Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Without missing a beat, Sylvia blurted out, "Well, handcuffs come in a pair."

The moment the words left her mouth, the shop owner caught on, grabbed another handcuff, and promptly snapped it onto Rupert's wrist.

"There you go, a pair! Now when you two hold hands, it's like wearing handcuffs."

Only then did Sylvia realize that ever since the shooting range, Rupert had been holding her hand the whole time.

She tried to wriggle free, but his grip didn't budge an inch. Frustrated, she glared at him. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Rupert didn't even bother denying it. Still holding her hand, he just said, "This thing's pretty ugly, you know."

Ugly, yet you convinced the shop owner to slap another one on you. Real smooth.

The cheap metal of the handcuff looked even more ridiculous next to his watch, which probably cost as much as a new car.

Sylvia turned around. The group of men who had been tailing her earlier had vanished without a trace.

She shot Rupert a look. "Who were those guys? You definitely know."

Rupert hesitated for a second, his voice dropping cold. "Don't worry about it."

"If I don't worry about myself, who will?" Sylvia snapped back, her patience wearing thin.

His words faded into the background, swallowed up by the noisy crowd.

Sylvia thought she caught what he said, but she couldn't be sure.

By the time she snapped out of it, she found herself standing outside a little diner -the kind of greasy spoon that served the best burgers and fries in town.

an empty table outside,

handed her the

diner's sign. It was exactly the place she'd

frowned. "Have you been

I have that much free

her eyes, realizing how paranoid

the menu. "Uncle Rupert, you

not in

"If you're so

out a cigarette, cupped his hand around the lighter, and kit up with a

haze of smoke, he half-lowered his eyes.

quickly, and she dug

his gaze unreadable—intense in a way that made her nervous, but

out his cigarette in the ashtray and said quietly, "Don't leave

about those men from earlier, Sylvia had to

napkin, but all that was left was an empty

chin were slick with burger grease, so she started to get up

for more napkins. But Rupert caught

pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket-decorated with silly cartoon

could even

corner of her mouth with the tissue, making

in a

caught her off guard.

she noticed people at the next table staring that she snapped out of it,

away, and wiped