Page 20 of Swamp Kings 1

CHAPTER FIVE

Tegan didn’t envy Juliette having to wipe that pissed look off Kaj’s face. Boy, was she in trouble. Spent five thousand of her own money to bribe a woman to divorce a man she used to like then hugs him and blows him a kiss!? What in Texas tarnations was she thinking!? Oh, it was clear what Kaj was thinking. Her poor lil’ ass was gonna be burnt.

“Heck, I think we should just go down and knock on that door and meet them,” Juliette said from their spot on the rooftop. All the action was happening in the house they were laid up on but Tegan was sure personal greetings was a bad idea, at least for Juliette.

“You trying to get divorced before you’re officially married?” Tegan muttered quietly next to her.

“Pfff, I’m already married.”

“Tell that to Kaj. Don’t tell me you can’t feel his stare burning a hole in you from way over yonder. I can feel it bouncing off your hard head.”

“Ididn’t do anything wrong.”

“I would love to see how you’d react if he paid off some man to leave a woman he liked then gave her a big ole hug and blew her a nice fat kiss. You’d lose your dadgum mind.”

“I'd drown his ass in the bayou.”

“Exactly!”

“Fine, it was stupid.”

“Did you even warn him?”

“I did.”

“You did,” Tegan repeated. “And?”

“And… he told me no, it wasn’t my place to interfere with that.”

Tegan’s jaw dropped. “And youstilldid it?”

“He’ll get over it. And I refuse to regret it.”

“He’s gone take it outta your ass.”

“Oh, I hope he does.”

Tegan busted out laughing and shoved her. “Probably why you did it, you raunchy swamp slut.”

She grinned. “Maybe.”

“You are rotten to the core.”

They all let out a scream at the sudden explosion beneath them.

“Oh my God, is the building falling?” Phelony gasped on all fours, eyes wide.

“Crap, they’re leaving!” Juliette hissed as their magic show left the building. They’d spent a good thirty minutes cuttin’ up and cataloging all the new faces. The Creole Kings, the Syphon King and his lil’ cutie pie girl, Zeen. But it was the TerrorTriplets and that other one they were really wanting a good long look at. The one that stopped and did that crazy cool trick with Maggie that Spook was gonna bust her ass over. The ladies with the most obsessive husbands seemed to attract trouble. Heck, they all had psycho husbands in the possessive department and Tegan loved the hell out of that.

“Where they going in such a hurry?” Tegan wondered, following Juliette to the backside of the roof where their ladders were.

“Come on,” Juliette called. “The gators have left the den! We’re goin’ in hot pursuit!”

With all their attempt to be quiet, every scoot and step on the roof came with loud metal popping. Thankfully drowned out by one of the many live bands they had planned for their weekend shin-dig.

“It’s still early,” Tegan said as they made their way through the crowd, searching for signs of them.

Juliette shot off to the right. “Let’s try the docks,” she said. “Those two-hundred nuns should be getting here soon.”