The fact was Mitch fucked her awake until she screamed. Then he slapped her ass and told her he “sure would love some waffles and bacon” while he walked off to take a shower. When she followed him to the bathroom and yelled at him through the shower curtain to make his own damn waffles and bacon, he reached out and yanked her in. They didn’t feel like getting condoms, so they made each other come with their hands and their mouths. When they got out of the shower, there was only one towel, and they spent five minutes fighting over it until Mitch hung her upside down by her ankles. And then he wouldn’t let her up until she called him “Lord High Mitchell the Great.” When he finally put her back on her feet, they had a slap fight over the whole “Lord High” thing, and Sissy got hold of the towel and took off running. She almost made it into her room, but he got to the door before she could slam it shut. Mitch insisted on drying her with the towel, but he shook her all over the place and kept the towel over her head until eventually she squealed and kicked at him.

When they finally got their clothes on, it was nearly lunch anyway, so they decided on heading into town to her brother’s diner for food since he served breakfast all day long and Mitch really had his heart set on those waffles. Mitch grabbed hold of the car keys and held them over his head so Sissy couldn’t get them. She, in turn, grabbed his nuts and twisted until he gave her the damn keys.

The thankfully short drive into town consisted of a lot of roaring and screams to “slow the fuck down!” which Sissy ignored as always. But now they were safely ensconced in a booth, and with his mouth full of food, Mitch couldn’t keep from asking her, “What is wrong with you anyway?”

It was while they snarled at each other over Sissy’s plate of fries that Brendon and Ronnie sat down. Ronnie’s cast had been removed, and now she wore an ACE bandage. In another day, her broken wrist would be nothing but a faint memory.

When Sissy glanced at Brendon, she realized something was bothering him.

“What’s wrong?” Sissy felt fangs slide across the flesh of her hand. They didn’t break the skin, but the meaning was clear. Eyes wide, she glowered at Mitch. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”

“Watch your mouth, Sissy Mae,” Sammy chastised from behind the register.

“Yeah,” Mitch chastised from across the table. “Watch your mouth.”

“Don’t make me come over there and rip out that tacky mane of yours.”

“It’s tawny. My tawny mane.”

“Dez is coming down here,” Brendon cut in.

Sissy and Mitch looked at Brendon and back at each other. Then they started laughing and couldn’t seem to stop.

“I don’t see what’s so funny.”

It took a moment for Sissy to get her laughter under control. “Dez. In Tennessee. That’s funny.”

“Aren’t you interested in whyshe’s coming here?”

“No. But I’m sure you can’t wait to tell us.”

“She’s coming down here because she thinks whoever tried to kill Mitch is coming here to finish the job.”

“Well, good luck to her getting into town without anyone knowing.” Sissy shook her head. “It ain’t gonna happen.”

Brendon ignored Sissy and said to Mitch, “I think you should go into Witness Protection now. Not wait until after the trial.”

Sissy’s whole body went sort of cold, then hot. She hadn’t thought about Mitch going into Witness Protection. For days, they’d been too busy having sex. But the thought of never seeing him again made her feel almost physically ill. But she wanted him safe, too.

“I can’t,” Mitch replied, finishing off the rest of the fries she no longer wanted. “I’ve got the game.”

Brendon glared at his brother for a good long while before he snarled, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, I’m not kidding. I made a promise. I’m not leaving until after the game. Besides, I think we have a good chance against those bears.”

Sliding out of the booth, Brendon stood. “Can I talk to you outside?”

“Not if you’re gonna yell at me.”

Brendon stared, and Mitch stared back until Sissy said, “Go with him before he yanks you out of the booth.”

Letting out a sigh, Mitch followed after his brother.

“You all right?” Ronnie asked, sitting back a bit when the waitress put a double chocolate shake in front of her.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because you got this look on your face when Shaw mentioned Witness Protection.”

“Yeah. Guess I forgot.”

“Shaw is torn between wanting his brother safe and terrified he’ll never see him again.” Ronnie sipped chocolate shake through a straw. When she stopped, she said, “And you can forget it.”

“Forget what?”

“Whatever you’re planning to do to O’Farrell. Forget it.”

“Who said I was—” Sissy stopped talking when a dab of whipped cream hit her between the eyes. “Was that really necessary?”

“It was because I know how your mind works. So let’s lay this on the table, shall we? You can’t call your Uncle Eustice and see if he can ‘handle things’ from where he is. Nor can you have his prison location moved so he’ll have a crack at O’Farrell.” Damn. The woman did know her well. “And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Mitchell Shaw, it’s that you killing a man, even to protect him, won’t win you any points.” She shrugged. “He’s got a hard-on for scumbags. He’ll do this, give up his entire life because he knows it’s the right thing to do.”