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.

was packed inside, so they grabbed an empty table outside, under a plastic canopy that

her the

diner's sign. It was exactly the place she'd been hunting for all

frowned. "Have you been

that much

eyes, realizing

the menu. "Uncle Rupert, you want

around, clearly not

you're so high and mighty, why are you

a cigarette, cupped his hand around the lighter, and kit up with a practiced flick. Even sitting under a

half-lowered his eyes. "Sylvia, I

together. Thankfully, their order arrived quickly, and

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

out his cigarette in the ashtray

Sylvia had to

all that was left was an empty

burger grease, so she started to get up

more napkins. But Rupert caught

pack of tissues from his pocket-decorated

could even

the corner of her mouth with the tissue, making

tingle in a way

caught her off guard.

people at the next table staring that she snapped out of

away, and