Chapter 19

“Trust me. It was dark and stormy.” Carlos glanced over as if daring him to interrupt again. Steven shook his head, a faint grin on his face, and Carlos turned back to the road. “So this new kid, he was hideous, with cloven hooves and pointy horns, and a tail like a whip. It was—”

“A devil?” Steven asked.

“Am I telling this story?”

Steven snickered. Carlos threw him a warning look. “Don’t interrupt me again, mister. As my daddy used to say, don’t make me pull this car over.”

“And do what?” Steven teased.

Despite the closed look on Carlos’s face, a muscle in his jaw twitched, telling Steven he was trying hard not to grin. “I’ll pull your britches down and whip you.”

Steven’s eyes went wide, and he gripped Carlos’s thigh with both hands. “You promise?”

Exasperated, Carlos sighed. “Can I tell my story?”