Page 48 of Rune
“You think they’ll come back?”
“I don’t know. Hitting one of them with a cane seems like a silly reason to risk getting locked up. It would be stupid to shoot the place up again. It was probably just a scare tactic.”
Chip nodded.
“Think I’ll be sitting out here for a few nights,” he declared. “With my gun. Just in case. These girls have been good to me. I can’t be letting anything happen to them.” He paused, watching me. “Are they coming home tonight?”
“I think I can convince them to stay for one more night, but they’re stubborn. They’re going to want to be back to their lives soon.”
He nodded at that.
“If nothing happens tonight, I think it’s probably over.”
“I agree,” I said, even as I hated the idea of the girls being back in a potentially unsafe place.
“You’ll tell them to make sure they stay upstairs as much as possible for a few days?” he asked.
“I will.”
“Are you sure they won’t stay with you for a while?”
“I actually live over an hour away. I have them at a hotel right now. I don’t think Carmen would be willing to be that far away from work.”
“That one works too hard,” Chip said, shaking his head. “See the little one out with men or friends, but never see the older one doing anything but working, working around here, or staring off into space looking haunted. Too young for that shit.”
“She lost a friend last year,” I told him. “She’s still learning how to deal with that.”
Chip nodded slowly. “That other girl. Wondered what happened to her. Thought maybe she had a thing with the older sister. If you know what I mean.”
“Not from what I’ve heard. But they’ve been friends since they were five. So it’s like losing a sibling.”
“Lost my two when we were in the service together,” Chip said, eyes going sad for a moment. “I guess that explains it. Glad she’s got you now, though. Don’t like those girls being alone. The little one’s exes left a lot to be desired, but at least there was a man in the house.”
“They’ve got you.”
His chest puffed up a bit at that. “I ain’t what I used to be. But I’d give my life for ‘em if I had to. Problem is, my mind, it’s ready to go. These knees? They got their own sense of urgency. Usually, none at all.”
“I feel better knowing you’re watching out when Sofia is gone.”
“Where’s she going?”
“California. She got an acting gig on a soap opera.”
“Which one?” he asked in a familiar sort of way that suggested maybe he even watched them himself. “I mean, the older one isn’t going with her?”
“She’s got her business here. I suspect the dog might be going with Sofia too. They share her, but the dog sleeps with Sofia every night.”
“She can’t be living here without her sister and her dog. You should move in.”
“I got my work too.”
Though I was with Chip on the issue. The idea of Carmen alone in the duplex in their neighborhood made my stomach twist. Even if, objectively, she was a smart, capable woman who owned a gun and might be willing to use it in the right situation.
“Weekends…” Chip said, shrugging.
I had no right to make any kind of promises about that kind of thing. I wasn’t dating Carmen. Given how fucked up our connection was, I wasn’t even sure it would be healthy for us to give in to the spark between us again.
“Weekends would be doable.”
