Page 133 of Finding Hope

As though synchronized and practiced, we narrow our eyes, and Annie snaps out a dangerous growl.

He’s just become this war’s second most wanted.

Alex first. Then Marcus and his smug smirk.

He’s always been smug. Always abrasive. I love him to bits, but I could stab him in the eye and barely feel bad about it.

“I see what you have there, Britt,” Alex calls out. “You throw a single one, I’ll arrest you all. Wouldn’t be the first time the Kincaids spent the night in lockup.”

Bean gasps and turns. “Mom?”

Izzy smiles like a deranged clown. “Ignore him, baby. He’s talking crazy.”

Kit turns to me and takes a carton of soapy eggs. My syringing wasn’t very smooth, but considering I did the job while in a high-speed car race across town, the leaking yolks aren’t really all that unexpected.

She turns back to Alex and glares. “Last chance, asshole. This isn’t a joke. You accused my little brother of killing his girlfriend. That shit ain’t funny. That’s not funny teasing. You went too far.”

“I didn’t–”

“Don’t lie, X. I was right there, and so were the guys.”

He sighs. “Okay, I sorta said the words, but I didn’t mean it.”

“That wasn’t an apology!” Kit pegs an egg with lightning fast speed, and has my brother dancing as the soapy yolk splashes along his dark jeans.

“Hey!” His hand involuntarily whips to his hip. “You can clean that up!”

“Make me!” Snarling, she throws a second egg and has yolk splashing along the crotch of his jeans.

His face turns beet red.

“Uh-oh,” Tina murmurs dramatically. “I think you just drew first blood.”

“Good! Asshole insulted my baby brother.”

Turning on his heel, Marcus dashes back inside.

“Oh shit,” Tink murmurs when Kit tosses another egg and hits Scotch’s chest. “Mama bear’s out. We’re all gonna die on this battlefield.”

“Kit!” Scotch calls out angrily “What thefudge?I didn’t do anything!”

“You stand beside him,” she tosses another egg, “means you ain’t standing with us.”

Sliding onto the porch like he’s riding his skateboard, Marcus comes back into our war with the carton of eggs I bought from Jonah’s just this morning. “We have ammo, too!”

“You have one single dozen,” Kit snaps and throws an egg. It slams on the window barely an inch from Marcus’ face. “You’ll run out long before us.”

“This is against the law,” Alex shouts. “This is my damn town. My house! Last chance, Brat.”

“No!” Kit shouts back. “This isourtown! You might live here, you might even be deputy, but this is our town!”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Stepping through the splattered egg, he raises his hands in surrender. “Someone call the guys to pick these idiots up. Andprobably Oz, too. We need backup, because I don’t wanna die when Iphysicallyturn you idiots away.”

“Don’t bother calling the guys,” Tina snaps. “This is our war. Y’all issued the challenge. We accept.”

“Issued the challenge?” he snaps incredulously. “You’re on my property! You came here packing… eggs!”

“You hurt my family!”

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