Despite their many marital difficulties and the fact that twenty years of marriage had cooled down most of the passion they’d once shared in the bedroom, Scott was still a good man.‘Don’t be afraid, baby,’ he told her. ‘This man just needs the car and he needs some money. If we don’t give him any trouble he’s going to leave us alone. Everything’s going to be all right if we just keep our cool and don’t do anything stupid.’He turned to Nathan. ‘Isn’t that right, sir?’Nathan smiled. ‘Right as a summer rain, my friend. You’re all going to be just fine. You have my word on that.’A moment later Marlene Aiken came into the kitchen to find out what all the commotion was about. Her jaw nearly hit the floor as she stared at them in disbelief. ‘What the fuck, you stupid asshole?’ she snapped, breaking the words off with her teeth like peanut brittle. ‘Get the fuck away from my dad!’Scott took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in his ribs. ‘Marlene, just shut up, OK, honey?
