Mercy (Queen's Birds of Prey 1)

After telling her everything that had happened and what she needed, Jude said that she’d be there in about a half hour. Blaze also told her that she’d drive so that Jude would have time to get her shit together.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened to us, so I’ve been keeping a file ready to grab and go for years. All I have to do is put in the paperwork from Miley’s drawings that have been notarized and filed at the courthouse.” Jude had been right on top of things for years. And Blaze realized that she didn’t think they gave her enough credit for it.

“I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Jude asked her if she was firing her. “No. Why would you even think that? I was trying to pay you a compliment, dork ass.”

“Yes, well, you were doing fine right up until you called me a dork ass. What is that, anyway?” Jude smiled at her. “I love you too, Blaze. And I thank you for the compliment. Maybe when this is over you can take me out to dinner. Or something like that. I’ve not been out for ages. I mean, like out on a date. How about you?”

“No, there is just too much going on in the world for me to trust people anymore. I know, too, that this isn’t t

he first time for this sort of thing; it all goes in circles. But you just get to the point where you think, fuck it, I’ve had enough.” Jude said that she was the same way. “Though I have to say, I’d love for someone to look at me just one time the way Joel looks at Mercy. It’s like he’s showing all that he feels for her in a simple glance. You know what I mean?”

“Yes, and when they think they’re alone or that no one is looking at them, you could almost feel the heat as it comes off the two of them.” Jude leaned back in the seat. “Yes, I’d like for someone to look at me like that too. I’d also take a knight in shining armor to come and sweep me off my feet, take me to his grand castle, and the two of us live there happily ever after. I don’t think that happens either, do you?”

“No, sadly I do not. But a castle would be nice. Like the one that we lived in so very long ago. But with a few upgrades. I don’t know that I could live without a bathroom or electricity. And the queen, she was so special, don’t you think? Like she had all her shit together all the time and nothing upset her. Well, it did, I know that, but she was so graceful about being pissed off.”

“Yes, I remember. Once when she was highly pissed at someone—I don’t remember the man’s name, but he wouldn’t surrender his castle, and would let his people starve when she took away his outlet to their farms. But she gathered up what of his people she could, welcomed them to her keep, and then had us crush the castle. It was a good thing that Esme was always able to get in and out to get the staff out. I mean, she was the one with the night vision.” Blazed laughed again with her. “This is nice, Blaze. To be together. I miss that.”

“I do too, now that I’ve had a taste of it with you. I think we should get together weekly, the six of us, just so we can talk. Not about work or taking over some business, but just us to get together and go over old times.” Jude told her that would be fantastic. “I’m going to get it going too. As soon as we get back, I’m going to pull us all together for a dinner out. I think it will be a blast.”

The more she thought about it, the more Blaze loved the idea. This would be a way to get them out of their heads for a little while too. Blaze knew that she was forever thinking of work, what she could be doing if not wherever she was. And having a constant notebook open to jot down more ideas. Yes, she was going to do this. And no cell phones either. Just them, face to face, talking. Blaze wondered how hard it would be to get them to agree just as they were pulling up in front of the building.

“Are you ready for this?” Blaze told Jude that she was. “Me too. We should be done here in no time, don’t you think?”

“I think that this will be an all day event that will run into next week. It’s never as easy as we hope it will be.” Jude got out of the car, agreeing with her. “Please let this be easy. I have shit to do.”

Famous last words, she thought.