Page 38 of The Hangman's Rope

“She’s not a fucking prisoner, Hangman…” Madisyn drawled.

“So that would be a ‘no,’” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Not a good look, Mads – you know how he gets.”

“Oh, my God – he’s my boyfriend not my fucking daddy!” she said exasperated, drawing up to the gate.

Valory snorted indelicately and turned away while Lainey’s eyes just widened.

“Weren’t you working the gift shop today?” I asked.

“Dawn’s in there,” Lainey said with a shrug. “They had too much to carry just the two of them.” She held up a couple of bags.

I blew a low-pitched whistle, “Would you look at that? What’d you do, buy out the whole mall?”

“Kind of hard to shop for someone based on measurements alone,” Valory said with a sniff. “Some of this stuff might not flatter her figure. Some of it is almost guaranteed to go back.”

“Yeah,” Madisyn agreed and the look in her eyes said she wasn’t going to go down on this one without a fight.

“Mads…” I started and she cut me off saying, “I hate it when you guys do that.”

“Do what?” I asked.

“Call me Mads – you only do it when you’re being overbearing ass goblins like I’m in trouble or something.”

I bit off a laugh and shook my head.

“Call him up, I’ll wait,” I said and I planted my feet shoulder width apart, the locked gate between us as a stubborn setovertook her chin. She dropped her bags and went for her phone in the purse at her hip, stalking a bit away to make the call.

“How much they been going at it lately?” I asked casually. Lainey was looking over her shoulder at Madisyn with worry in her eyes.

“It’s an epic battle of wills lately, I tell you what,” she said.

Valory sighed, “Either he trusts her or he doesn’t. Isn’t like they haven’t been going strong for the last couple threeyearsat this point. Shit’s getting ridiculous.”

“Hey, I can see both sides,” I said holding up my hands in surrender. “Best advice I can give you two is to duck and cover and do your best to stay out of the middle.”

Lainey rolled her eyes, “I’m so glad we don’t live in the manse,” she said. “So glad.”

Valory looked troubled, “I’ll be so glad when I can move into my apartment,” she said.

I didn’t even so much as crack a smile.

“Genuine trouble in paradise?” I asked her.

She shrugged non-committedly and said, “That’s between them.”

Aw, shit. That doesn’t sound good.

I took out my phone and shot a text to just Syn…

If ever there was any sort of club business to let the girls stick their nose in – let them occupy themselves with making a new friend here.I sent him.

You know something I should know?He shot back while Madisyn got even more animated, her voice rising.

You just hear her screaming at you, I can see her face, bro. Like you always say – pick your fuckin’ battles each one counts and losing some is just a part of war.

Madisyn stood up a little straighter, listening to whatever Syn was saying on the other end of the line.

“Thank you!”she barked into the phone, paused, let out an exasperated noise and said, “You’re such an asshole sometimes. Right now, I love you, butfuck you,” before she took the phone down from her ear and stabbed her finger against the ‘end call’ button on her screen. Then she made this scrunched up wild face and stabbed it like a million more times while I fought not to smile and stowed my phone in my back pocket before she had the chance to notice I even had it out. I winked at Lainey and Valory who both tried to suppress their grins.

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