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.“Can I please talk to him?”“Well, I guess we know how we rate,” Lacy muttered.“Oh, that hurt,” Sue said.Jason looked from them to Kathy.“I heard he got through the surgery fine, and they’ve moved him to a safe house to await the trial.But they don’t allow phone calls.”Kathy felt her throat tighten, but she swallowed that super-sized lump down.“Why not?”Jason held up his hands.“I didn’t make the rules.”Kathy faced Lacy and Sue, who from their downtrodden expressions, felt ignored.Since nothing was more pathetic than two dejected pregnant women, she walked over and embraced them.The group hug drew out.The women’s arms held Kathy so tight that the stupid lump in her throat rose back up.This time, she couldn’t stop the tears.“Lord have mercy,” Sue said, sniffling.“You scared the pee out of us.”“I’m sorry.” Kathy wiped the tears from her face.“Let’s go to the kitchen.” They walked into the small, sparsely furnished room.The U.S.Marshal now sat at the table, flipping through the bug magazine.Kathy stared at him and pointed to the door.“Out.”He rolled his eyes, stood and joined Jason in the other room.“I guess you have him toeing the line,” Lacy snickered.Kathy sniffled and looked at her friends.“You gotta help me break out of here.I swear, I’m going bat-shit crazy.”“I don’t think we can break you out, but we did sneak you something in.”Lacy pulled a small bottle of Jack Daniel’s from her purse, which Kathy took and hugged like a long lost friend.“God, I love you guys.”The trio sat down at the table.Sue found some glasses, filled two with water, for herself and Lacy, and poured a couple fingers of whiskey into the third.Kathy picked up the glass, ready to feel the burn and hoping it might relieve some of the ache in her heart, and she forced herself to take a little sip.Heat slid down her throat as the smell filled her nose.“Goodwill sends his love,” Sue mentioned.“Oh, gosh! I forgot to ask about him.How is he?”Sue smiled.“He’s giving my cats hell.But he’s so sweet.I think I’ve finally talked Jason into our getting a puppy.”“Thanks for keeping him,” Kathy said.“I don’t know why they wouldn’t let me keep him with me here.”“You’d have to walk him,” Lacy pointed out, “and they don’t want you outside.”“I guess.” Kathy picked up her glass again and took another small sip.“Okay,” Sue demanded, no sooner than Kathy set her glass down, “you’ve had the truth serum, now spill it.”“It was awful.Terrible.” Kathy took another sip of Jack.“It was?” Sue asked.Lacy giggled.“I don’t think she’s talking about the sex.”Sue chuckled.“Well, duh—what does she think we came all the way over here to talk about?”Kathy couldn’t help but laugh.“How do you guys even know I had sex?”“Please,” Lacy said.“Both Jason and Chase said you were all over him.That there was only one bed in the cabin, and…well, Chase said it was really messy, as if someone had gone at it really good.”Sue jumped in.“And Jason said, even after the plumber was shot, he wouldn’t put his gun down because he thought they might hurt you.According to my husband, a wounded man doesn’t put his life on the line unless he’s gotten lucky.”Sue and Lacy both laughed again, but to Kathy the thought of Luke shot and trying to protect her didn’t seem funny.More tears threatened.“Why won’t they let me talk to him?” she muttered.“Stupid rules,” Sue complained.Kathy picked up her glass and swirled its caramel-colored contents.“They are stupid.”“Okay, we all agree it’s a stupid rule,” Lacy said.“Now that we got that figured out, spill it.”“Yeah, we want to hear the good stuff,” Sue said.Kathy brought her glass to her lips again.“There was a dead guy in a porta-potty.”Sue’s and Lacy’s mouths fell open.Kathy knew this wasn’t the story they wanted to hear, but for some reason she wasn’t ready to bare her soul about the sex.Maybe after a few more drinks.“How did he get in the porta-potty?” Sue asked.“That’s still a mystery.” Kathy went to take a big gulp of whiskey, but only managed to get down a sip.“But the funny part was, he had the perfect hat.”Kathy told them the whole story.She went back to the beginning and explained being at Luke’s when the gunfire started.Her friends’ reactions changed quickly.But when she got to the part about the cabin, Kathy paused again, still not wanting to share.“And…?” Sue said.“Okay.” Kathy held up her hand and knew she wasn’t going to get out of telling them at least part of what happened, though some details were too raw to share.Or too special.“I slept with him.I’m not really certain what it means.He says he’s coming back but…you know how men say one thing and then do another.” Her throat felt tight, and she swallowed really hard.“If he said he’ll be back, I bet he’ll be back,” Lacy said
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