“She rides a Harley. Never saw that coming.”
“We backed you today, Magic. If Rogue Legends return, call on us. Alice has already called Diesel, and he’s on his way. Man sounded ready to blow his top. We could hear Diesel yelling for Chance across the bar.”
“Jesus. All I want is a quiet life.”
“You aren’t getting one. Now, asshole, tell me where we can park that ain’t IED mined.”
I shrugged. “Anywhere you want.”
“The parking area isn’t rigged?” Onyx looked relieved.
I chuckled darkly. “Oh no, asshole, the whole lot is seeded. Ain’t nowhere safe to park here, not even around the corner. But you want somewhere pussy? Park over that bit. And I’ll remember not to blow it if there’s an attack.”
“Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” Onyx bitched. “And you won’t remove them?”
“Did you forget a cult attacked me here? Shit, I might place more.”
Onyx stalked away, complaining as I grinned and then studied the parking lot. There was plenty of space for more.
Jody
“You went to see Magic,” I stated as Laila walked in.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?” Laila demanded defensively.
“Nope. It’s your life, honey. Vulcan and I did a great job raising you to be independent and strong. You know your own mind, and I’ll support whatever you want.”
“And if I decide I want Magic around like an uncle or something?” Laila pushed.
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
“Love you, Mom,” Laila declared dramatically and hugged me before running up the stairs to her bedroom.
Magic had texted to inform me that Laila was at the bar. I didn’t tell her that. He wished to be certain she was okay being there. I appreciated the fact that Magic didn’t want to rock the boat or cause trouble. If Laila wanted to see Magic, she could. I wasn’t threatened by that, and neither was Vulcan’s memory. I’d sent a ‘that’s fine’ reply.
My phone pinged, and it was Magic, talk of the devil.
‘When can we meet?’
‘I’m free anytime. Lars can babysit as he’s being punished for letting Jesper dye Laila’s hair green.’
‘Tomorrow at seven? Fancy dinner?’
‘A burger will be fine. Where?’
‘I know a decent diner. I’ll text the address.’
Good. Magic wasn’t insisting on picking me up. That would have caused blowback. If we got into a fight, then I wanted to be able to leave on my terms. While I hoped there wouldn’t be an argument, you never knew with Magic. What he might relate to me could cause me to blow my stack, and I didn’t want to be reliant on him to get home.
A grin crossed my lips. Now I just had to tell the kids. What fun!
???
As I headed down the stairs, Lars and Oskar were standing there, staring balefully.
“You need to take one of us,MosterJody,” Oskar stated, folding his arms. Jesus, that hit me in the heart; he looked exactly like Kanon then. Thoughtfully, I tapped my chin.
“How old am I?” I asked mildly.
