Page 38 of Scatter the Bones

“Do you ever stop running your mouth?” Rooster gives Rav a quick shove.

Christ, brother. Could you be more obvious?I shoot Rooster aknock it offlook.

“Margot’s actually a cool chick.” Rav touches his fingertips to his chest. “I just don’t get what she sees inJigsaw.”

That actually pulls a laugh out of me. “You and me both, brother.”

At least that finally seems to help everyone move on from my love life.

And to further distance everyone from asking about Margot, I nod to Teller’s Escalade again. “So if you needed more room for the kiddos, what made you pick that monstrosity instead of a minivan?”

“Charlotte saidnoto a minivan.” Teller rubs a hand over his jaw, eyes glinting with amusement. “Ground clearance isn’t high enough.”

“Because you dosomuch off-roading?” Rav deadpans.

We all ignore him.

“It’s probably overkill.” Teller shrugs, smug as hell. “Six hundred eighty-two horses, tows like eight thousand pounds, electronic limited-slip diff. Not exactly a normal grocery-getter.”

“No.” Dex shakes his head. “It’s a souped up dad-wagon.”

“When are you even going to use half that shit?” Rooster asks.

“I didn’t even do any mods to it yet,” Teller continues, ignoring both of them. “It’ll haul a trailer, a double stroller, all the baby gear, and,” he tips his chin at me, “still outrun your 4Runner.”

“I should hope so.”It probably cost twenty times what my 4Runner’s worth.

“Anyway,” Teller says. “It even has a little fridge in the center console. That’s Charlotte’s favorite thing about it so far. She’ll get used to driving it eventually.”

“What’s the fridge for? To store breast milk?” Ravage asks with a straight face.

Teller whips a glare at him.

“Someone wants to die today,” Dex sings under his breath. “Painfully.”

“Can you let the grownups talk?” Teller says to Ravage.

Murphy clamps his lips together tight, trying to hold in his laughter. It’s useless. His shoulders start shaking.

Teller scowls at him. “What’s so funny?”

I glance at Rooster and Dex—both grinning like assholes.

Finally, Murphy can’t hold it in any longer. “Wrath’s right. Youdosound exactly like Rock’s mini-me.”

“Can you let the grownups talk?” Dex mimics in a deep voice. “Is classic Rock. Just sayin’.”

“Whatwere you saying?” Rock calls out as he steps out of the woods with Wrath and Z behind him.

Dex flashes an unapologetic smile at his president. “Your son’s stepping into the Papa Bear role real nice.”

“That right?” Rock hooks his arm around Teller’s neck and hugs him to his side. “What were you saying, knucklehead?”

Hell help me. I love when Rock puts Teller in his place.

Rav’s slowly tiptoeing away from our group toward the clubhouse.

Wrath catches up to him and slings his arm over his shoulders, spinning him around and back to our group. “Yeah, what was being said, Rav?”

---