Page 79 of The Hangman's Rope

I let myself through the gap in the gate and found the bike-sized roll up open. I had no problem marching my happy ass through it like I owned the place because I did. We all did. Every one of us owned an equal share in the building.

“Hangman, what’s up?” Haint called from under the hood of what had to be his latest build. A sweet black Chevelle from the sixties, with a red leather interior. Looked sharp.

“Not too much,” I said, sauntering up. Revenant straightened up from under the hood and gave me a nod.

“Latest build?” I asked Haint.

“Yup, just drove her over on a short test drive… and because this place is probably more secure than even my garage.

“You ain’t wrong about that – but only by virtue of we’re all here and your garage is sitting empty.”

Haint snorted, “Better fuckin’ not be,” he said. “Otherwise, what am I paying those motherfuckers overtime for?”

We shared a laugh over that one and I bid the guys a see you later, telling them the God’s honest truth: I needed a cold beer.

I didn’t go upstairs, not yet. I went through the downstairs lounge and out under the deck to the outdoor living room.

It was the right call, my Lorelai stretched out on the chaise end of the outdoor living room set’s wraparound couch, her shoes laying forlorn and forgotten half tucked under the coffee table.

The sight of her, the petrichor smell growing stronger in the air, and the light failing as the storm clouds rolled in… it wasturning into my idea of a perfect evening made better when Fear held out a bottle of my favorite beer.

I twisted off the top and said thanks, as I kept right on moving toward my girl.

“Hi!” she called happily, and I could tell, she was probably on her second drink or so. Her nose a bit rosy and eyes a little glassy with her feel-good.

I leaned way down, putting my hand against the back of the couch, and my mouth against hers.

“Hey,” I murmured in a purr, pulling back from her. She was blushing furiously and it was nothing short of adorable.

“Come sit,” she whispered, scootching over for me.

I settled in beside her, putting my arm around her and bringing her forehead to my lips, happy when she snuggled into my side and rested her head on my shoulder.

“How’d your day go?” she asked and I smiled. It felt good to be asked. I liked it.

“It was good,” I told her. “Better now.” I kissed the top of her hair.

Wasn’t long before the sky started to spit, and the food was up. It all went upstairs and onto the bar with the weather being uncertain. It wasn’t full-on raining, not yet, just sprinkling here and there.

We had dinner with the rest of the guys, laughed and joked, and gathered my lady’s spoils from her shopping trip before, hand in hand, we headed home.

It was getting dark, partially from the building clouds, partially due to the time and the sun starting to sink behind the horizon. The skies opened up in a deluge just about the time we set foot onto the covered porch and I keyed us in downstairs while Lorelai breathlessly laughed at our good fortune.

“My thoughts exactly!” I called above the dull roar of the pounding rain and the grumble of thunder off in the distance that sounded like it was approaching fast.

Lorelai shuddered a bit as I put my palm to her back and guided her through the door ahead of me. I locked up behind us, and keyed open the downstairs door to head on up to the apartment from the inside. We went up the stairs, me first to key open the lock up there to let us into our apartment, our sanctuary, our place of peace among the graves.

She slipped through, past me, carrying her own bags, which she’d taken from me after our short walk so that I could operate the locks at the gate and beyond.

She sighed and it was a heavy thing of relief when I shut the door behind us as twisted the locks back into place.

“You okay, Sweetpea?” I asked softly as the sound of the rain intensified outside with a gust of wind.

“A little overstimulated, I guess,” she said with a shaky laugh.

“Yeah?” I asked, stepping nearer to her, carefully. I held out my hands for her bags and she startled a bit and handed them over with a slightly nervous laugh. Lightning flashed outside and she jumped; when the thunder she knew was coming boomed, she jumped harder and yipped.

Overstimulated was definitely part of it, her anxiousness clear, but she’d weathered it all like a champ. Still… she needed tobestill and with a little trust, I thought I could help.

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