"What about your younger brothers?"
"Weston, Blade, and Parker are the youngest of my mother's children. My dad didn't kick Parker out when he did us. We had to go back and kidnap him in the middle of the night. Remy had come back from Iraq and basically rolled off the airplane with his gun and headed to the compound to get Parker."
"Really? He seems so nice," Penny exclaimed.
"He's nice until you mess with his family. I think we all are. Well, I’m not nice."
"Yes you are," Penny insisted. "You take care of your other brothers. Did you have to go kidnap them too? Though I guess not if Davy was on the train."
"We don’t need a violent Ruby Ridge-type standoff," I explained. "So now I basically buy my little brothers off my father."
"No Svensson sisters?" she asked carefully.
I ground my teeth but didn't answer.
In her hand, her cracked phone rang, the glow lighting up the graveyard.
"You need to get a new screen," I said, peering at it.
She fumbled with the phone. Was she trying to hide it from me? Why was she so flustered? She stabbed at the screen with a finger.
"Sorry about that." Penny was tense as we approached the hearse. She unlocked the door. "Do you need a ride home?" she asked, picking at a button on her coat. Her body language suggested she did not want to give me a ride. What had happened? Maybe I shouldn't have told her all the sordid details about my family.
"I'll run back," I said, stepping away.
31
Penny
Of course my mother had to call me right as I was having a moment with Garrett. He walked me to the hearse then turned and ran at a loping pace back to the tree line.
Cursing, I yelled at Siri to call Trisha.
"How's my favorite daughter?" my mother said when the call connected.
"Wondering why you called her at one a.m."
"We need a teaser. I have to show something for an upcoming meeting. We really want to promote this article."
"I—don't know," I said, chewing on my lip.
"Look, just between us," she said dramatically, "magazine sales are down across the board. Everyone likes articles about cults and crazy families. You've seen all those TLC shows, right?"
"Yeah."
"The finance people said we need this article to save our bottom line this year. Several ad companies are interested in putting their products in this issue, but they want to know what's exactly is going to be in the article."
Despite the cold, my hands were sweaty. I felt nauseous.
"I'll see what I can throw together," I rasped. I wished the Grey Dove Bistro was open. I would kill for a donut Danish. And I had left all my cake with the Romani queen.
After I made sure the call was ended, I banged my head on the steering wheel. "I thought you were supposed to help me, Romani queen!" I yelled.
* * *
I couldn't sleepat all that night, and the next morning, I was up before dawn. Fortunately, the Grey Dove Bistro opened early. I was the first in line when Hazel walked up to unlock the front door. She smiled and hugged me.
"Rough night?"
