Page 40 of Rune
“Mighta whacked one with my cane. But he almost plowed me over on that electric bike of his.”
Was that all this was? Some local street gang pissed at an old man?
“You can’t go around hitting people with your cane,” the cop admonished.
“They can’t go driving by shooting up people’s homes!” Chip snapped. “There are innocent women living here.”
Sofia was questioned next. But just like Carmen and me, she had nothing to offer, since we were all upstairs and away from the windows at the time.
With that, the cops walked off—likely to go talk to those brothers, leaving all four of us on the front porch.
It was Chip who broke the silence, looking at me. “I got some wood out back in the shed.”
“I can grab it and put it up if you have some screws and a drill.”
“I’ll get ‘em.”
“We’ll get to work on the glass,” Carmen said, grabbing her sister and heading back into their house.
With that, we all got to work.
The girls swept and vacuumed both lower levels, then got to work on the front porch as I held up the wood and had Chip screw it into place on the front of both houses.
We were just finishing that when Chip pulled me to the edge of the porch. “Think you should take the girls outta here for the night.”
“Take them outta here but leave you?”
“This is my mess. I can sleep in the basement. Couldn’t stand it if one of ‘em caught a bullet because of me. Take them to your place.”
I damn sure couldn’t take them to my place with Dezi keeping an eye on me and my brother suspicious as well. But I could get them out of there for the night.
“I’ll see if I can convince them.”
“See to it,” he said, giving me a nod.
“Girls,” I said when I stepped into the house to find them both trying to comfort a still nervous Hamster. “Chip is really upset about you guys possibly getting hurt.”
“There’s no way he could have known it would go this bad,” Sofia insisted.
“Still, he feels guilty. And he asked me to get you guys out of the house for the night.”
“And go where?” Carmen asked.
“How about a hotel for the night?”
“We’re not leaving Hammy,” Carmen insisted.
“A dog-friendly hotel then.”
Carmen looked at her little sister.
“We could consider it part of the celebration?” Sofia suggested.
I guess she got the gig she wanted.
What a fucking mess of a night to celebrate.
“Okay. I can find—”
