The edge of her mouth lifted. “Yes, you did, Lucas.”
He slowed his swipes down and let his focus and fingers linger on her peaked nipples. “Filthy, even,” he murmured, wondering if she’d let him—
“They dead?” He turned to see Armand step over the bodies of their father and brother before coming to a stop beside him.
“Does it matter?” Big Country asked, not wanting to fight his youngest brother.
“It does,” Armand answered, looking around. “Back home, I could throw a body in the bayou, food for the gators yeah, but here…” He frowned and rubbed his head. “If Merlee had hogs…but with the fair coming, won’t be enough time, I’m thinking.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll find a good spot off the farm to bury ’em. Bad business binding their spirits here, y’all would never get no rest, animals would sicken, land would go to rot. Who shot you anyways?” He asked Big Country.
Stormy searched Lucas, wiped mud away from the slowly seeping gash on his left shoulder.
“Thatbitch.”
“Just flesh wounds, darlin’, I don’t feel a thing,” he said, trying to ease her anger. He’d probably feel this for days to come and not just physically.
“Well, ya forearm is practically shredded,” Armand said. “And the place T-bo took his knife to you, yeah, all that’s gon’ get infected real nasty you don’t tend to it.”
Big Country glared, trying to will Armand into shutting the fuck up, then he blinked.
He’d forgotten.
Until this moment, he’d forgotten all the times he’d felt and looked at his younger brother with the same exasperation. Forgotten how, from the moment Armand could form sentences, he’d work things through out loud, telling the truth as he understood it, consequences be damned.
“They’re not dead,” he eventually told his brother. “Load ’em into PaPere’s truck with the rest of y’all’s stuff and head back to East Orleans parish. Otherwise I’ll have Deputy Harlan, the sheriff’s soon-to-be replacement, pick ’em up and take all three to jail.”
“Best to call the deputy then, ’cause I ain’t going back. Merlee and I had an agreement—if I helped take care of the farm, I’d earn room and board, just like Will. I never stopped working, even when they ran her off.”
Big Country stared at Armand and Armand stared back. “Merlee don’t need you here, what she’s offering is a handout. I’m here now asking; you want to come to California with me, make your own way?”
Armand looked at Stormy instead. “Your woman won’t mind?”
Stormy’s gaze moved from one brother to the other. “I think it would be great for both of you.”
“What about your other woman?” Armand asked Big Country.
“Yeah, what about your other woman, Lucas?” Stormy parroted. She was mocking him.
“Delilah’s a pretty little thing, but she crazy, yeah?”
“Crazy like a rabid, soulless, deceiving fox,” Big Country muttered. He walked over, retrieved his gun and re-holstered it. “Stormy, while you’re over theretee-hee-heeing, call Mama, let her know things here are okay. Let her know they’ll need to take the lead now that Delilah’s on the run again, that we’re finishing our adventure. I’ll call Harlan, let him know what’s about to happen to his boss and see if he’s up for dealing with these three. Armand, you call Merlee, tell her to come on home so we can get our house back in order.”
“Dude, I did not come all the way out here to clean your nasty-ass house.”
Big Country swung around to see Lynx leaning against the back door.
“I came to save my heart,” Lynx winked at Stormy before frowning back at Lucas. “Man, you look like shit, like literally. Please tell me that’s not shit you’re covered in.”
Big Country grinned, happy to see his best friend standing there looking like proof that life was getting back on track. “Naw cousin, it ain’t shit, it’s that glow up from my woman’s lovin’ mixed with some good ol’ country soil,” he replied, not surprised Lynx managed to stay untouched by the now-passing storm.
“Oh Stormy, no…don’t tell me you’ve chosen the barbarian over me, you know I can… JesusChrist, it is hot as fuck out here!” Lynx said, wiping sweat from his forehead and pulling off his polo shirt. He had on a sleeveless T-shirt beneath. “What kind of people choose to live inside the ass-crack of hell? This is ridiculous.”
Armand pulled up alongside Big Country as Lynx moved back into the house. They all stared at the empty doorway.
“Who’s he?” Armand asked.
“Brother from another mother. Bit of a prima donna but don’t underestimate him, get on his wrong side and…well, for both our sakes, just don’t get on his wrong side.”
“Lynx is a sweetheart,” Stormy said, walking toward the house.
