“You’re going to get a gun, aren’t you.” Drew unlocked the kitchen door as he spoke. “That’s why you wanted to stop at the house before we check out the guys Christina mentioned.”
Vin muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Dmn right I am,” but when Drew glared at him, he smiled innocuously, then brushed past as he cut through the kitchen.
“Better not be,” Drew growled, taking a firm step in the same direction and bumping into Miranda, who had been sitting at the kitchen table with Gene.
“What? What’s going on?” Miranda stopped him with a hand to his chest.
Drew looked at it in amazement. Miranda never touched him casually. She was warm and friendly with him, as she was with everyone, but she didn’t hang on him the way she sometimes did with Vin or Suzie. Speaking of whom, if Suzie knew what they were going to do she’d insist on coming along.
“Where’s Suzie?”
“She took Ben shopping.” Miranda waved the questions away as if it were of the utmost insignificance.
To Drew it was a relief. The last thing he needed, besides a hot headed Vin with a gun running into what could be a trap, was the sweetest woman he’d ever known insisting on coming along for the ride. Wait, if She took Ben, then why…?
“And not Gene?”
“Gene wasn’t here when they left.” Miranda tightened her lips impatiently. “So what are you doing? Where are you and Vin going?”
“We’re going to nail the guy who shot me,” Vin answered oh-so-helpfully. “Wanna come along?”
“No!” Drew answered for her.
“Yes!” She overrode him.
“Let’s go,” Vin headed for the door.
Gene stood, and shuffled off right behind Miranda as if he assumed he could go along too. No, no, no, no, nooo! As if having Vin along weren’t bad enough. As if fulfilling his promise to both Vin and Miranda to allow them to help weren’t bad enough. Bringing along a kid too? No!!!
“Not you, Gene.” Drew tried to be gentle, and ended up being authoritative. Couldn’t be helped. He had to put his foot down in this case. “It could be dangerous. In fact, maybe you should stay with him, Miranda.”
“Noooo!” Miranda sounded more like a kid than Gene, who looked crest fallen but only said, “Oh.”
For a touchy moment they all stood in place, tense, looking to one another like partying teenagers on a bridge waiting to see who would jump first.
“I’ll go home,” Gene said in a morose tone. The tension went out of everyone. Miranda didn’t argue or apologize, merely grinned at Vin and dashed out the door. Vin followed closely behind with Gene shuffling after.
“That would be best.” Drew followed him out slowly. “I’ll give you a ride home.”
“That’s all right. I’ll walk.” Gene stumbled off. Drew spared a moment to worry about the boy, but he had too many other problems to deal with right now to do anything about it. By the time Drew locked the door, Vin and Miranda were both in the car, right where he didn’t want them.
How did everything always get so out of hand when it came to the people who lived in Suzie’s house?
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