Page 80 of Home to the Hollow

“Youplayed on the Miyako soccer team as goalie? You?!”

I lean my head back on my shoulder, settling in for a bunch of male posturing. Sports are about as exciting as tax forms, and though I love watching the boys squabble, I’m not the least bit interested in their dick swinging when we aren’t naked.

“Mow!” Jekyll’s head pops up between my legs as he looks up from under the table.

“I know, buddy. Sports are a snooze fest. Where are the rest of the motley crew?”

“Mow?”

That means he doesn’t know—I think. I ruffle the fur on his head as Prez and Teddy continue arguing about collegiate sports at State U—that’s where Presley went as well. Wolfie joins in once it turns to State U talk, and eventually Teddy pulls out his phone to do that sabermetrics shit he uses to help set the line for his book. I vaguely understand it, but again, math is also not one of my favorite subjects.

Putting on a bright smile to hide my boredom, I turn to them. “Boys? I’m going to take the kiddos for a walk down Meanwhile you... whatever it is you’re doing. Be men or whatever. Maybe I’ll pop in to the bookstore, too.”

Grunts of assent are all I get as they talk players, positions, and stats that would make an actuary bang their head on the table as they feel asleep.

I wriggle out under the tall table, bending and twisting until I’m standing, then whistle for animals. If I’m going for another walk on my own, this time I’m taking bad decision deterrents. My track record with taking a simple walk without getting into trouble is becoming embarrassing.

“C’mon, cats and doggies. Let’s blow this joint.”

Backstabber

Iwalk down the street with Jekyll, Hyde, and the dogs following along. Eurayle stayed behind with the boys. Prez is its favorite, and Eury rarely allows any of us to travel without an escort after the drug incident. My tryst with the Irishman was an anomaly that isn’t likely to be repeated. Both my companions and Edgar’s have been on high alert, as if they realize I was in danger and they weren’t around to protect me.

Of course, the boys would be a lot more worried if they’d seen the video feed of that shadowy movement in the yard last night. Their overprotectiveness is why I had Jackson’s people set them up to feed to an app on my phone. I didn’t want anyone reviewing a tape while I was out and deciding I’m in too much danger to live my life. I appreciate their concern, but I also know I’ve been trained to take care of myself.

“Mow!”

Hyde’s cry draws my attention, and I watch as a group of women snicker in a closed circle in front of the diner. One of them turns her head, pretending to look past me for something, and I roll my eyes.

Women are the absoluteworstwith shit like that. The old ‘I’m not looking at you’ trick isn’t fooling anyone outside of an elementary playground, but we just keep doing it our whole lives. Freya forbid we just fuckingasksomeone whatever the hell it is we want to know. Shaking my head, I stride over to the group, feeling a rush of annoyance as they jabber loudly, as if they weren’t whispering about me from across the street.

“Hello, ladies. Can I help you with something? My name is Jolene Whitley. I don’t believe we’ve met.” The smile I plaster on is only for show. These women know something I don’t, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to find out what it is.

They turn to look at me in unison like some sort of Stepford lizard people. The blonde bats her fake lashes, perfectly plump pink lips in a moue of faux surprise. Her brunette and strawberry haired friends titter behind their manicured hands, waiting for the obvious ringleader to respond. She has a newspaper in her hand, but she doesn’t speak as she stares at me.

Rolling my eyes, I reach over and snatch the paper with a growl of annoyance. Jekyll bounds over, leaping in front of me and making a low, angry noise in his throat. The wannabe socialites sneer at my companion until Kali joins him, her sheer bulk forcing the women to back up a little. Now that I’ve got space, I flick the paper open and if the headline was a punch, I’d be KO’d.

I stagger backward; the shock making my chest tighten and sparkles dance in front of my eyes. Fury burns its way from my gut to every inch of my frame, like liquid fire running through my veins. The darkness creeps in the edges of my vision and I know I'm going to lose time again if I don’t stop it. Kali butts her gigantic head against my hand and Jekyll does the same on the other side. Their presence helps a bit, but even my animal friends aren’t going to help me curb my break.

“Is she gonna lose her lunch? I can’t say I’m surprised. Trash is as trash does, my momma always said,” the red-haired one says,

“Don’t be ugly, Aprilynn. I swear, you could start an argument in an empty house,” the brunette scolds, swatting her arm. “It would appall your mama.”

“Rebekkah, don’t pitch a hissy. Even if her parents didn’t have a pot to piss in and she’s currently the village bicycle, that doesn’t mean we can forget our manners.”

I’d respond, but all I can hear is the pumping of blood in my ears as the rage takes over. The only thing that saves the random bitches on the street is me not knowing them. I wouldn’t recognize them in a three person line-up, so I know they weren’t involved in this outrage. The person responsible is the former ringleader of my personal torture brigade—Amy Matilda Behle.

She owns this fucking paper, and I don’t know how she got this picture or why she began her offensive today. I know she’s been pulling the strings on the women at work and the remaining members of her clique from high school. Before today, I truly believed she might eventually leave me alone if I ignored their petty machinations.

Ignoring bullies has never been good advice, and giving it to myself was stupid.

“Come!” I snarl at the animals as I turn on my heel, leaving the babbling twits to stare as I stalk down the street towards the Hollow Hollar office.

I’m going to end this right here and now. Coming home was about solving the mystery of my FBI failure, not healing the war wounds of the past. The weird stalker, clues in a box, and endless questions that lead to more riddles make accomplishing my goal more complex every day. I don’t have time to play games with these bitches who never outgrew mean girl bullshit.

Arriving at the office faster than I thought possible, I yank the door open and watch it slam against the wall hard enough to shatter glass. Every fiber of my being is screaming for blood, and Seer would be the first to admit she’s had to pull me off someone when I got like this. People are talking or yelling—I’m not sure which—but everything is a low buzz in my ears. I can see their mouths moving, but nothing registers as I stalk over to one of the few people on this planet that I’d unironically call my nemesis.

“Amy Matilda Behle!” I shout, dropping a palm on Kali's and Jekyll’s heads. Hyde and Hecate hang back at the doorway, forming a perfect block for anyone who thinks they’ll escape my wrath by running out. “Show yourself, you spineless twit.”

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