Page 68 of Savage

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

I nodded, then went over and knelt down next to Dalton. “Hey, this is Torch. He’s one of Malcomb’s friends. If it’s okay, he’s gonna watch TV with you for a bit.”

Dalton glanced over at Torch and then back to me. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “It’s o-kay.”

“I’ll be right outside if you need me.” I stood, then hurried over to the door. Before I walked out, I shouted, “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.”

As soon as I started down the steps, I spotted Malcomb in the backyard. He was talking with a brother I’d never met before. He was tall like Malcomb, but he was a bit broader in the shoulders and had a much thicker beard. He was also a bit older than Malcomb, and there was clearly something going on between them.

I walked slowly, hoping to give them a minute to finish talking, and as I got closer, I heard the man say, “I know it looks bad, but I’m telling you. I didn’t tell him.”

“Then, how the fuck did he know?”

“You know Torch. He’s a smart guy. He figured the shit out on his own. I swear it.” The man sounded sincere as he said, “You gotta know I’d never run my mouth about you having a kid unless it was something you wanted me to do.”

Malcomb was about to respond when he noticed that I was walking towards them. I looked over to his brother as I asked, “Hey, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I was just having a word with Rooster.”

Rooster extended his hand as he said, “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“No, we haven’t. I’m Londyn. Nice to meet you.”

“Right back at ya.” He released my hand as he said, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

“Oh, give it time. You’ll hear plenty.” He chuckled as he started towards the house. He didn’t get far when he stopped and turned back to Malcomb. “Did you know we’re getting that new light at the square?”

“He actually got them to pass that shit?”

“Apparently so. I saw them putting it up earlier this morning. That man never ceases to amaze me.” Rooster chuckled then continued up the porch steps. “You two have fun. We’ll be waiting inside when you’re done.”

“Stay out of the fridge!”

“I can’t make any promises.”

Rooster continued up the porch steps, and seconds later, he’d disappeared into the house. I immediately turned to Malcomb and said, “He seems like an interesting guy.”

“You have no idea.” He reached down and grabbed his duffle bag. “I thought we’d do a little target practice.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Have you shot lately?”

“No. I haven’t really had any reason to.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He nailed a target to a nearby tree and then started digging around in his bag. He pulled out a small handgun, quickly loaded it with ammunition, then offered it to me as he said, “This is just like the 9mm you’ve used before. It’s light and doesn’t have much kick.”

“Okay.” I took the gun from his hand and studied it for a moment, then pointed to the button on the side and asked, “This is the safety, right?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

He took a moment to remind me how to push the safety button on and off and how to load the clip. Once he’d gone through the basics, he showed me how to align the front and back sights to mark the target. As soon as I was in position, he said, “Don’t forget to use your left hand for support.”

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