Page 14 of Inglorious
“What did Chill get?” I asked, wondering if I was going to be cleaning puke in an hour.
“Couple of plain chicken subs,” Moon called, as he paid the driver, who disappeared quickly.
“That’s sensible,” I muttered.
Moon snorted. “You sound surprised.”
“Damn right, I am, prospect. Chill’s hardly been making good decisions lately,” I replied.
“Ouch,” Chill interjected from behind.
Slowly, I turned to face him. Chill’s eyes were still red and his skin blotchy, but he looked better for a shower, and he no longer reeked.
“Truth hurts, Chill.”
Chill offered a half-hearted grin before quickly moving and hugging me tightly. He clung to me like a lifeline, and I patted his back.
“Don’t go, Nanci, we can’t cope.”
“Not going anywhere,” I replied softly, knowing that was my reality.
Vegas was done and dusted. There was no going back and there were some difficult decisions to make. Although I’d taken emergency leave from my headliner act, I’d have to informthem I wasn’t returning. That was a bitter pill to swallow, but I recognised the honesty in Chill’s words. The simple fact was, I was needed here.
“Sit and eat. Once done, you’re going to look at paint samples and start acting properly. We’ll also be booking you in with a grief therapist—and don’t bitch, it’s mandatory.”
“Shit,” Chill muttered. His expression turned mulish, and I pointed to my patch that said president. Chill glared, but didn’t argue. That was nice.
???
It was approaching the time to visit Doc Paul, but I didn’t want to while Apache and Rock were still here. A little on edge, I waited until they came out and approached.
“You’ve got the blueprints for the remainder of Merritt?”
“Yeah, do you wish to start construction again?” Rock asked.
“Yes. As soon as possible.”
“I can have a team here in a week. They’ll begin your kitchen refit and then move onto the plan that was previously made. The clinic and sheriff’s office were completed. Next up was the trout farm and one of the saloons,” Apache said.
“That will be fine. Get those up and running, and Merritt can open for tourists. The trout farm should attract people for fishing.
“Monday then, Nanci. I’ll bring the plans that were previously made, and you can review them. Will you be around Thursday?” Apache asked.
That was three days away. “Yup.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No, thanks, Apache. I’m sure you’ve got other jobs,” I replied.
“Unwanted Bastards takes priority,” Apache stated so emphatically there was no room to argue. Not that I wanted to.
Merritt needed to be their main concern. I’d discovered everything had already been paid up front. That meant when I tracked down the Legacies, I had something to offer.
“Thanks. Speak soon,” I said, dismissing them.
Humour crossed their faces, but they took their leave graciously. Ansty, I watched them head out and turned to Moon.
“Contact Chill, Razor, and Vortex, please. Tell them we have church at five.”
