Page 48
Story: Playing With Fire
“Well, I don’t want Maggie on my bad side.”
“Knight, why the hell are you acting like this?”
He grinned at me, his smile way too toothy for the man I knew. “Taking care of a friend? It’s what I do.”
“It’s not what you do,” Hunter grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You never help anyone unless it’s life or death.”
Knight frowned. “That doesn’t sound at all like me. Oh, and you should see what I got! I ran by the mall the other day and they had these really cool man bags.”
He spun his belt and revealed a fanny pack around his waist. “Isn’t it awesome?”
“No,” I stood suddenly. “This is all wrong.” I started pacing the room. It wasn’t Knight who wore the fanny pack. It was Craig. “I can deal with a lot, but I can’t deal with Knight wearing a fucking fanny pack!”
“It’s a man bag,” he argued. “And besides, it holds everything you could possibly need.”
“Does it hold a gun?” I snapped.
He gave me a funny look. “Why would you need a gun?”
“Right,” Hunter nodded, eyeing me closely. “Because we don’t use them.”
I played along and nodded. “Right, silly me.”
“Anyway, everyone’s meeting in the training area. Lola’s going to give us all some tips on self-defense. It’s going to be so cool,” he grinned. “Should we all go together?”
Like I needed anyone to give me self-defense lessons. Still, it would help me to figure out how much everyone else knew about what was going on if I saw them all working as one. “Yes, Knight. We should all go together.”
“Man, I just love when I get to hang out with you guys,” he smiled. “I feel like I’m part of the cool club.”
I glanced over at Sinner and shook my head. This was going to be an interesting experience.
“Man, I’m so stoked for this,” Knight grinned as we walked into the training area and lined up against the wall.
Lola was already in the center of the ring, warming up with Claire, who did some fancy footwork before swiping the legs out from her opponent. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, but it was when Claire delivered a knockout punch that I really started to worry about my sanity.
“Aren’t they amazing?” Knight asked, his eyes wide with amazement. “I wish I had even half the talent they had.”
I turned to Knight, jerking my chin at him. “Just what exactly did you do before you took over in reception?”
He looked at me funny. “You should know. You’re the one that saved my butt.”
“You mean in the fire.”
He eyed Hunter skeptically before slugging me in the arm, barely hard enough to even leave a slight bruise. “Sure, it was the fire,” he joked. “You know, if it weren’t for Kate…” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.”
Shaking my head in confusion, I turned to Hunter, but he didn’t get it either. “I’m confused. How exactly did I save you?” I asked warily.
He looked at me solemnly. “You’re so modest. I think it was God that sent you.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were my savior in my hour of darkness.” He looked back over to the ring and sighed. “If Kate hadn’t met you at the clinic when you were first diagnosed with diabetes, we never would have gotten out of the jungle alive.”
Hunter nudged me, stepping forward. “Remind us what happened there?”
“I was preaching the word of God to my flock when this amazing woman in the Amazon jungle—Kate—stormed into my life. She was so full of life, I didn’t even know what hit me.”
“Wait,” I stopped him. “You were preaching?”
“Knight, why the hell are you acting like this?”
He grinned at me, his smile way too toothy for the man I knew. “Taking care of a friend? It’s what I do.”
“It’s not what you do,” Hunter grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You never help anyone unless it’s life or death.”
Knight frowned. “That doesn’t sound at all like me. Oh, and you should see what I got! I ran by the mall the other day and they had these really cool man bags.”
He spun his belt and revealed a fanny pack around his waist. “Isn’t it awesome?”
“No,” I stood suddenly. “This is all wrong.” I started pacing the room. It wasn’t Knight who wore the fanny pack. It was Craig. “I can deal with a lot, but I can’t deal with Knight wearing a fucking fanny pack!”
“It’s a man bag,” he argued. “And besides, it holds everything you could possibly need.”
“Does it hold a gun?” I snapped.
He gave me a funny look. “Why would you need a gun?”
“Right,” Hunter nodded, eyeing me closely. “Because we don’t use them.”
I played along and nodded. “Right, silly me.”
“Anyway, everyone’s meeting in the training area. Lola’s going to give us all some tips on self-defense. It’s going to be so cool,” he grinned. “Should we all go together?”
Like I needed anyone to give me self-defense lessons. Still, it would help me to figure out how much everyone else knew about what was going on if I saw them all working as one. “Yes, Knight. We should all go together.”
“Man, I just love when I get to hang out with you guys,” he smiled. “I feel like I’m part of the cool club.”
I glanced over at Sinner and shook my head. This was going to be an interesting experience.
“Man, I’m so stoked for this,” Knight grinned as we walked into the training area and lined up against the wall.
Lola was already in the center of the ring, warming up with Claire, who did some fancy footwork before swiping the legs out from her opponent. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, but it was when Claire delivered a knockout punch that I really started to worry about my sanity.
“Aren’t they amazing?” Knight asked, his eyes wide with amazement. “I wish I had even half the talent they had.”
I turned to Knight, jerking my chin at him. “Just what exactly did you do before you took over in reception?”
He looked at me funny. “You should know. You’re the one that saved my butt.”
“You mean in the fire.”
He eyed Hunter skeptically before slugging me in the arm, barely hard enough to even leave a slight bruise. “Sure, it was the fire,” he joked. “You know, if it weren’t for Kate…” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.”
Shaking my head in confusion, I turned to Hunter, but he didn’t get it either. “I’m confused. How exactly did I save you?” I asked warily.
He looked at me solemnly. “You’re so modest. I think it was God that sent you.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were my savior in my hour of darkness.” He looked back over to the ring and sighed. “If Kate hadn’t met you at the clinic when you were first diagnosed with diabetes, we never would have gotten out of the jungle alive.”
Hunter nudged me, stepping forward. “Remind us what happened there?”
“I was preaching the word of God to my flock when this amazing woman in the Amazon jungle—Kate—stormed into my life. She was so full of life, I didn’t even know what hit me.”
“Wait,” I stopped him. “You were preaching?”
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