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THIRTY-SIX

That was how I ended up getting arrested You kno things see, but later, when you can sort of step back and take a good look, you see how they were really linked?

Yeah, none of that happened Sinclair and I (and Tina, and then Nick) went after Antonia and Garrett, and I got arrested, and the whole thing was stupid and a huge pain in my ass, and it didn&039;t help that Sinclair found the whole thing sort of hilarious The rate ere going, the thought of turning hinant all the time, how&039;s that for weird and sad?

"And just what the hell is that?"

"A Kimber Custom semi-auto, Majesty," Tina replied, always soooo polite She did so to the pistol, which was all shiny and steel-ey, and it irl (goose and duck hunting with irl (just because it was always so fun to try for a target two hundred yards away, and even et two hundred yards away) Beyond that, I knew poop-all about guns

It shouldn&039;t, but it always did: I always found it freaky to see tiny delicate looks-like-a-sorority-escapee Tina matter-of-factly reload a bench in a corner of our vast disgusting baseht soun cases, produce pistols like icians uess I so on our porch in hoopskirts and a bonnet, sipping mint juleps

I&039;d mentioned that to her once, and her reply had been succinct and respectful: "Mint triggersreflex, my queen" Not a sentence I heard asped as she popped the clip and examined it

"Yes, well" A ss"

"But why do you have that one?"

"Because I always try to buy A or not

"You think we&039;ll need a gun? We&039;re just going after Antonia to make sure she doesn&039;t eat anybody And Garrett because he&039;ll scare the neighbors with his nudenessill" (Minnesotans had a strong streak of the prude, especially in Noveun I had on me, Dread Queen," she assured un she had on her

"Shall we split up?" Sinclair asked, his ruainst the dark Antonia and Garrett had fled to

"Sure We&039;ve done almost every other stupid horror movie cliche over the last few years Why not? Is there a lake where sexy teens were killed, say, ten years ago tonight? Because that&039;d be the perfect place to split up"

"I love you," the king told me, "but I do not always understand you"

"I know"

"There&039;s no need to split up Antonia went that way, and of course, Garrett is right behind her If we get , we&039;ll-"

Which hen the cop car pulled into our drive, flashing cherries

"Oh, shit!" Then I cheered up "It&039;s just Nick"

"What the hell?" he asked, practically leaping out of the vehicle He lookedour shohich was alaron first? And is running around the neighborhood?"

"Yeah, but it&039;s-"

"She texted me 9-1-1! And she only does that when Byerly&039;s is out of chocolate-covered bananas! And they aren&039;t because I was there this afternoon and bought her a bunch uys!"

"It&039;s just Antonia," I soothed Frazzled freaked Nick was e wolf foroddaht and stressed, he didn&039;t notice Tina&039;s and Sinclair&039;s mutual flinch Instead he slammed his hand down on the hood of his car, and this ti pissy in the old timeline, but not hysterical Was I destined to screw up his life no ht "All those witnesses we had to interview again, and then Jess hasn&039;t been sleeping well so I haven&039;t been sleeping well, and then the thing with the bananas, and with the you froet it You&039;re swa a baby!" he reet The Gut That Walked Like Jessica

"When? Because there&039;s been some confusion" He just stared, like he had no idea what I could mean Fine, I&039;d deal with that issue later "Look, it&039;s being handled, okay?"

"Handled as in you&039;re talking to me in our drivehile a ho hborhood while being chased by her naked vahly he has no idea howyou up and turning you into a va sounds bad when you say it like that," I orously it looked like he was trying to knock hi sleep-deprived "Are you in charge or not?"

"I aht?

"So you&039;re responsible"