“It’ll be handled one way or another,” Linc assures her.
She nods. “You boys eat. I’ll come get the dishes later. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I’ll bring the dishes down, Mrs. M,” Kennedy tells her. “I’ve got a couple things to do before I call it a night.”
She nods once and leaves the room.
“I notice no one’s turned the TV on,” I say between bites.
“You want to see yourself on there—or me—looking like death warmed over?” Linc asks.
I shake my head. “No. Just wondering if there were any good movies on.”
“You’re a shit liar. It’s all over the news, babe. Everywhere.”
I sigh. “I figured, but…”
“Headliners. That’s what we’ve become.”
“For now,” I remind him.
He nods. “I just wonder how long it’s going to take for this shit to die down. You’d think we were serial killers or mass murders with the way they’ve blow this shit out of proportion.”
Kennedy looks on. “In the next day or two, someone will do something fucked up and they’ll be the headliners. Just ignore the shitshow for now.”
Linc nods.
“That sounds like a damn good plan.”
33
ETHAN
When we’re finally alone, I look to Linc.
“How am I going to explain this,” I wave a hand over my body, “to Kadi?”
Linc groans. “Damn. I never thought of that. I guess we tell her the truth. Some people out there have a problem with us and who we are, so they attacked us.”
I blink.
“What?”
“You didn’t swear once.”
“Well, I can’t very well swear when we talk to her. I’m practicing,” Linc teases.
“You’re getting better at it.”
Linc nods. “Just not in private. Besides, I think since I’ve been here, I’ve contributed about five-hundred dollars a month to the swear jar.”
I chuckle. “You have, for sure.”
Linc turns to me. “I’ve been thinking…”
I nod.
“I don’t like you being exposed like that. If I’d been there, I could’ve helped you.”
