She punctuated the statement by taking his hand and laying it down flat against her chest, where her coat didn’t cover her.

“That’s not your heart, ’Piece.”

“Is so.”

“I’m not complaining,” he said. “Not about that. Keeps my hand warm.”

She laid her hand down over top of his, sandwiching it there, and then pulled her coat around, to cover both of their hands.

“I don’t want to tell you to stop, but can you keep it where I can see it?” he asked. “I might need it.”

“I’ve got us covered,” she said. She used her free hand to move her jacket, which was open, showing off her midsection. There was enough missing that she’d been able to position two holsters so they were strapped around her spine and each other, the guns angled so she could reach down and draw one. Even when her coat was pulled tight around her body, the matched pistols wouldn’t show.

“Come on,” he said.

“If there’s trouble, I’ll give you back your arm. Yeah?”

“Fine.”

Considering, she shifted the coat, buckling it at the top, still allowing for both of their arms and hands to be inside the coat, and left the lower half unbuckled, her midsection and the two pistols exposed and in reach.

“This shit is risky,” Disjoint said.

“Aw, buddy. Are you scared?”

“Aren’t you?” he retorted.

“Nah. I’m mostly worried we hiked this way for nothing. What are the odds that they see us in a car while driving here? If they even show up? It’s so fuggin’ stupid. If I’m scared of fucking anything I’m scared of being set up to do fucking stupid things for no fucking good reason.”

“Love hasn’t wronged us once. She’s smart.”

“Isn’t smarts,” Sidepiece said. “Smarts is what you learn from a book or teacher. Street smarts from a street teacher.”

“You don’t need to lecture me about street smarts.”

“I’m more street than you, anyway, I don’t think that’s what she’s about. She used to be law, before she was lawless. She’s got a good eye for things, and that’s where she shines, ’Joint.”

“A good eye even when she’s not looking, which makes me worry.”

“She’s looking. She’s not telling us about all of it, but she’s looking. What we’re doing right now? It’s so she can look. We’re trustworthy eyes.”

“Uh huh. Trustworthy.”

“Mostly trustworthy. But a week ago I saw her talk to this skank, woman was making booze in her bathtub and definitely not using the bathtub for its usual purposes. She was hanging around Love’s turf, trying to pawn off her bathtub booze, scaring off anyone who had a sense of smell. Right?”

“Uh huh.”