“But if they worked out who we are, the house would be the first place to look. You really think leaving him alone there is such a good idea?” Drake asked, and this time, it was also more of a counterargument than a demand against Tank’s wishes.
Tank shut his eyes, and while Clover’s tongue ached to say all the other things in favor of his case, he stayed quiet and waited.
After seconds of tension, Tank exhaled and looked straight at him, with that scowl of discontent firmly in place. “I don’t like it. I think it’s dangerous. But I suppose you’re right. At the end of the day, you will be safer with us than alone at home. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if I distracted myself by checking on you every fifteen minutes.”
Clover smiled at him despite dreading the trip. He would have prefered not to go to Arizona at all, but that wasn’t an option. He would have to face Jerry.
He got to his toes and kissed Tank’s cheek. “Nowhere is safer than by your side.”
Chapter 6 – Pyro
When Tank had announced that they’d be staying at his grandmother’s for the night, Pyro had expected the standard retiree, not a loud whirlwind of neon patterns with pastel pink hair and a house echoing with bird cries. She had fifteen freaking parrots, and one of them lived in a wardrobe-sized cage in the dining room, constantly repeating the few words it knew. Pyro was pretty sure he’d also heard several owls outside.
They all sat in an opulent living room that stabbed Pyro’s eyes with sapphire-colored couches and emerald armchairs. He kinda dug it. He wouldn’t have decorated his own home this way, but the lady had her own brand of crazy going on, so who was he to judge? A gigantic pink and golden Bavarian-style cuckoo clock finished the space with an adequate amount of wacky.
Why would Tank hide this gem of a woman for so long?
Perhaps because she was nosy and had no filter.
“So this is your little boyfriend, Adam. I’m so happy you finally introduced a special someone to your grandma. I thought I wouldn’t live to see the day!” she said, smiling with shockingly bright pink lips. She didn’t resemble Tank at all, neither in behavior nor physically—since she was tiny, with a fine-boned face and very loud taste in clothes, but it was obvious she’d missed him.
Pyro sometimes wondered if his own family missed him, but then again, unlike Tank, he didn’t send them outrageous sums of money that must have purchased every porcelain bird in sight.
Clover smiled, but he was shaky as a leaf, and Pyro wondered what that was about. The boy hardly coped with drinking his tea without spilling it into his lap. “Adam told me how much you supported him when he was a child. It’s so very nice to meet you.”
Pyro snorted at Clover’s mask of politeness. Not a ‘fuck’ in sight.
“Yes, he’s the apple of my eye, and looks like he’s got perfect taste in men. I was worried he would die alone. It’s a smart choice to find himself a younger boyfriend. My husband was older than me, and now he’s dead.”
Clover stared, and for a moment the room was filled only with bird chirps, but then the cuckoo clock chose to announce to the world that the next hour has arrived.
Tank cleared his throat, chewing on the shrimp cocktail with sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Tank loathed shrimp and all sea food, but it seemed that he was capable of swallowing them for his granny. “Granddad drowned. It had nothing to do with his age.”
His grandmother, who’d already asked them all to address her as Jolene, waved her hand in a slow, pronounced way, that showed off her long, somewhat spiky nails. “Details, Adam. Frida, you know, the friend I always go to the casino with, also had an older husband, and he died. That man truly had a talent for getting his arteries clogged. Make sure you eat well in that man-pad of yours.”
Boar smiled. “I often cook for all of us. You can rest assured Adam’s got his nutritional needs met. He starts the day with a six egg omelette.”
Jolene frowned at Clover. “You don’t cook for your boyfriend?”
Clover’s eyes got wide as saucers. “No, I do… sometimes! Boa—I mean, Jamie’s taught me how to cook a lot of things.”
“Well, you better learn fast if you ever want a ring on your finger.”
Pyro bit on the inside of his mouth in a bid not to laugh, but Boar still stepped on his foot under the table in warning. Clover got so pale he was starting to look sickly. Something needed to be done.
Tank cleared his throat. “We’re not there yet.”
Jolene rolled her eyes as if he were the unreasonable one. “You’re almost forty. I tell you from experience that once you hit that mark, your body crumbles. Better tie him to you while you can still satisfy him.”