Zach snorts. “I’m strong too, Ray.”
“I know.” She grins and he melts.
Luca points at each of the guys and tells her, “They’re not as strong as us, but they’re strong enough to help me.”
A few of them grunt and I smile. “You go listen to Grandma and I’ll come see you when I come home with your dad. Yeah?”
“Okay.”
He kisses the top of her head and then ruffles her hair much to her disdain.
She breezes past me, and I tell Luca, “Let me know when you leave.”
“We’ll do.”
Closing the door, I take a quick breather and reaffirm my trust that my family will be back before too long, and we’ll go on as we always have.
22
Cas
“We’re fucked,” Sparky grunts.
Having been tied up, hauled into the back of a van, and sat back-to-back, I can’t see his face, but I can imagine the anger he wears. It will probably mirror mine.
“It’s not the best place to be in, but we’re not fucked.”
“No? What would you fuckin’ call it?”
“A minor inconvenience.”
I’m not sure if the noise he makes is laughter or a snort or something else entirely.
“A minor inconvenience is pissing off Bonnie and her yellin’ in my ear till she calms down. This, Cas, is amajorinconvenience.” He sighs. “She’s gonna be pissed like never before.”
“You came home the first time,” I remind him.
“Oak didn’t though, did he. You think my luck will stretch to twice?”
“I’d always put money on us, brother. You tellin’ me you don’t anymore?”
This time it’s a clear snort that escapes him. “I guess the older I get, the more realistic I become.”
“You think I’m living in a fuckin’ dreamland?’
“Not a dreamland, but I’m pretty sure we should come to terms with meeting our maker, we’ve had a good run, Cas. Had more than most, that’s for fuckin’ sure.”
Sighing, I grunt, “You wanna shut the fuck up, actin’ like we’re already dead.”
“Ain’t we?”
“Brother, you’re drowning in grief and not thinkin’ straight. Until you are, shut your fuckin’ mouth.”
Silence hangs between us for a few precious moments before he mutters, “We fucked up.”
“Where’s ya boy, Sparks?”
“He’s probably over with Harper.”
