Page 117 of Wolf

Once he’s gone, I yawn and relax in the chair. Although I hear the faint sound of people buzzing around me, some inside and others around the building, it’s peaceful enough that I feel sleep pull at my bones.

Miriam sits down beside me, and I open my eyes when she says, “I think he gets a kick out of that, you know.”

"Who?”

"Joker.”

When I stare at her blankly, she laughs. “Giant. His name is Joker.”

Oh. Mulling it over, I decide Giant fits him much better despite the rainbow stripe of hair on his head.

When Miriam yawns behind her hand, I say, “You should go take a nap. I’m fine out here.”

She opens her mouth to argue, and I touch her arm. “Thank you for taking care of me. I love you. Now go get some sleep. You look terrible.”

Shaking her head, she leans in and kisses my cheek. “Newsflash. You do too.”

I grin as she walks away before closing my eyes.

For a while I doze, coming in and out of consciousness as people pass by or say something too loudly. Eventually, it dies down though, and I sleep so heavily that I’m confused when I open my eyes and it’s dark outside.

The twinkle lights under the tent remain, glowing softly in the moonlight and I feel a pang of sorrow for Miriam that our parents ruined her wedding day.

There’s not much I can do on that front though, so I set it aside. The dull throb of my ribs is starting to ramp up which means it's time for another dose of meds.

I’m hoping Miriam finished her nap when I hear two voices approaching. They stop on the side of the building, and I tilt my head when I recognize Duke’s voice.

“Don’t you think it’s time to let this shit go?” he says.

“Let what go?” Wolf grunts.

“The past. Rose. It’s done. Stop living there. There’s nothing you could have done,” Duke says.

Rose? Who’s Rose? My breath hitches and I cover my mouth. Has he moved on?

“Fuck off,” Wolf snarls and I flinch. Okay, he’s definitely mad.

“No. She wasn’t in that basement because of you. That shit was Danny’s doing and there ain’t nothing you could have done about it. Let it go before it consumes you.”

Oh. Shoot. Poor Rose. Although I’m not feeling particularly gracious toward this Rose, I am sorry for her pain.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wolf says and Duke chuckles. The bitter sound slides down my spine like razors, surprising me because Duke has always seemed more happy-go-lucky.

“I know she’s waiting for you and you’re fucking here,” Duke says. Something clangs against something else. I hear a faint shuffle.

She’s waiting for you. Whoever this Rose is, I hate her guts, I decide, wiping my cheeks. I guess I really wasn’t that special after all.

Then Duke says, “Fine. Whatever. We found Hand.”

“Where?” Wolf growls.

"Two hours North. Some dive bar. Should be back there tomorrow night.”

"Good,” Wolf says.

Hand. With everything else going on, I forgot about the creepy bastard. With any luck, they’ll find him and solve that problem.

Wow. I’m blasé about someone committing murder.

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