Page 232 of Smooth Sailing

And Tack, who didn’t give him a hug.

He caught Hugger’s head on both sides and smashed their foreheads together so they were nose to nose.

Eye to eye.

The intensity of Tack’s blue gaze bore into his, like if there were any remnants of Arthur Lannigan left haunting Hugger, that fierce blue stare would banish them forever.

No, it wasn’t “like” he was doing that.

When Tack let him go, that was what he did.

Chew Lannigan’s ghost was gone.

And all that was left was Harlan “Hugger” McCain, Jacqueline McCain’s boy, and brother of Chaos.

In the end, the only ones left in the room were Hugger and Big Petey, who hadn’t left his seat at the table.

“You orchestrate that?” he asked the old man.

“Does it matter?” Big Petey asked in return.

“Reckon it doesn’t,” Hugger muttered.

“You got love, Hugger,” Big Petey said.

He knew that.

Oh yeah, he knew.

“Yeah,” Hugger grunted.

“Love you, son,” Big Petey said quietly.

Goddammit, fuck him.

He looked Pete square in the eye.

“Love you too, old man,” Hugger replied.

Big Petey’s lips tipped up, he pushed away from the table and got out of his chair.

“Now, let’s go get a fuckin’ beer,” Pete said.

A week later…

He took Diana direct to Chaos after picking her up at the airport.

He’d never been nervous when he met his high school girlfriends’ parents, because, he now knew, his mom set him up to give good boyfriend.

But he’d always been nervous when his mom met his girls, not because he worried what his girls would think of his ma, but what his ma would make of his choice in girls.

And even though Di was all Di was, and Hugger reckoned she could charm a snake, that was the uneasy feeling he had when they walked into the door in the Compound. The same one he had when he’d introduce one of his girlfriends to his mom.

When they walked in, Di was to his left, and she looked left, taking in the pitted walls covered in pictures and stuck-on stickers, the scarred couches, nicked and scratched tables and chairs and pool table.

Hugger looked right, to the bar, where Tack and Hop were both behind it, resting their asses against the back counter, and Hound, Big Petey, Joker and Dutch were sitting at it.

His attention returned to his woman when she exclaimed, “Oh my God! This place is so lit!”

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