Tinsel in a Tangle

by Kimbra Swain

  “She is into something bad, Grace. She was out of it. She was lucid this morning, but I still didn’t want to leave Winnie. I can’t take the woman’s child though.”

  “She's destroying her body. I'll ask Matthew if he knows of a rehab I can send her to get straight,” I said.

  Kady shook her head. “She's been to all of them. She always relapses.”

  I sighed. Dylan entered carrying two large hams in a foil pan. “Why the sad faces?”

  “Talking about Bethany,” I said.

  “Levi told me she looked rough,” he said. “She goes back and forth. We can invite Winnie over tomorrow night to open presents. She needs family other than her addict mother, Cletus and Tater.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” I responded. He winked at me as he went back outside. Levi grabbed another box and hurried out.

  “Do you kiss and tell?” Kady asked.

  I blushed. I don’t know why, but I felt the heat rise to my face. “No,” I muttered.

  “Oh,” she responded while dipping helpings of sweet potato casserole.

  “Oh? What were you going to ask?” I prodded. Perhaps she needed reassurance that Dylan, and I were solid, and I had no designs for Levi.

  “Was it good? Even after all the fake fighting,” she asked boldly.

  The heat intensified in my face, and I looked away.

  “Oh, I see,” she giggled.

  “It’s really none of your business,” I quipped playfully.

  “Don't tell Levi, but before he moved to town, I always had a crush on Dylan,” she admitted. I froze in place.

  “What?”

  “Oh god, yes. Those blue eyes and that killer smile. I would have let him butter my biscuits anytime,” she purred.

  I dropped the container that had in my hand astonished that she would admit that to me. “Shit,” I muttered as I bent down to clean up the mess.

  She helped me. “I would never approach him now. He’s yours, of course.”

  I didn't want to respond to her, so I just grunted something that sounded like an affirmation. Cleaning the last of the casserole off my boots, I stood. She leaned very close to me. My personal space alarm screamed in my head.

  “I just always wondered if he had a big dick,” she muttered as Levi entered the room. A flash of anger washed over me, and I punched her in the face. She screamed as I lunged toward her. Levi hoisted me backwards by the waist. I struggled against him even knowing he was stronger than me.

  “You, filthy whore,” I spouted. She stood facing me with her hands over her nose.

  “Grace, stop it,” Levi begged. He put no power behind it, or I would have been subdued.

  Kady began to wail. “She broke my nose.”

  “Dylan!” Levi screamed. “Don't make me do it, Grace.”

  Dylan busted through the door and muttered, “What the hell?”

  Grabbing me from Levi, he dragged me out the door as I screamed profanities back at her. He pinned me to the wall by my wrists just outside the door of the community center. “Stop, now!” he ordered me.

  “Don't fucking talk to me like that,” I growled at him.

  “Fine,” he released me stepping back.

  The fire rushed out of me as I listened to her pitch a hissy fit inside the building. “Shit,” I mumbled leaning against the wall. “She was talking about you.”

  He took the step back into my personal space, but this time he leaned his forehead to mine. “Grace,” he said quietly coaxing me to explain myself.

  My lip quivered. I'd done the same thing he did with the peeping troll. “I'm sorry,” I said.

  He chuckled at me. It was like he knew. “What did she say about me?”

  “She admitted to having a crush on you before Levi moved to town,” I said.

  “I knew that, but my heart was taken,” he smiled. He didn't mean Stephanie.

  “She asked if it was good. The sex.”

  “What did you say?” he grinned thoroughly enjoying himself. Ego much?

  “I didn't answer her. I dropped a container of casserole. She helped me clean it up. When we finished, she stood almost as close as you are to me now,” I said as he snaked his arm around my waist. “She wondered if…”

  “If what?” he asked as he lightly kissed my neck. Brad glanced toward us, then back to his smoker.

  “If it was big,” I croaked.

  That damn smile. “So, you defended my honor?”

  “I broke her nose,” I said choking back a laugh.

  “My hero,” he said. He kissed me softly, but pressed my body against the wall.

  “Stop. Brad’s watching. I've had enough voyeurs,” I pleaded.

  He sighed, “Okay.”

  I heard my truck crank up. “Where is he going?” I asked assuming it was Levi.

  “Probably taking her to the med center,” he said. “I'll help you pack the rest of the food.” His hand found mine as we re-entered the building. Levi stood over Kady who sat in a chair with her head back. He held a hand towel over her nose.

  “Who has the truck?” Levi and I said at the same time. Dylan and I rushed to the door to see a trail of dust.

  “Fucking trolls!” I screamed. Dylan dialed Troy and pulled me along to his car.

  “Someone just stole Grace’s truck from the community center. It's full of the holiday meals for the needy,” he explained. “She and I are getting in my car now to try to catch him.”

  We sat in the car as he revved the engine. “Gotcha. I'll let you know,” he said hanging up. He flipped the phone into my lap and slammed the car into first. He shifted through the gears roughly jerking me around each time the clutch was released.

  The red Camaro darted down the road following the dust trail. After several miles, I saw smoke rising over a hill. “Oh, no,” I muttered.

  “Could be someone burning leaves,” Dylan offered.

  “You know it isn't,” I said. He backed off the accelerator as we created the hill. The downside was covered in small black containers, tiny shards of glass and trashed food.

  My truck laid on its side. The marks on the road clearly indicated that the truck rolled several times. Sitting on the driver’s side door. A thin troll sat with several containers shoveling food into his mouth.

  “Can I convince you to stay in the car?” Dylan asked as he shut off the engine.

  “If I get out, I'm gonna kill him,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Yeah. Stay here, pretty please,” he begged. I nodded and gripped my seat turning my knuckles white.

  I rolled the window down so I could at least hear the conversation.

  “What's your name, buddy?” Dylan asked.

  The troll shoveled a large handful of ham in his mouth. Realizing it was hot, he spit it back out. “Wow! That's hot,” he said. ]

  “Hey! I'm talking to you,” Dylan said.

  “Hey, Guy! I'm Ryan. Y'all have some really tasty meats in this truck. Well, it used to be a truck,” he laughed.

  I grabbed for the door handle, but the door locked. Dylan held the key fob in his hand. I spouted a profanity at him. “You see that Fairy Queen?” I shifted to my icy form as he stared.

  “Oh! Hello my queen,” he said waving.

  “I'm not your fucking queen,” I said punching the lock button. The door immediately locked back. I swore at Dylan again.

  “She's got one hell of a vulgar mouth, but her right hook will break your nose,” he explained. The troll reached up and rubbed his nose. “You are sitting on her truck.”

  “Oh, shit,” he said, as I shot him an icy stare.

  “My plan is to keep her in that car no matter how mad she gets, but you could help me out by climbing down and showing a little respect,” Dylan said, locking the door again as I unlocked it.

  “Sure, Guy. Glad to help. You probably won't get laid tonight,” Ryan said.

  Dylan looked back at me and grinned, “Sure I will.” I flipped him off. Unlock. Lock.

  Troy’s cruiser f
ollowed by a second crested the hill, slowing to park next to the Camaro.

  Unlock. Lock.

  Troy heard the locks click turning to Dylan. “She's pissed,” Dylan explained. I contemplated crawling out the window like the Duke boys, but I figured he’d just wrestle me to the ground. I decided to continue play with the lock just to get under his skin.

  “Clearly,” Troy said.

  “You got this?” he asked the Sheriff.

  Troy nodded. “Get her out of here,” he suggested.

  “Just need something out of the truck,” Dylan hoisted himself up on the door. I wanted until his hand were occupied.

  Unlock. Lock. “Almost, sweetheart,” he laughed at me. He leaned down into the truck. Unlock. Lock. I slammed the dash with my palms.

  “Ouch!” I muttered.

  He raised out of the truck with my gun in hand. I kept a Kimber Pro Carry 2 in my locked glove box. Dylan had the key. I sighed as he got in the car. I'd frosted the windows with my anger built up inside the car, but with one touch of his hand, the car defrosted and my normal appearance reappeared.

  “You done?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I muttered as I looked at the smoking remnants of my big, beautiful truck.

  “When we get back to the house, I’ll give you the keys to my truck,” he said.

  I shook my head. “No, Dylan, I can’t.”

  “Shut your mouth,” he threw at me. “I’ll give you whatever I want to give you.” He laughed as we pulled back up at the community center. We had a lot more packing to make up for what we lost, and I needed to apologize for hitting Kady.

  “I don’t like blue,” I pouted.

  “Fine then, walk,” he teased.

  “Maybe I will,” I said.

  He cut his eyes to me to make sure I was still joking. “I’ll follow behind you just to see that ass.” I slapped him hard across the arm while he laughed. He pulled up back at the community center laughing his head off.

  Levi stood outside waiting for us. “Is she okay?” I asked.

  “It’s not broken, but I can’t figure why you hit her,” he said.

  “She didn’t tell you?” He shook his head no. “Doesn’t matter. I need to apologize. Where is she?”

  “Her dad took her,” he said. “Where’s the truck? I just want to go home.”

  “The troll destroyed the truck. Rolled it at least 3 times,” I said.

  He thought I was joking. Then it settled in on his face. “No, really?”

  I sighed.

  “I’m going to see what all Brad has left. See if we need to make a trip to the store. You guys pack up whatever is left in there, and I’ll go get my truck,” Dylan said leaving us alone.

  “Levi, I’m sorry,” I said.

  “I just don’t get it. I know that this holiday has been fucked up with this troll shit and the witches. But what is the deal with Kady? We were finally getting settled again,” he whined.

  I hugged him just because he needed it. He had the softest heart that I’d ever known. Everything settled in on him, and his dark brooding returned. “Levi, she started a conversation about Dylan and me that I wasn’t comfortable talking about with her. She pressed it to the point where it was inappropriate,” I said impressing myself with my diplomacy.

  “Inappropriate? What do you mean?” he asked.

  Quickly losing my pride over diplomacy, I realized I was too vague. “She asked about us, together, in the bed.”

  “So? Don’t girls talk about that stuff?” he asked.

  “Hell, if I know Dublin? It’s not like I’ve got a ton of girlfriends,” I said. “I avoided her direct questions until she told me that she once had a crush on him before you moved to town. She asked about the sex and if it was good. Then she proceeded to ask about the size of…”

  “La, la, la, la, la,” he said sticking his fingers in his ears. “No more! No more!

  I laughed at him. “I still shouldn’t have hit her,” I said. He dialed a number on his phone and handed it to me.

  “Levi, you tell that wench that I’m going to kick her ass the next time I see her. You move out of that trailer right now. She’s nothing but trash,” she said without saying hello.

  “I’m sorry I hit you, Kady,” I said.

  “Grace?”

  “Here’s Levi,” I said shoving the phone back at him. “I said it. I won’t say it again. If you want to move, be my guest.” I stomped off into the community center. It was quiet. All the other volunteers had left, and the rest of the food was gone. Dylan entered the backdoor.

  “Brad is gone too,” he said. “Is that weird?”

  Cocking my head sideways at him, I said, “Do you really have to ask that in this town?”

  “I want to go home,” he said.

  “I want to go with you,” I said.

  “Well, then, let’s go.”

  We called Nestor to take Levi home, but he begged all of us to come the bar for coffee. The soul healing kind. Reluctantly, we agreed. We sat on three stools at the bar. There were a few patrons there watching television and playing pool. I sipped my coffee while next to me Dylan rested a warm hand on my thigh. On his opposite side, the dark-eyed bard brooded. Kady had blessed him out for calling her and passing me the phone.

  “I can’t believe she asked you that,” he muttered finally. It was the first thing he’d said to me since he handed me the phone back at the community center. He took a long sip of his coffee, staring into the cup.

  Remaining silent, Dylan wrapped his arm around my waist almost pulling me off the stool, but somehow, he managed to steady me and not let go. “Levi, I’ve known for years that she had a crush on me, but she’s with you. Who cares what she asked Grace? Maybe she was just trying to be friendly after everything that has happened,” Dylan offered.

  “Actually, I thought she was trying to make sure that I didn’t like Levi,” I admitted. “I really am sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing. There is nothing you can do about it. Now the truck is trashed, and we’ve still got to survive one more troll,” Levi slipped into deep brood mode.

  “She is going to take my truck, because I said so. Plus, it’s just one more,” Dylan said.

  “And their mother is coming to town. She’s probably fantastic,” I poured on the sarcasm.

  We all took sips of the coffee. Nestor went ahead and topped off each cup. Dylan dumped his regular two scoops of sugar in his, stirring it with a spoon. The bar door whooshed open behind us. I swore it was getting colder by the minute outside. Kady strode in with her hands on her hips. Her face was partially covered by a puffy coat hood with fur around the edges.

  “Levi Rearden, why aren’t you answering your phone?” she yelled.

  Levi dropped his head so hard it hit the bar. He proceeded to knock it on the bar multiple times.

  “Miss Rayburn, this is a business. Please keep your voice down, and for heaven’s sake, shut the damn door,” Nestor said.

  “Yes, sir,” she mumbled closing the door.

  Dylan let go of my waist and pulled me from the stool to sit at a table. The table from the night we played pool. “Let them talk,” he muttered. “But surely Levi could do better. She’s a little unstable.”

  “His first girlfriend was a voodoo priestess. I thought he was doing better,” I replied.

  “Point made,” he said pulling my chair right next to him. “You are too far away.”

  Leaning over, I put my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We watched Levi and Kady talk at the bar. Surprisingly, I couldn’t hear a word they were saying. Levi refused to look at her, either staring at his coffee or up at the television above the bar.

  “If the truck wasn’t wrecked, I’d say let’s just leave them, but I hate to leave him behind. Especially if they fight,” I said.

  We sat and watched them talk. Eventually, Kady left Levi sitting alone at the bar. My heart broke for him. He was too good to have to put up with a crazy woman. Other than me, of c
ourse. Standing from the chair, I grabbed our empty cups. Dylan let me get up and talk to him without saying a word.

  I sat the cups on the bar. “More?” Nestor asked.

  “No. Thank you, Nestor,” I said. Even though he was my grandfather, I still hadn’t gotten to the point where I called him anything other than his real name.

  “I suppose we are done,” Levi said with red eyes. Lord have mercy. If that woman made him cry, I was going to do more than break her nose.

  Putting my hand on his chin, I lifted his face to look at me. “She’s not worth it, Dublin. I know your heart desperately is looking for a home. It’s your nature. One day you will find it. I promise. Despite anything she’s done to me, I never wanted to see your heart break.”

  He swallowed, “Grace, I just want to go home.”

  “Alright. I’m going to stay here at the bar, and Dylan is going to take you back home,” I said.

  “I’ll walk. I need the fresh air,” he said.

  “Levi, it’s colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra. Let Dylan take you home,” I said.

  “No,” he said. “Thanks, Nestor.” He kissed me on the forehead and went out into the cold.

  Christmas Eve

  Sitting at the bar in Dylan’s beautiful house, I stared out the windows while sipping my coffee. I’d skipped the sugar. I’d rather taste it on his lips. He went for a jog. As I bided my time, my imagination went wild thinking about a hot and sweaty Mr. Sandy Hair returning. I’d had more sex in the last couple of days than I’d had the entire time I’d agreed to the contract with the Sanhedrin. I was nowhere near satisfied. Thankfully, he showed no signs of stopping either.

  Dylan technically wasn’t a fairy, but you would have never known with the libido. Last night as we laid in bed discussing the havoc over the last few days, he mentioned that he too started off with restrictions on a contract with the Sanhedrin. Once they realized he was different that most immortals, they released him to do as he wished.

  That’s when he met Stephanie. Or rather, when she threw herself at him one night at The Hot Tin Roof Bar. Dylan and Levi had something in common. They weren’t the one-night stand kind of guys. Over the years, Stephanie and Dylan kept up a relationship, but the entire time, she slept with whoever she wanted. He didn’t talk much about it, but I felt I should reciprocate his story.