“There’s a gun in the small of his back.”
“Get real. Who would bring a gun to a meeting about their daughter?”
“The fuck, they’re coming to meet Mengele, I’d load up to.”
After this Flanagan guy called I had to think fast since he said he was almost here. She still doesn’t know what’s going on with Mengele and the computer and she’s not about to learn.
Thinking fast on my feet I told her that the principal had mentioned this gifted school bullshit and that these people’s kid was gonna be going there too and I had some questions. She already knew that Mengele had made some friends online in the gifted program but at least my kid had enough sense not to tell her mother what she was really up to.
The shit had about a thousand holes in it but it was the best I could to at such short notice. But I wasn’t expecting this shit. “I hear the trips babe.” I didn’t hear shit but Kat can’t stand to let her kids cry.
I pulled my phone as soon as she left and just before they made it to the door. “Travis, Shane Flanagan, name ring a bell?”
“Uh, what’s going on, how do you know Shane?”
“It’s a long story but he’s right outside my door.”
“Is his wife with him?”
“Yep!”
“I’m on my way. Pop we gotta go.” I heard that last bit while he was hanging up the phone.
I watched as the driver and another passenger got out and stood next to the car and took up a position I recognized only too well. What the fuck were these people expecting in my house? I opened the door before the man rang the bell and was sized up in sixty seconds flat.
The wife next to him looked like mine, tiny with a head full of hair but I wasn’t trusting that placid look on her face, I know those fucking eyes, shit. Is he gonna let her sit in on the meet? I can’t see us putting her with the other women she does not look the type. What the fuck Lyon your house, your rules!
We shook hands right inside the door and he had yet to remove his shades. I saw her shoulders relax even saw the little nudge she gave him. The house was clean. I’d left the guys upstairs in the office because I didn’t know what to expect.
For once Mancini hadn’t gone digging into someone else’s shit so we knew nothing about these two. He’s up there making faces at his kid who woke up screaming for the tit. I hope she’s ten Mengeles.
“Mr. Flanagan, Mrs. Flanagan, welcome.”
“You have a full house.”
“Yep! So, you’re here about our kids.” I looked this guy in the eye through his shades when I heard my wife coming. I’m figuring the one by his side looks like another pain in the ass so he’d catch on quick.
“I only just found out that our little girls are part of the same gifted program online. The principal told me about some school not far from here that she can go to, and she tells me that your daughter and their other little friend might be going there as well so I wanted to touch base, see what you know about this place.”
Kat came gliding into the room just then. His eyes moved behind the shades, his shoulders relaxed. It took him longer than his wife. “Yeah, we’re here about the same thing.”
“Oh hi, I’m Kat and you must be the Flanagans, thanks so much for coming. You must be really excited to have a little one who’s as smart as Lily.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but our Catalina calls her Lily Belle because she has a new little cousin named Lily, it helps to keep the two apart.”
“Oh, ours is Lilliana everyone just calls her Lily, but Lily Belle, I like it.”
I heard a car drag race into my driveway that was already full and figured the Mallorys had arrived. I didn’t miss the way Flanagan moved into position to shield his wife, but he seemed to relax a little at the tone of the men he’d left outside.
Seconds later Travis and old man Mallory were there. “Boyo, what’re you doing here? Is Poppy here? Where’s my guy? Arianna!” Old man Mallory picked the wife up and twirled her around while she grinned.
“Mallory? What’re you doing here?” Flanagan was looking at Travis when he asked.
“This is my brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Yeah, my brother, what’s your beef with him?”
I saw Flanagan come all the way down and wondered what the fuck was going on. He looked at me his wife looked at me, and old man Mallory was still going on about someone named Poppy.
“I think I need to regroup.”
“Right, we’re upstairs in the office the women are back there in the den.” If his woman had feathers they would’ve all stood on end.