Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series Hayley Lawson (ebook reader play store .TXT) 📖

had basically ended? No, because Leandro hadn’t told him. It had been a nightmare. Massimo had suggested Leandro pop to Home Depot or Lowes to get some paint, and laughed because those places no longer existed. Also, those stores hadn’t existed in Siberia, they had been in America.

His Pops loved to toss out references from around the world, which threw Leandro for a loop. It was like he was speaking another language at times, an old language from a dead world that Leandro had never lived in.

Leandro had gone to get the paint from the abandoned mall, which luckily for him had a hardware section. Massimo loved to remind Leandro that that was very unusual, that most malls in America were filled with clothes and stuff you didn’t need. Just things people had wanted because other people had them.

It had taken Leandro a few trips to the mall to get all the paint he needed for the church, and he had to admit that the effort had been worth it. The church looked good. The storefronts looked great as well, his Pops’ vision for Pinewood had worked well.

Massimo noticed his son’s distraction. It was okay, he would be alert enough for them all. He wondered if there were going to be any more Mad in Pinewood. He’d hoped that the massacre in the Old Dog would be the end of it, but their unexpected guest an hour ago—the Mad Ryder had taken care of—made him question how many other potential Mad were in Pinewood, how many had not yet completed the change. He tried to put those thoughts out of his head.

“Did I ever tell you what a wonderful job you did painting the church?” Massimo asked.

Leandro smiled. “All the time, Pops. All the time.”

“One thing I never told you,” Massimo paused for dramatic effect, “Was that you missed a bit.”

Leandro squinted at the church. “What? Where?” He said then placing one hand over them to shield from the sun like that would magnify his vision. “I can’t see it. Where is it?”

Massimo laughed. “Made you look!”

Leandro shook his head. “What? Pops!”

Massimo patted his son’s back. “You really did do a good job.”

“Thanks, Pops.” The two took a moment to drink in the view. They knew that Ryder and Carter were giving them some private time.

“Will you be all right?” Leandro asked his dad. “You put your heart and soul into the Old Dog.”

“So did you.” Massimo was right about that. Leandro had made a crazy number of runs to the abandoned mall. He had added it up once—he’d spent a year of his life going back and forth from the bar to his secret treasure chest.

It had taken Leandro years to find all the pieces for the bar. It was a very eclectic place, but Leandro was as proud of it as Massimo was. The people of Pinewood loved The Old Dog. It really was the heart of the town.

“I’ll be okay, Leandro. It was already ruined before last night’s fiasco.” Massimo frowned.

“How’s that?”

“Someone snuck Taylor Swift into the jukebox. I’m not naming any names—Leandro!” Massimo shook his head in disapproval. “It really messed with the English feel of the Old Dog. Once you screw with the ambiance of a place, there’s no going back to how it was before. I think we’ll have to do a complete remodel.”

Leandro ran his hands through his hair. The idea of being a wolf full time was becoming more and more appealing.

“Is your father/son moment over?” Carter asked as he headed past.

Ryder apologized. “Carter! I told him to wait, but you know what he’s like.” Massimo waved her off. “It’s quite all right. I was just explaining to Leandro all the fun work he has to do on the Old Dog. I think I may make it into an American sports bar. They love to hang stuff on the wall. I expect he’ll be spending a lot of time at the mall.” Massimo grinned.

Leandro knew his dad was saying this so he wouldn’t feel bad if he turned into a wolf full time, but if he kept it up, Leandro might just turn sooner rather than later.

“So now American singers will be fine on the jukebox?”

“Within reason.” The first place the gang stopped was the Old Dog.

Ryder felt bad for Massimo and Leandro. Last night they’d told Ryder and Carter how they had spent years building it so it would be just like an English bar would have been in the good old days.

Now it was far from that.

The first thing that hit them was a smell only comparable to Satan’s arsehole. It was the bodies of the people who had gone Mad.

They found Tightwad seated outside the Old Dog, drinking water from a beer glass. Clearly, the smell wasn’t affecting him like the others. More than once Ryder had wanted to gag.

Sadness contorted Tightwad’s face as he looked up from his empty glass to Massimo. “Don’t go inside, old friend,” Tightwad slurred. Morning drunk, and no one could blame him. “Nice sweater. Did you knit it yourself?” Carter asked as if he were completely unaware that the Old Dog was filled with the corpses of people they’d killed just last night. Ryder gave Carter a look of disgust for his lack of respect, and because she knew he was teasing Tightwad.

His sweater was God-awful.

Name a color, and it was on Tightwad’s sweater. It started off red at the neck, then switched to blue, then green, then yellow. The sleeves were purple, and the hem was bright orange. It was like he’d run out of yarn every so often and had to use another. There were also holes in it like he’d fucked up parts but carried on anyway.

Carter paid Ryder no attention, just focused on Tightwad, whose face was now a little less sad.

“Thank you. I did make it,” Tightwad told him proudly.

Carter winked at Ryder.

Damn, he’s good at cheering people up, Ryder thought.

“Thank you for your help last night,” Ryder