Page 46 of The Art of Dying

“What’s up, buttercup? How’s that pretty girl of yours settling in?”

I frowned. “She’s happy, Sully.”

“Good. But… you don’t sound happy. At all. What’s going on?”

“Did you know Mason was back?”

Sully waited a beat. “Yeah?”

“Did you know he approached her at Ody’s?”

He sighed. “Yeah, brother, I heard but I wasn’t there.”

“Did you know he showed up at our house? Chased her to the porch? Was sneaking around in the backyard in the middle of the night? Did you know he scared the shit out of her so much that she quit her job, packed up, and moved here?”

Sully waited a bit before he spoke. “I’d heard some of that, yeah, but she was already gone. Kitsch… that girl loves you. She’s not there because she’s running away from fuck face; she’s there because that’s where she wants to be. She wouldn’t be there if she didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He hesitated. “What’s that?”

“If you knew, why in the fuck didn’t you tell me? I thought you were,” I looked up and then lowered my voice, “I thought you were my friend.”

“I am,” he said, emphasizing each word. “But we all knew what you’d do, Kitsch. You woulda went AWOL to get to her. She did it the right way. And Alecia said Mack insisted she be the one who told you.”

I rubbed the top of my head, trying to keep my cool. “He can’t get away with it.”

“She’s there, brother. She’s safe. You have her, he doesn’t, and he’s going nuts that’s she’s gone and he can’t get to her. He’s been ugly drunk all over town, getting belligerent. He’s been kicked out of Ody’s twice. You won.”

“It’s not about winning. It’s about respect. It’s about teaching him a lesson.”

“Trust me. If you’d have seen him at Ody’s the other night getting escorted out by six dudes after they’d just rocked his face, you’d see it for yourself. He’s learned it. Whatever punishment you think he deserves, he’s gotten it and then some. Just not from you. Will won’t even hang out with him anymore. And word is, he got a new job and he’s leaving again. His parents are even tired of his shit, and you know his mom, she thinks he’s Jesus Christ incarnate.”

I breathed out through my nose, trying to stay calm. Sully had called it. No punishment would be good enough unless it came from me. “What’s the new job?” I tried to ask as casually as I could, but there was no fooling my best friend.

“Huh uh. No way. No way, bro. You stay put with your beautiful fiancée and your promotions and that beautiful new house. Do you hear me?” He paused before speaking in no uncertain terms. “Let it go.”

I didn’t realize my jaw was clenched until my gaze floated up to see Mack standing in the doorway of the office, holding her towel around her.

“See ya later, Sul,” I said, hanging up. “There’s my girl,” I said, standing. “Feelin’ better?”

“I was,” she said. Water dripped from the ends of her hair onto her shoulders. “Until I heard you yelling.”

“Was I?” I asked, standing to kiss her forehead. “You’re still soaked. Want me to get you another towel for your hair, babe?” I didn’t wait for her to answer, instead passing her for the linen cabinet in the hall, buying time to think of some way to smooth things over while I got her another towel.

“He told you not to, didn’t he?” Mack asked, turning to face me. A small puddle of water surrounded her feet. “You can’t go after him.”

I blew a raspberry from my lips, trying my damndest to act surprised at her words. “You know how guys are, Mack. I’m just talking shit with Sully.”

“Did he know that?”

I put the towel on her head and rubbed back and forth, then lifted it, brushing her damp strands from her face before pecking her lips. When she frowned, I shrugged. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, babe.”

“If he’s not anchored in Quincy, he’s free to go wherever.” She kept her voice low and calm, and that worried me more than had she yelled. “Men like him, they can’t stand to lose. He’s embarrassed. The whole town knows, and he most definitely blames me. You can’t go anywhere because while you’re out looking for him, he’ll be looking for me. He knows I’m with you. I won’t be hard to find. What if while you’re out there looking for revenge, he finds me? He wants to hurt both of us now. I know how he thinks, Kitsch. He hurts people the deepest, most brutal way he can. What is the worst way he could hurt you?”

My eyebrows moved in, and I held her to me, pressing my cheek against her hair. “Taking you from me.”

“And if he knows I don’t want him, how is he going to take me from you?”

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