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“Grace didn’t know that and Mae’s too young to understand”

“What can I say, Patrick? Bad day for Kev, good day forwell”

I sighed Trying to talk social conventions and concepts ofto explain cholesterol to a Big Mac

“Is Nelson still watching Grace?” I said

“Like a hawk”

“Until all this is over, Bubba, he can’t take his eyes off her”

“Don’t think he wants to I think he’s falling in love with the woman”

I al?”

“Packing Looks like they’re taking a trip”

“Where?”

“I don’t know We’ll find out”

I could hear a slightly deflated edge in his voice

“Hey, Bubba”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for looking out for Grace and Mae”

His tone lightened “Anytime You’d do the same for me”

Probably a bit more delicately, but…

“Of course,” I said “Should you maybe lay lohile?”

“Why?”

“Kevin ht come back at you”

He laughed “So fucking what?” He snorted “Kevin”

“What about Jack? He’ll probably have to save face, whack you for banging up one of his men”

Bubba sighed “Jack is all bullshit, Patrick That’s soerous, sure, but only to people who’re vulnerable Not to someone like ous amounts of manpower and be ready for an all-out war if he ave us rifles with no bullets That’s Jack He’s a rifle with no bullets And I’ a truck full of bombs around his embassy I’m death And Jack’s too pussy to fuck with death IEEPA”

“Eepa?” I said

“E-E-P-A The Edward Everett Protection Association The neighborhood vigilante group ’Member? Back in the seventies?”

“Vaguely”

“Shit, yeah They were all good citizens, all geared up to protect their neighborhood froers and spics and people who looked at ’eave , boy, that—”

“My old man?”

“Yeah Seeroup only lasted ot caught, I’ll give ’em that”

“When was this?” I said as sos in hteous voices and ice clinking in glasses and hollow threats delivered in reference to the car thieves and B&E operators and graffiti artists of the neighborhood