Page 38 of Renard's Deliverance

Renard moved so fast that she didn’t even see him. Honestly, how did he do that? And what was he doing?

He loomed over Mrs. Grackle. The older woman didn’t usually seem small; she was carrying a lot of extra weight. But she appeared tiny beside Renard and so did Barney, who was also shrinking back.

“Did you just call my friend a trollop?”

His friend?

“Your friend?” Mrs. Grackle sneered.

Wow.

Either she was tougher than Opal gave her credit for . . . or dumber. Because if Renard looked at her like that, then she’d shut the hell up.

“My friend. And as Opal’s friend, I am not going to stand here and listen to you insult her, understand me? Now, you got two choices. You can turn around, go home and stay away from Opal. Or you can keep coming at her, calling her names and being a rude shrew.”

Mrs. Grackle sucked in a loud breath. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“How dare you! I’m a respectable woman.”

“Are you? Because I don’t think a respectable woman would be so rude. Now, I don’t like having to speak like this to the elderly, but you don’t get to go around calling people names and think you’ll get away with it just because you’re old. You better take her home now.” Renard directed that last part at Barney before he turned around and headed back to Opal.

She stared at Mrs. Grackle who was going very red in the face.

“You probably shouldn’t have done that. She is old and I don’t think she’s that healthy.”

Barney was ushering his aunt away although it looked like she didn’t appreciate his efforts. Poor Barney. She hated to think what the rest of his weekend would be like.

“So that gives her a free pass to be a bitch? And I was going to call her that but I refrained.”

Did he want a pat on the back for that?

Although how often had Opal called her a bitch? In her head, of course.

“What if you get into trouble for talking to her like that?” she asked worriedly. They were very protective of women around here.

“Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she gets to do whatever she likes.”

No.

But no doubt Mrs. Grackle was going to make her pay for this.

Opal sighed. This was just what she needed. But even though she was grumbling about his interference, her insides were fizzing with delight.

He’d done what he said he would.

He’d stuck up for her.

Renard walked over to where her old security light had been set up. “Have you got a stepladder?”

“Um, no.”

“No?” He set the stuff in his hands down and turned to her with a frown. “But the old light is gone.”

“Yeah, most of it was in pieces on the ground.”

“How the hell did that happen?” he demanded.

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