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A chorus of yay’s and yeah’s went up, and we were all accounted for. Thank god.
“I think we know what Brandt’s plan was now,” I sighed. “He knew I would get out and then come back to look for him once I got help.”
King nodded. “I think you’re right about that. Thank fuck Bear went in the basement when he did.”
“You’re fucking welcome,” Bear bellowed. “That place was wired with enough explosives to blast us to the damn moon.”
“You think we need to call the fire department, or the fire will go out on its own?” Frost asked.
King pulled out his phone. “Oh, we’re calling the fucking fire department. There might not be close-by neighbors, but I bet anyone within a two-mile radius felt that explosion. Rigid, call Gravel and tell him to get his ass over here. I don’t think we can all fit in Bear’s Bronco.”
“Got it.”
Debris still floated in the air, and the basement of the house was nothing but flames. The whole house had blown and then crumbled.
We had been damn lucky.
Brandt had expected Leo, Apollo, Creed, and Princeton to return to the house with me to find him, and he had left a big surprise for us.
He was stepping up his game, and we had walked right into his trap.
Next time, we might not be so lucky if we didn’t find him soon.
Chapter Nine
Tatum
“Well?”
I turned my back to the mirror and glanced over my shoulder. Meg lifted the back of my hair, and a bright, shocking chunk of purple was exposed.
“I love it!” I gasped. I had been a little scared the whole time the color had been processed, and Meg wouldn’t let me look, but now I was just excited.
Meg had kept me from the mirror until she had rinsed, dried, and styled my hair.
“Total Barney moment,” Greta laughed. “Isn’t that the same color you use?”
Meg nodded. “Yes, but my hair is dark to begin with. I could bleach mine and then dye it to get my color this bright, but I’m lazy. I’m good with dark purple. It’s served me well the past twenty-something years.” She winked at me in the mirror. “Lo is a fan of it, too.”
I tipped my head to the side.
“King,” Meg laughed. “Sorry, he’s Lo to me. Only Ethel and I call him that.”
“You look way hotter than Barney,” Lennox laughed.
“Yo!” Gravel hollered. “We gotta go.”
“Go?” Ethel squawked. “You’re half in the bag.”
Meg dashed out of the bathroom, and I hightailed it after her.
“What’s going on?” Meg demanded.
Gravel hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “I was outside by the fire, and I heard a boom in the distance.”
“I think the margaritas are making you hear things,” Greta chuckled. She held up the empty pitcher. “Your next one is virgin.”
Gravel swatted her hand toward her. “I know what I heard, girl, and not even five minutes later, King called me. That place Tatum and Murphy were just blew up.”
