“You said, warn you if they come after.Not tell you you’re a free man.Be clear.”
Ringo held up a finger.“Listen, just because you got promoted doesn’t mean you get to be a smart-ass to me.I can still slice you up faster than Loppa and his favorite Zimino.”
“What’s Zimino?”I asked.
“Intestines.You cut it with a scissors.”Firenze’s comment made me gag.
“Great.Bad enough you eat that awful cheese, now I havethatimage in my head.”My stomach didn’t want to settle.
“Go away,” Ringo grumbled.
“Me or her?”Firenze asked.
Ringo stood up.“Are you sure you brought the right one up here?”
Now he was just being mean.
“Of course I am.Allie walks around the goat shit.”
“I hate you.”I didn’t say it with malice, but Firenze chose the wrong time to mess with me.
“You’ll love me eventually,” Firenze shot back.
“Over my dead body,” Ringo warned.
“That can be arranged.”Firenze’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard.
“Not likely!”Ringo’s raised voice spooked the nearest clump of goats.They scampered up the slope and stared down on us from the rocks.
“Boys, stop.”I stood up and pointed at Ringo.“You, come with me.”I took a step and the distinct squelch of poop rapidly expanding under my toes made me cringe.“SHIT!Fucking goats!”
Both men laughed.
“Where are we going, Ellie?”Ringo asked.
“Home.That’s where.I’m not going inside whatever that is.”I pointed at the shack.
“It’s cozy in there.I remember this time when Maria?—”
“Shut up, Firenze.”Ringo picked me up.
“What are you doing?”I grabbed his shoulders so I wouldn’t slip out of his arms and land on my ass.
“Making sure you don’t step in shit.”
“Put me down,” I begged.
“No.”
“You can’t carry me all the way down the mountain.”
Ringo stopped walking.“The hell I can’t.”
I pointed out the obvious.“It’s steep.You’re going to hurt yourself.”
He set me down and caressed my scarred thigh.“Better me than you.”
My chin quivered.“You mean that?”
