Sara Morningsky Read Online Free

arrived
in four unmarked cars, storming the warehouse as Dagger shot two of
the snipers. High-beam lights flooded the area. The youths were
inexperienced, not knowing where to run or where to shoot
first.
    “ You okay, Dagger?” The gray-haired
agent asked after the dust settled.
    Dagger nodded, patting his bulletproof vest.
He watched as the hawk lighted on a nearby post, its blue-green
eyes shining brightly. Dagger thought he might be reading into it
but he could swear the hawk seemed to wait to make sure he was all
right before gracefully swooping over the area and disappearing
into the shadowy forest.

    Dagger sat at his desk listening to another
call from Sheila. There were already three on the recorder. It was
one-thirty in the morning and he didn’t feel like going home where
there were probably even more messages, and he definitely didn’t
feel like talking to Sheila.
    “ Dagger, honey. Where are you? I know I
should be mad at you, baby.” She started out sounding hurt that he
had missed the rehearsal, trying to sound understanding, but then
her true character came through. “You son of a bitch. Where are
you? Daddy is so upset. But I made excuses for you, again.” There
was silence for a few moments and then an exhaustive expletive.
Sheila hung up.
    “ AWK. GOOD RIDDANCE,” Einstein bellowed
as he paced back and forth on his perch.
    Leaning back in his chair, Dagger propped his
legs on the desk and rubbed his hands across his face feeling the
dirt and grit from the gravel lot.
    “ You never liked Sheila, did you
Einstein?” Einstein shook his head frantically back and forth.
Dagger smiled. He should give Sheila a call, but he didn’t know yet
how to tell her he wasn’t going to make it to the wedding
either.
    All he could think of was Sara. Her naked
body lying on the ground in the forest, her shapeshifting
abilities, and the way her leg had regenerated. He had just come
across a magical, undiscovered island, and he had to explore it
first.
    “ And what about Sara? Do you like Sara,
Einstein?”
    Einstein let out a whistle.
    “ I don’t know why I ever agreed to
marry Sheila. This should be a lesson, buddy. Never have more than
one martini.” Dagger closed his eyes, pressing his palms to his
forehead to ward off the headache that was developing.
    He felt the air move, and opened his eyes to
see Einstein, wings spread, landing on the desk. Einstein plodded
over to Dagger and dropped something in front of him. It was a
cheese curl.
    Dagger smiled as he picked up the treat.
“Thanks, but I think it’s going to take more than a cheese
curl.”

    In the morning, after a restless nap, Dagger
showered and drove over to Sara’s. He rapped lightly on the back
door. After a few moments, he peered through the screen at the
empty kitchen. Somewhere inside he heard someone crying. Pulling
lightly on the door, it opened and he stepped inside.
    On the kitchen counter was a sheet of paper
with his name printed in shaky lettering. Beside the notepad was
the leather cord necklace Sara’s grandmother had worn
yesterday.
    Dagger followed the soft cries to the
downstairs bedroom where he found Sara, her arms wrapped around her
grandmother. Ada was a light shade of gray and her face had the
most serene look.
    “ Sara?” Dagger sat on the edge of the
bed.
    Sara slowly looked up. “She must have died in
her sleep.” Sara let the tears fall freely, pressing her cheek to
Ada’s forehead. “She promised she would never leave me,” Sara
sobbed. Her hand shook as she swiped at her tears.
    Dagger felt Ada’s skin. Rigor was beginning
to set in.
    He kept Sara busy gathering Ada’s possessions
that she might want buried with her while he dug a grave on a
flowery knoll overlooking Thornton Creek. Sara carried some of
Ada’s favorite plants to the gravesite.
    After pounding a makeshift cross into the
ground, Dagger returned to the house to find Sara sitting
cross-legged on the couch, sobbing quietly, her hands