He grinned up at me, what remained of his shattered teeth in a sea of blood and raw flesh. “That’s what I’m gonna…to do…” he went on, the words part strangled wheeze, part gurgling laugh. “Fuck the—”
“Lucas,” Ronnie said, her voice gentle. Understanding. Loving.
“Cunt,” Rufie rasped beneath me. “Fuck…her until she—”
I stood. In a single move, I straightened to my feet. “You’re not worth it, Randy,” I said, looking down at him before stepping over his inert body.
I heard Ronnie’s exhalation. I turned to her in time to see Fluffy striding toward us all, the Marine making some kind of whistling command.
Francis leapt forward, hackles raised, teeth bared, a low growl emanating from his chest as he took my place on top of Rufie. I didn’t need to ask what would happen if Rufie moved. I’d seen Francis at work once before.
Fluffy walked past Ronnie. Our eyes met for a brief moment. “She talked me into coming,” he muttered. “I couldn’t say no. Besides, Francis adores her.”
I let out a grunt. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Fluffy tapped the peak of an invisible hat. “Yeah. ’Spect so.”
“Lucas.”
At Ronnie’s voice, I returned my attention to her. She stood still, watching me close the distance between us. “Remember what I said I would do to you when I saw you next?”
I nodded, stopping a mere foot away. “Kiss me. Strip me naked. Fuck me senseless.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why can you remember that word for word, and yet forget when I ask you to put the toilet seat down?”
I studied her.
She smiled back. “I’m not going to kiss you. Not yet, at least. You need a shower first.”
The distinct clip-clip of booted heels on concrete made me turn. Lila walked toward us from the other side of the warehouse, her M24 sniper rifle resting on her left arm, her smile wide.
“Veronica, I don’t know whether to spank you or hug you.”
“If you ask me, I’d say spank,” Fluffy rumbled from where he now stood beside Rufie. He had, I noticed, one massive foot pressed to Rufie’s chest. “But then I get off on that kind of thing.”
I narrowed my eyes on the Marine. “Watch it, Fluffy.”
He grinned at me.
Francis seemed to do the same.
“I want to go home now, Lucas.”
I let out a ragged breath. “Are you sure, babe? You’ve seen me now. Me. Without the rose-colored glasses. I’m not pretty.”
She laughed. She actually laughed. “Lucas Pratt, I’ve never looked at you through rose-colored glasses. And while I’ll admit you’re not pretty at this very second, I’m still completely and utterly in love with you and want to jump your bones more than I can possibly say. So if you’re okay with saying goodbye to Doctor Winchester, Fluffy, and Francis, I’m okay with finding somewhere for you to shower so I can kiss you senseless. Deal?”
I smiled. It came from my heart. Until Ronnie arrived, I didn’t think that was possible. “Deal.”
“This is a good idea,” Lila said, stopping at my side. She cast me a knowing grin before looking at Ronnie. “Veronica, while I would gladly give you a hug right now, what I need to do more than anything is have a chat with young Randolph. He knows things I need to know. And he’s done things he needs to be accountable for. I would suggest you’re not quite ready for my particular version of a talk.”
Ronnie blinked. “Okay.”
Lila smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
Lila threw me a look. “For not giving up on him.”