Page 70 of Shattered Chords

“That depends.”

“Give him a chance, will ya?”

“I’ll think about it.”

In fact, I’d already thought about it too much, but I didn’t want to delve deeper into the issue, because this conversation could go on for hours and we were about to turn the corner and reach the street where Lucas the Kitty Snatcher currently lived.

I parked by the curb and almost left the car running in case we needed to grab Tallulah and make a run for it, but I didn’t trust this neighborhood being safe enough for me to have the keys on display in the ignition. So I killed the engine and walked across the small lawn and toward the porch with Harper.

He knocked several times.

We waited.

Footfalls approached the door on the other side, then it opened and a sleepy face emerged. Lucas.

Harper cleared his throat and in the corner of my eye, I noticed how his back stiffened. “I came for Tallulah,” he said simply.

The house was small and smelled like laundry detergent and motor oil, and I suddenly wondered what exactly Harper had seen in Lucas. I couldn’t remember anything remarkable about the man.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the sharp answer came.

“Excuse me? You stole her from me, you fucking piece of shit, and now you don’t know what I’m talking about?” Harper’s fists tightened and, fearing the worst, I reached for his wrist to stop him from making matters worse.

He shot me a fiery stare, then directed his attention back to Lucas, who didn’t seem even a tiny bit bothered by my friend’s demands.

“Steal is a very strong word.” He huffed. “You can’t steal something that’s rightfully yours.”

“She’s not yours!”

“You’re trespassing.”

“What?” Angry red colored Harper’s neck and cheeks.

“You’re trespassing, so…” Lucas flicked his wrist, his fingers pointing toward the road. “Get off my property before I call the police.”

Fury surged through me, then settled and deepened. No one talked to my best friend that way. No one. “You're a piece of work, aren’t you?” Unable to contain myself any longer, I ignored Lucas’s threatening disposition and shoved my finger at his chest. “And you never deserved Harper.”

Lucas blinked, his face remaining bored. He was either an excellent actor or a really shitty person. I was leaning toward the latter.

Next to me, Harper seethed silently, his jaw working.

“Come on.” I grabbed his hand and urged him off the porch before things got truly unpleasant.

Luckily, he complied.

The door slammed behind our backs as we walked to the 4Runner. When we were inside the car, Harper finally blew up.

“She’s mine! I was the one who adopted her from the shelter. I was the one who took care of her.”

“I know and I’m sorry,” I tried to console him. “Why don’t we sleep on it?

“I don’t want to sleep on it.”

“It’s late. I suggest we go home and think about how to do this right.”

“We’ll take her when he’s not around.”

“Are you serious? Do you plan on just breaking and entering?”

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