“Get out!” Clio yelled and clung to Chance. Chance wrapped his arms even tighter around her. “Who the hell do you think you are? You come here with a shitty uppity attitude, thinking you know everything, and you’ve got no clue what is happening. No idea what the relationship is between Chance and me or Hellfire and me. How dare you be so judgemental? Chance, call the chief, get them run out of Spearfish!” Clio demanded mulishly. My mouth dropped open, and I wondered if this was a Stockholm situation.
“Clio, baby, let her say her piece and then you can choose, okay? Because asshole there said something I don’t think you caught,” Chance said, gazing at Kelly. Kelly held his gaze calmly.
“Oh?” Clio asked, turning her head to face Chance.
“Asshole said there were more of you, baby,” Chance said gently and let that sink in gently. Clio’s mouth opened and shut, and she turned to me.
“How many of us are there?” she asked.
“Five,” I said shortly. Clio’s face took on a stunned expression, and her hands lifted to twist in Chance’s tee. He winced, and she must have caught his chest hair, but to his credit, he didn’t remove her hands. Just patted them gently.
“Start talking,” Clio said faintly. Chance rose to his feet, lifting Clio with him, and placed her gently on the chair. He took a few steps and poured Clio a mug of tea and added cream. He lifted the cover over the sandwiches and placed several on a plate, and then pastries and cakes.
“Baby, eat,” Chance said, and I hid a surprising smile as I saw Clio’s mug. It had a cute picture of her and Chance. Somehow I couldn’t see this brute ordering that, so Clio must have. Doubts wavered in my mind for a few seconds. Was I misjudging this situation?
“Okay,” Clio said grumpily as Chance picked her back up and sat with her on his lap again. Chance’s hand reached out and snagged a sandwich, and lifted it to her mouth.
“Now, woman, start from the beginning and explain how there’s fucking five of you and why Clio didn’t know she had four sisters,” Chance demanded.