Page 40 of The Hangman's Rope

Requiem and I both got a chuckle out of that one.

“You’re going to be okay with the girls,” I said to Lorelai.

“Might be nice to have some estrogen around after two plus days of nothing but these neanderthals,” Madisyn winked at me as she said it and I smiled and shook my head.

“Right, y’all fuckin’ behave. We’ll be watching,” Requiem declared.

“…and probably listening too,” Madisyn declared.

“Sound’s optional,” Requiem declared. “Also, it’s two-way.”

“What’d you do, install front door cameras on the inside?” Lainey asked.

Requiem looked aghast and put a hand to his chest as though affronted.

“Goodsir!” he declared. “I don’t deal in none of that low-tech hackable bullshit. Nothing but the finest security for my good man’s home.”

“Ha, ha,” Lainey said, “I’ll let that ‘sir’ thing slide being that I do, most likely, have bigger balls than you.”

Requiem winked at her and grinned.

“You deal in all that spooky bullshit. Hell yeah, you do,” he said and she grinned.

It was nice to see her blossom out of her shell after all she’d been through. She was fearless now. I supposed you had to be to be hooked up with the likes of Fear.

“Alright you guys, no wild parties,” I said. “Don’t wait up, Sweetpea.”

Lorelai smiled and Madisyn, Lainey, and Valory all exchanged looks and then fixed their eyes on me.

Ah, shit.

“Later,” I said, ignoring them.

“Don’t do anything I would do,” Requiem sang out as he went out the front door before me.

I snorted, followed him out, and shut the women securely inside my place.

“Busted,” he muttered under his breath at me.

“Fuck you,” I grumbled back.

“You like her,” he accused and I sighed.

“Guilty,” I said. “Don’t make a big deal of it, please. I just want her to be safe.”

“Bro,” he said stopping at the bottom of the steps, “I say go for it if you think it’ll work out and you could be happy.”

I glanced up at the top wrap around porch on three sides of the old house and sighed.

“It’s not about me,” I said.

He nodded, “Not right now, though – just don’t cut yourself off just yet.”

“Whatever, man. Let’s get to church.”

“A-fucking-men,” he said.

At least the girls would be occupied for fucking hours.

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