Part 25 (1/2)

”What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at lunch?” She snarled.

She spit the word lunch out so hotly that I barely contained the urge to laugh.

It wouldn't do to make her think I was making fun of her.

”So...it turns out you're right and I'm wrong. My sisters are b.i.t.c.hes,” I explained reluctantly.

I still loved them, but it made me disappointed that they'd act like that. They weren't raised to be mean.

Rue physically wilted when I said that and her head hung. ”I'm sorry.”

I blinked, surprised that she'd be apologizing when she clearly wasn't in the wrong.

”What are you sorry about?” I wondered.

Nonnie stood and folded the blanket in her arms. ”Brianne was just leaving. Would you be a sweetheart and walk my daughter out to her car?”

I smiled sadly at Rue before turning to her Nonnie. ”Sure thing, Nonnie. I'll walk her out. You have a good night now, okay?”

”Yes, dear boy. Have a good night now. I love you!” Nonnie said loudly as we were walking out the door.

”I love you too, Nonnie!” I yelled over my shoulder.

We walked in silence down the hall of the nursing home and, for once in my life, I didn't know what to say.

”You're quiet,” Rue said as we pushed out of the front doors to the parking lot.

”I feel like I had my head in the clouds. It doesn't sit well with me. And I've had a pretty exciting day,” I sighed.

She stopped and turned to me. ”What happened?”

”I don't really want to talk about it right now,” I tried.

She looked at me incredulously. ”You're kidding, right?”

I closed my eyes. ”I quit my job.”

Her mouth dropped open comically, and I lifted my hand to touch the bottom of her chin, closing it.

”What the f.u.c.k, Mikhail? Why'd you quit the job you just got?” She yelled loudly and waved her hands in the air.

I took a deep breath and then explained.

She sat down heavily on the bench outside the front doors. ”I just don't believe it. What the h.e.l.l is wrong with this case? First last night and now this.”

”I tried to get into contact with Loki, but he never got back to me. He's working a case that's hot right now, and I didn't want to keep bothering him. Can you tell me about it?” I asked as I took a seat at her side.

She leaned into my shoulder, and I lifted my arm to wrap it around her shoulders, pulling her in close.

”I'm sure you can get the information yourself just as easily, but I'll tell you anyway,” she said quietly, and then started to explain.

I closed my eyes as I listened.

The entire situation sounded f.u.c.ked, and I told her so. ”That's f.u.c.ked.”

She snorted. ”Eloquently put, but right on, nonetheless. The whole situation is screwy, and has been since I did the rape kit.”

I lifted my free hand that wasn't around her shoulders and rubbed my eyes. ”I guess I need to talk to Loki first, tell him what happened. Maybe he can s.h.i.+ne some light on the whole situation.”

She leaned into me harder before she stood as a yellow cab pulled into the parking lot. ”I've got to go check on Audrey. I haven't heard from her, and she isn't answering my calls.”

I grimaced. Tunnel had been in a rage the last couple times I'd seen him. So much so that I wasn't really sure I wanted her going over to his house without me.

”You could've called me, I'd have given you a ride,” I said dryly.

”You were supposed to be at lunch with those lovely sisters of yours,” she quipped.

”Shut up and go get on my bike,” I sighed.

She giggled and stood, walking over to my bike. ”Sir, yes, sir!”

”Smarta.s.s,” I muttered as I too mounted the bike.

Chapter 15.

What if when we die, the light at the end of the tunnel is really just another v.a.g.i.n.a?

-Food for thought Rue ”There's a cat in that tree,” I said pointing up to the tree above our heads.

All the men looked up and Tunnel cursed. ”Motherf.u.c.kin' cat. I told that woman she didn't need a cat. She asked for the cat, I told her I didn't like cats, and we compromised and got a cat.”

The men chuckled, breaking the tension that was palpable in the air around us, and I giggled.

We were standing outside of Tunnel's house and I was explaining the case I was about to testify on to them.

There were currently six very large, very annoyed men standing around me. Each and every one of them had their arms crossed over their ma.s.sive chests as they listened to my recounting of the story.

However, to be truthful, this was a sore subject right now since one of The Dixie Warden's own had recently suffered at the hands of a rapist.

Audrey was doing very well considering it'd only been just a few short days ago.

Tunnel, on the other hand, was not.

He was still just as p.i.s.sed now as he was three days ago.

And now the poor cat was about to take the brunt of Tunnel's mood.