She gave him a cold look. “You didn’t call me to help.”
“Of course not. I had no idea what we’d be getting into—”
“Neither did Zade or Sisko,” she said. “But they came because you called. Exactly like I would have.” Her whiskey brown eyes were full of hurt.
“Hannah, don’t,” he said, frustrated.
“You think I’m still nine years old,” she said. “And you still feel guilty about taking me to Midlands. But you know what, Noah? I survived. I’m as tough as the rest of you.”
She fell silent, waiting, but Noah was spared the necessity of a reply by Caro’s voice, floating down from above them. “Hey, you two.”
Caro stood on the landing above, bundled up into the thick terrycloth robe she’d found in the bathroom and leaning over the railing, her hair dangling down. “What’s all that stuff?”
Hannah held up her bags. “Your interim wardrobe,” she explained. “And there’s more on the way. Hope you don’t mind.”
Caro watched Sisko stagger in, barely visible beneath bales of plastic-swathed goods. “Hannah, a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from Target would have been fine!”
“No way,” Noah surprised himself by saying. “You need nice things.”
Hannah turned a startled look on her brother, and laughed. “Finally, something we agree on,” she said. “Caro, look at it this way. If you’re going to do battle with the powers of darkness, you should look as hot as possible while you’re doing it.”
Caro rolled her eyes. “That’s just silly. And extravagant.”
“No, it isn’t,” Hannah said firmly. “So pick out whatever fits and looks best on you, which I bet will be everything, because I know what I’m doing.”
Caro tried to catch Noah’s eye without success. Hannah noticed.
“He’s totally on board with this,” she assured her. “Right, Noah?”
He gave his sister a pained look. She ignored it, turning to Sisko. “Did you get everything out of the car?”
Sisko lay down the bundles. “Yup. Want me to take it upstairs?”
“I’ll do it.” Noah loaded himself up with Hannah’s purchases, tossing a big, puffy bagged thing perched precariously on top. “What the hell is that? It’s really light.”
“An excellent down parka,” Hannah said. “And mukluks.”
He whipped his head around. “What the fuck are mukluks?”
“Snow boots.” Hannah followed him upstairs with a stack of shoeboxes. She stopped at the landing and rested her hand on Caro’s shoulder. “Don’t say no. I shopped my ass off for you.”
“I appreciate it. I really do.”
Hannah smiled. “And Caro, in case you haven’t noticed, my brother is rich. He makes huge money, and then his money makes more money, while he’s not even looking. He’s insanely good at generating money. In fact, he’s insanely good at a whole lot of things.”
“Yeah, I noticed that today,” Caro said. “Is that because of Midlands, too? I mean . . . the incredible combat skills?”
Hannah stared at her, and dropped two shoeboxes. “He told you about Midlands?”
“Of course I told her.” Noah pushed past her, kicking aside the spilled shoes and packaging. “She saw the video with Mark and Luke. What was she supposed to think? That he used a voodoo spell?”
“But I . . but you . . .” Her voice trailed off for a bewildered moment. “But you just met her!”
“That’s true. But she’s one of us by now,” he heard himself say.
His sister’s wide brown eyes darted from him to Caro, shimmering with tears.
He heard a car outside, which was as good an excuse as any for a quick retreat.
“Sounds like someone’s here,” he said. “I’ll be downstairs.”
The door flew open as he got to the bottom of the stairs. Zade shoved through it, loaded up with takeout bags that smelled amazing.
“What the hell is this?” he complained. “Why did you come back?”
“You need fuel,” Zade said. “I found a good taqueria. Eat with us or starve alone, you ungrateful son of a bitch.”
“I want the place quiet for Caro. She’s still in shock.”
“Hannah’s taking care of her. And we’ll be as quiet and gentle as fluffy little lambs,” Sisko said, emerging from the kitchen. He grabbed the taqueria bags. “Go back to the car and get the beer,” he told Zade. “I’ll just get this food set up in the dining room.”
Noah stood there for a while, at a loss. Activity bustled around him. Soft female laughter came from the bedroom upstairs. The popping sound of beers being opened eventually came from the kitchen. Zade and Sisko clinked bottles.
Bizarrely, the place had taken on a party mood.
Zade appeared, and shoved a beer into his hand. “Drink up. You did good today. We were just toasting the fact that your life has finally begun. And about fucking time.”
“Huh?” He stared blankly at his friend. “What is that supposed to mean?”