“L’amour” Jaded said in genuine admiration, “that must have been fun.
I did a bit of torture, but as a Serial Killer.” Jaded admitted and
Windwalker nodded as if she’d already known.

“It was,” the shaman acknowledged with a slow nod, “entertaining.”

“Too bad he didn’t stay dead,” Jaded muttered softly, biting the inside
of her cheek again, drawing blood. She cracked her neck, feeling the
need, the need to do a dreadful deed.

“Oh that? Well, that’s your fault,” Windwalker sniffed.

“WHAT? Excuse moi? Just how is it MY fault that your dead guy didn’t
stay dead.” Growled the Rogue, getting up and leaning across her O to
look at Windwalker in her O.

Windwalker chinned herself again and nodded her head toward the
swirling glimmering disturbance which was now large enough to cover
about half of West Hollywood.

“I don’t see the connection,” Jaded pouted, her lower lip pouting out, out right lying.

“You opened up an alternate reality and it bled through into this one.”
Jaded blinked, she turned her hat backwards, scratching her nose.

“I did what to a who?”

“The vortex,” Windwalker sighed again, “opened a portal between this
reality and one in which Steve Jaffe did NOT kill Cherie and therefore
I could NOT kill him. And soTADAhere they are, the unhappy couple,
alive again.”

“Oh,” Jaded slumped down, making herself as small as possible. “Sorry ’bout that.” Jaded offered the half hearted apology.

Windwalker waved her off. “Oh well, he did serve a useful purpose.”

Jaded brightened and perked up, she pulled the sunglasses off and her
eyes glinted in the sun. “Great! Does that mean I can ki—”

“NO!”

“Merde!” JadedRogue scowled, repositioned herself in her “O” and got
ready to do the only thing Windwalker would let her do. Observe.
“Merde!” She growled again, pulling the laptop to her and settling in
to write some dark poems, it was the least she could do.

~*~*~*~*~*

Lara put the cell phone back in the small purse and began to walk to
her car, heels clicking on the sidewalk. She slid into the driver’s
seat, but she didn’t start the car; instead she sat for a moment,
reviewing the grand plan. Reviewing the downfall of every single one of
them in the eyes of her mind.

Dana, who’d run away from her with her tail tucked between her legs,
and now she was getting married. How wonderful for her; at least she
would think it was wonderful, until Lara had her way with her. There
were things that she could do to poor Dana Fairbanks, but she was
thinking that after the wedding was better. A cheating spouse was
better than being left at the altar. She rubbed her hands together, one
small step at a time.

Shane, Shane who’d broken her sister’s heart. Who’d messed with her
marriage, never one to leave it in her pants, was she? How Cherie had
allowed herself to be pulled into Shane’s web of bullshit was beyond
her, but now Steven had her on a very short leash.

Tina, who was now a cohort of Susan Birch of all people. Lara bit down
on the thought, chewing it until it was ground up in her mind. Tina and
Susan! It was almost inconceivable. Mother earthy Tina would have been
the last one that she’d have thought would have fallen in with Susan,
but she had. So she too was on the short list of suspects.

Hurt their friends, cut off their life support and they will all fall
down, Lara thought, a small smile on her pretty lips as she started the
car finally. She headed to her next destination; it was time to make
her presence known.

She drove in silence, something had over come her in the last few
weeks. A darkness had crept into her soul, erasing her pain. Lara lived
for the pain for a long time, not it was gone and she was high on a new
sort of drug.

Her life, her revenge and her freedom.