and blow this place.”
“ That’s got my vote.” Izzy went to the door, glad Lila was on her side. She slid the card key through the lock, pushed open the door and both women gasped.
On the bed, sitting up with a bewildered look on his face, was a much younger version of Black. He looked beautiful in a devastating sort of way. He was also swimming in his clothes, because he was about a foot and a half shorter. He was also several pounds lighter. He was lean and muscled like an athlete.
“ Holy shit!” Lila said.
“ Yeah, holy shit!” Izzy said.
“ So this isn’t a dream?” Black said.
“ No, it’s not a dream,” Lila said.
Hunter barked.
“ Hey, you’re supposed to be quiet,” Izzy said.
“ Wanna tell me what happened?” Most people would be in shock, but Black seemed to be taking in what had happened to him in stride.
“ You got shot in the back,” Lila said, “and were very close to dying until Dr. Eisenhower laid hands on you, well actually, she mingled your blood with hers and here you are less than an hour later, shorter, but alive and very much younger.”
“ Yeah, my skin’s lighter, too.” It was true, his black coffee skin had turned into a light cafe au lait brown. “I can live with all that, it’s this other thing that’s a worry.”
“ I can see that,” Izzy said.
“ Yeah, me, too,” Lila said.
“ You have blue eyes,” Lila said.
“ I haven’t seen a mirror yet,” Black said. “Been afraid to.”
“ I can understand that.” Izzy sat on the edge of the bed. Lila sat on the other bed.
Not only was he younger, shorter and more fair of complexion, he was female.
Chapter Seventeen
Izzy hadn’t known exactly what would happen when she mingled her blood with Black’s, but she hadn’t expected this. Black healed and younger, yes, because that’s what had happened to her after she mingled blood with that pregnant woman in Reno. She’d been thinking that had to be the cause of her miraculous recovery and sudden youth. That was confirmed now, as far as she was concerned.
But this, this was impossible and she said so.
“ It’s happened,” Lila said. “So it’s possible. Besides, look what happened to you. If you can accept that, you can certainly accept this.”
“ I don’t think I can,” Black said. Her voice had sort of a melodic ring to it. “How do we change it back?”
“ I don’t know,” Izzy said. “I don’t think we can.”
“ Christ.”
“ You’re a chick now, sister,” Lila said. “Get used to it.” She smiled.
“ Not funny,” Black said.
“ How about we call you Blackie.” Lila’s smile got bigger. Clearly she was amused.
“ Don’t like it,” Black said.
“ Tough shit,” Lila said. “You’re Blackie now and I’m guessing Blackie you’re going to stay.”
“ No, I think I’ll just stick with Black.”
“ Suit yourself,” Lila said.
“ It could be worse,” Izzy said.
“ Yeah, how?” Black said.
“ You could be dead,” Lila said. “You would’ve been if Dr. Eisenhower hadn’t healed you.”
“ She’s telling the truth. If I hadn’t done what I did, you’d be dead now.”
Black got off the bed, went to the mirror above the washbasin, looked at herself.
“ Damn,” she sighed. “I’m pretty good looking and those are the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.” She looked over at Izzy. “I’m thinking our DNA got mixed up. Your white skin, my black, we get coffee with cream. But the blue eyes, you don’t have those.”
“ My granddaughter does. It’s a recessive gene.” Izzy got up from the bed, walked over to her, looked her in the eyes. She was still having trouble coming to grips with everything that had happened. She felt faint.
“ Easy, Dr. Eisenhower,” Black said. “You don’t look so good, maybe you better sit down.”
“ You’ve gone from bewilderment, to rejection, to acceptance awful goddamn fast,” Lila said.
“ Yeah, the courage to accept what you can’t change, or something like that,” Black said.
“ So, now what?” Lila said. “We can’t stay here forever.”
“ I’ve got a winter job up at Howard Prairie Lake,” Black said. “It’s a camping resort up in the mountains east of Ashland. I’m up there all winter, November to April. Other than me, the resort is deserted.”
“ Deserted,” Lila said, “why?”
“ Usually, the place gets snowed it.” Black was still looking in the mirror.
“ Sounds perfect,” Lila said. “We should be going.” She smiled. “And I thought I was going to have to leave my car. If we’re going to be out of sight all winter, there’s no reason why I can’t bring it along.”
“ No reason.” Black turned away from the mirror.
“ What about the policeman next door?” Izzy said.
“ He’ll be fine,” Lila said. “The drug will wear off and he’ll go home.”
“ What policeman?” Black said.
“ That reminds me,” Izzy said. “I left the girls at a motel in Susanville. My daughter-in-law was supposed to pick them up and keep them out of sight. I should call and make sure they’re okay.” She got up, started for the phone, picked up the receiver.
“ What policeman?” Black said again.
Lila told him, then to Izzy, “You think it’s safe to call? Is it possible the cops know about her? Could they be waiting for your call, so they could track you?”
“ I hadn’t thought about that.” Izzy cradled the phone.
“ I’ve got a satellite phone up at the lake,” Black said. “Completely untraceable.”
“ You’re sure?” Lila said.
“ I’ve had my own reasons for not wanting my phone calls traced,” Black said. “I’m sure.”
“ Then it’s settled,” Lila said. “We’ll pack up and hide out at this resort. Dr. Eisenhower can check on her granddaughter when we get up there.”
“ Call me Izzy.”
“ We got nothing to pack,” Black said.
“ Figure of speech.” Lila started for the door, opened it. “Let’s be on our way.”
Izzy took the new Charger. Hunter rode with her. Black rode with Lila and directed her out of the parking lot and onto the freeway, heading south. Izzy stayed right on their tail. At the second Ashland off-ramp, she followed them off the freeway, stayed right behind as they turned left onto Dead Indian Memorial Road and headed up into the mountains.
After about five minutes winding upward, they came to tall pines, a forest right out of Hansel and Gretel, Izzy thought. Fifteen minutes more of the winding road and Izzy saw the lake as Lila made a right. Izzy followed and in a
