Page 49

N eco took me straight to the brothel. Rowena would have been off school today and looking after Theda, so they didn’t see anything that went on outside. They probably would have heard about it.

The girls still giggled like they always did when they saw me.

“You’re still a legend if you want another go!” they called at me.

I threw a rude gesture with a wink and a grin so they knew I didn’t mean it.

“Watch it. That’s my girlfriend,” Neco growled.

“I wasn’t going to steal her. I was just saying if she wants to pay to spoil me again, I won’t complain.”

“Look at Neco,” I said. “I’ll bet he spoils for free.”

“You’re lucky, because we’ve been asking, and he never takes us up on it. He treats us like his sister.”

“That’s probably for the best because it means he’ll protect you like Rowena.”

Neco tugged me away.

“They are going to get pretty graphic because they know what you are like in bed, but not me. They love shit-talking on their down time because they can’t do it when they are with a John unless they pay for that.”

“Noted.”

Neco took me to his apartments. Theda looked like she was feeling better like Mom was, but still wasn’t at one hundred percent. Rowena practically snarled when she saw me and I really didn’t want her to punch me in the tit again.

“So, Lance is really Lucy. I’ve been in love with her since we were kids, but I thought she was my brother, so I started this whole feud with her. It was my fault, Rowena, not hers.”

Rowena’s face brightened.

“So, I did good when I chose to punch you in the chest instead of the dick because you don’t have one!”

“Good thinking, runt,” Neco said, ruffling her hair.

“Excuse me, as the owner of the tit she hit, it hurts. Would you like a sympathy dick punch?”

“My sister would avenge me.”

“I would.”

I fell out laughing because Rowena would definitely maul me and I wouldn’t lay a finger on her because she was just a kid. Neco joined me. Theda looked at us like we were both insane and Rowena just smiled shyly.

“Well, I’m happy you reconciled with your friends, but I could have told you that your best friend wasn’t your brother.”

Neco rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“She could have, too, if I’d just asked her. I didn’t handle it well at all.”

“Do I need to punch you in the dick?” Rowena asked solemnly.

“I’ll hold him down,” I said, tackling Neco and tickling him.

Most people in Guttertown didn’t know that the big, brooding, one-eyed giant happened to be really ticklish when he was a kid. Neco yelped, but Rowena just dog piled on him because, apparently, she knew this and he was the same as an adult.

I caught Theda staring as we held Neco down and tickled him. Her kids were the most important thing to her, even if their father was a total arse. She looked content. Probably happier than I’d seen her since they had to go to the brothel.

I got it. It was probably hard on her to when Neco decided to cut everyone out to go on his assassin mission to protect Theda and women like her because all Theda saw was Neco isolating and not talking to his friends.

I loved Neco, and really much more than just a best friend, but he was a complete moron with tunnel vision sometimes.

We were just going to have to keep him close and make sure he didn’t do shit like that anymore. We weren’t kids anymore.

Neco’s tunnel vision could get him killed now.