Page 174 of Wrench

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I wanted to savor the moment, my eyelids drooped shut and a hazy, peaceful image of the

desert¡¯s moon drifted through my mind.

¡°Hey, Samantha?¡± I said and she mumbled something sleepily into the pillow. ¡°I love

cactuses.¡±

She squeezed my hand.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Samantha

¡°You did what?¡± Evelyn¡¯s voice pierced my ears from downstairs in the kitchen,

interrupting my much-needed slumber. After Isaac¡¯s and my late-night chat, I hoped to

sleep in. But, with Evelyn¡¯s shrieking at half-past eight on Saturday morning, I knew that

wouldn¡¯t be happening. Groaning, I turned to my side to see Isaac¡¯s nose twitching, his

sleep disturbed as well.

Archer spoke next, but his voice was incoherent and muffled through the attic¡¯s floor.

Not skipping a beat, Evelyn¡¯s shrieking resumed. ¡°You followed that girl home and

threatened her? After she saved your life? What the hell is wrong with you?¡±

¡°Obviously it wasn¡¯t after that,¡± Archer responded.

¡°And you!¡± she spat. ¡°You approved this?¡±

¡°Well, he just kind of¡­ did it¡­¡± I recognized Tank¡¯s voice.

¡°Did you punish him? Huh?¡±

¡°Evelyn, I got shot in the leg,¡± Archer whined. ¡°I won¡¯t get laid for weeks. This is

punishment enough.¡±

¡°What kind of clubhouse is this, huh? This is not what I signed up for. A bunch of

tough guys, following a young woman who¡¯s done nothing wrong. That¡¯s it.¡±

There was a shuffling of footsteps and clattering dishes, followed by Tank calling, ¡°Oh

Jesus, Evie, what are you doing now?¡±

¡°Dealing with your mess.¡±

The clasp of the attic door unhatched, the staircase toppling downward to the floor.

Beside me, Isaac yawned and rubbed his eyelids. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked as Evelyn¡¯s

boots hiked upstairs. Luckily, Isaac¡¯s oversized t-shirt was long enough to go past my butt,

but I still felt invaded. Sitting up, I pulled the blanket around my neck and shrunk into

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