Page 112 of Brandt's Rule

Carnage laughed, while he nodded enthusiastically.

“It was my idea,” Destroy said, still a little put out all these years later over the fact that Carnage took over his idea.

~~~

They misted to just inside the tree line, within a few hundred feet of the two lane highway. “It’s right over there,” Brandt said, his arm still around Tempest’s waist, his fingers gently rubbing the skin there beneath her shirt.

She nodded. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“I’d have come for you be it hell or high water that stood in my way.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We made a lot of good progress. I think we both had some things to figure out about how to communicate.”

“True, but I’m still sorry,” Tempest said.

“Why?” Brandt asked.

“Because, whatever Destroy did to you, it must have been bad. You really, really stink,” Tempest said, wrinkling up her nose.

“Aw, come on, don’t you want to hug your male?” he asked, enveloping her in a bear hug.

“Oh, oh, no! Definitely not until you’ve showered. Twice.”

Brandt laughed, pecked her lips and led her toward the truck, his fingers linked with hers.

“I do have one request, though,” Tempest said.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Christmas Eve is tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Can we spend every moment until we need to go to your family’s…”

“Our family’s,” he corrected.

“…our family’s celebrations, locked in our house, making up?”

Brandt stopped walking, turned around to look at Tempest. “Oh, hell yeah. Best idea I’ve heard!”

Tempest laughed at him as he picked up his pace and all but ran toward the truck to get her home faster.

Epilogue

Christmas Eve. About 5:00 P. M.

Brandt eased open the front door of Kaid’s house and shouted. “Hey! Anybody mind if we join in?”

Janie shrieked and jumped to her feet, running across the living room toward the front door. She kissed Brandt’s cheek, then hugged Tempest. “You almost gave me a heart attack! Don’t do that again!”

“No, ma’am. I won’t,” Tempest said.

Bane hugged his son. “Hot damn. You did it! Good for you.”

“Merry Christmas!” Tempest said to everyone in the room as she was caught up in a flurry of hugs.