Page 23 of Demon
Ronniedrovehomeonauto pilot.It wasn’t until she pulled up into the carport and killed the engine that she realized she had no memory of the drive.
She sat in the truck for a couple of minutes, wondering how she’d managed to make it home without having some kind of accident if she wasn’t paying enough attention to remember what she’d done or even what route she’d taken.
When the radio shut off, she realized she’d been sitting in the car in her yard almost as long at it had taken her to get home.She shook her head and forced herself to get moving.
Inside, she leaned against the inside of the door for a moment, wondering why he’d kissed her, not once, but twice, and how in the hell did he smell and taste so good?She felt like an idiot for asking herself such stupid questions.Shaking her head, she went to the coffee table where the files still sat in the stacks she and Gavin had put them in while trying to figure out what their father was up to.
She pulled opened the file sitting on top of the stack, the one for Jim Bob Jennings.It only took her a few seconds to find the name and address.She pulled out her phone and opened the texts to find where he’d sent himself a message so he would have her number and laughed out loud at what he’d named himself in her phone.Almost as bad as what he’d sent to himself.
The contact name he’d put in was funny, but still a play on his road name.‘Incubus’ and oh, that one word conjured so many images in her head.But what he’d sent to himself, that made her roll her eyes.He’d sent only one word.‘Firecracker.’
She didn’t bother to hide her pleased smile.She’d never had a nickname before, and she kind of liked this one.Not that she would tell anyone.Gavin would roll his eyes and ask if she’d been drinking.Dad would tell her she was stupid and wasting time.Get out there and pick up that skip already before he lost any more money on him.She’d heard the complaint so many times, she could hear him say it even now.
She shook her head and sent Demon the name and address for the person who had put up bail for his cousin, then she had nothing to do but wait.
“Hey, Opie, what have you been up to all day?”She ran her hand along the cat’s back as he strolled across her lap.She glanced at the clock and realized it was way past dinner time for him.“Are you getting hungry?Do you need Mama to feed you?”He continued walking as if he didn’t hear her talking or didn’t care what she was saying, but he headed for the kitchen, where his bowl and the food were kept anyway.
With a sigh, Ronnie pushed herself to her feet.Opie wasn’t the only one who needed food.Plus, Demon was working, there was no way he’d have an answer for her tonight.
In the kitchen, she fed Opie first, setting the plate with his food on the floor.She stood, one hip propped against the counter as she watched him.The cat sniffed at the food, looked up at her with a look that said the offering was acceptable, barely, then he turned back to the dish and began eating.Ronnie opened the refrigerator and wondered what she had that she could have for dinner.
Not finding much, she opened the freezer and spotted a dish with lasagna she’d made a few weeks before and frozen, because there was no way one person could eat a whole pan of lasagna before it went bad, unless they ate it for every meal and as much as she liked lasagna, she needed a little variety.
She’d just put the food in the microwave and hit start when her phone rang.The sound startled her, she looked around the kitchen then remembered she’d left it on the coffee table after texting Demon.
“Hey, what’s up?”she said as she answered the call.Caller ID had told her it was Gavin.
“I need to talk to you.What are you doing?”
“Just heating something up for dinner.What’s up?”She took the phone with her back to the kitchen, she needed to stir her food and put it back in the microwave.
“Not over the phone.I’m coming over.”
“You could have just done that to begin with.”
“I could have, but what if you weren’t home?I wanted to be sure you would be there before I made the trip.”
“Whatever.”She waved her fork in the air as if he could see her.“I’m here.Oh.If you want to be a nice brother, bring me something to drink.”
“Like?”
“Booze.”
There was silence on the line for several seconds, then he spoke.“Be more specific.”
“I’ll drink Jack Daniels Fire if I’m sipping whiskey, vodka if I’m looking to get drunk or if you’re just interested in beer, I’ll take either Barrio Red or Kilt Lifter.”
“Ten-four.I’ll be there before thirty minutes is up, assuming I can find your snooty beer.”
He disconnected the call before she had a chance to make a snarky come back.Probably for the best since she couldn’t think of one at the moment.
She let out a low growl of frustration, then went to pull her food from the microwave.After grabbing a pot holder to hold the hot dish with, she carried her dinner into the living room.She might as well eat and unwind while she could.There was no telling what Gavin insisted had to be said only in person, and she didn’t want whatever it was to keep her from eating.
By the time Gavin knocked on her door she’d finished with her meal, washed up the dishes and changed into the oversized t-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants that she’d cut into shorts years ago.If she was going to have an uncomfortable conversation, at least she would be dressed comfortably.
Having done everything she could think of to distract her brain, she started pacing as she tried to keep from worrying about whatever Gavin wanted to talk to her about.Where was he anyway?
She checked her phone and saw that it had only been twenty minutes since he’d called.He wasn’t even late.She picked up the remote and turned on the sound system, then waited while it connected to her phone, then pulled up her favorite play list and turned it on.If she had to wait in suspense, she might as well get a little exercise in.It wasn’t late yet, so she didn’t even feel bad cranking up her music, so it drowned out all the insane shit trying to crowd itself in to her head.Then she let herself move to the beat.
