Page 27 of Small Town Beast 2: Saverin's Duet

“Wait? I’ll go get the little bitch.”

But she didn’t need to; Gwendolyn’s bedroom door opened, and the second powerball winner strolled out in her bare feet, yawning.

Gwen was a knob-kneed lassie barely out of her teens. She had shaggy red hair, too many freckles, and a wide, unserious mouth. To Saverin she was just a kid; he could scarcely believe Tanya was barely older than her.

The treacherous orange cat emerged from nowhere, and twined around her legs.

“Mr. Truffles? Is that you?” Gwen yawned, oblivious as ever. “Co ochie-coo. Come for your brekkie-poo. Kibbles n’ bits, yum.”

“Gwen!” barked the female, whom Saverin didn’t recognize. She had no neck and a downturned mouth like a pitbull.

Gwendolyn stopped in her tracks. “Hi, Dinah. Um– come for breakfast? I’m makin’ pancakes,” she stammered.

“We ain’t here for no breakfast. Your daddy’s been owing us money since Christmas and we’ve been more than generous.”

Gwen’s eyes went wide. “Um– come back next week?”

“Get her,” the female said coldly.

Saverin shut the door all the way and stepped back into the room. He ushered Tanya towards the window. “Time to go,” he said curtly.

Tanya gripped his arm. “You’re leaving her here with these animals?”

They could hear the knee-breakers thundering down the hall.

“I’m handling it, Tanya. Don’t let ‘em see you. I don’t know these three.”

“I’m not leaving you,” she said stubbornly.

“For the love of God—”

“Tanya! Tanya, help!” screeched Gwen from the hall.

“You got someone else in here?” snarled pitbull-lady.

“TANYA! HELP, TANYA!”

Before Tanya could leap to the little idiot’s rescue, Saverin wrenched open the door and stepped out into the hall, shutting it firmly behind him.

Gwen, her boyfriend Rory (choosing that moment to emerge) and the three knee-breakers stared at him in dumbfounded amazement.

“And who the hell are you?” snarled the woman, Dinah or Diane or something.

“I know who that is,” answered one of her posse before Saverin could speak. “That’s Sam Bailey.”

Dinah snapped, “You Jackass, Sam Bailey is dead.”

“Son of a bitch! It’s a fuckin’ haint!”

“That’s his brother, you jackanape.”

“So what’s goin’ on here?” interjected Saverin, putting himself in front of the door to stop Tanya bursting out onto the scene. “Y’all done woke me out of my sleep and I’d like to know the reason.”

Gwen darted to him like a scared kitten. “It’s a shakedown, Mister Bailey! They say my daddy owes ‘em but that’s a lie.”

“Is it?” Saverin asked harshly.

Gwen nodded emphatically. “I paid all his debts just a month ago.”

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