Ralphie adored him and, talking with Bex about it, she agreed with Buddy’s assessment of Hector’s behavior and admitted she even trusted him and Bex didn’t have a high opinion of men, what with working at a rape crisis center that was a job hazard.

Even so, they were about to break Sadie’s confidence and Buddy didn’t like doing it.

And he hoped to all hell that they weren’t about to break her heart.

Buddy moved Sadie’s head, slid out from under her and carefully tucked a pillow under her, hoping he wouldn’t wake her. She moved, Buddy sucked in breath but she just curled her knees up higher, pinning YoYo, who didn’t mind and simply snuggled closer. She tucked her hands under her cheek in prayer position and stayed out.

Buddy let out a sigh.

At that point, Ralphie and Hector walked in the room.

Hector’s eyes immediately went to Sadie.

“She’s asleep,” Buddy whispered then, “kitchen.”

Hector’s gaze sliced to him and he didn’t even try to hide his look of tender concern.

At his look, Buddy knew.

Thank Christ, he thought.

They went into the kitchen and Ralphie closed the kitchen door as Buddy got three Fat Tire beers from the fridge.

He opened the beers while Hector asked, “How is she?”

“A f**king mess.” Ralphie answered and Buddy shot him a killing look. “What?” Ralphie responded to the killing look. “She’s been crying her eyes out and blathering on about learning to speak Greek. What’s that all about?”

“Learning to speak Greek?” Hector asked and Buddy slid him a beer.

They settled on stools at the island and Ralphie kept going, “Yep. Greek. She’s lost it. Says her father killed her mother and she’s got to learn to speak Greek. If that isn’t the hallmark of losing your mind, nothing is.”

Hector stared at Ralphie a beat and then put his elbow on the island, pressed his three middle fingers to the area between his brows and rubbed hard.

Buddy watched Hector, his heart clenching then asked, “Did her father kill her mother?”

Ralphie’s head snapped around to look at Buddy then he went pale and his gaze swung to Hector.

Hector took his fingers from his brow and took a long swig of beer.

Then he leveled his (fucking fantastic, Buddy had to admit, the color was so intense and those lashes, Jesus Christ, divine) black eyes on Buddy and said, “She got bad news today. Her mother’s likely dead, it’s an outside chance but her father could have done it, he had motive and opportunity.”

“No, please no,” Ralphie breathed then shut his eyes tight.

“I knew about it but didn’t want her to know,” Hector told him. “The boys agreed with me, Lee, his brother Hank, my brother Eddie,” Hector explained. “She forced my hand, asked Lee to find her Mom right in front of Tom. Tom knew her mother. He’s a friend of her family she didn’t know she had. He wants her back in the fold. He wants to protect her like he feels he should have been protecting her since her Mom disappeared. To do that, he wants her trust so he wanted nothing between them. I didn’t like it but I agreed. It was the wrong choice, at least now, it was too f**kin’ soon.”

“Not much more she can take,” Buddy decided.

“Nope,” Hector agreed.

Buddy and Hector stared at each other unhappily.

Ralphie’s eyes reopened.

“What are we going to do?” he asked.

“What you been doin’,” Hector answered simply.

“I’m not sure Auntie Mame and Veronica Mars are going to soothe the soul of a recently raped girl who just found out her father might have killed her mother. That’s beyond the powers of Tinseltown,” Ralphie informed Hector.

Hector stared at Ralphie, likely, Buddy thought, wondering how he, as macho and heterosexual as they come, found himself sharing a beer in the kitchen of a g*y man who just used the words “Auntie Mame”, “soothe the soul” and “Tinseltown” in one sentence.

Buddy decided it was time to get down to business.

“You need to know a few things about Sadie,” Buddy said and Ralphie’s head snapped to him again, this time with the addition of narrowed eyes.

“What are you doing? I’m going to tell him,” Ralphie announced.

Buddy looked at his lover. “Ralphie, I’m tellin’ him.”

“I’m telling him, it was my idea,” Ralphie returned.

“Maybe so but he needs it straight, no exaggeration,” Buddy replied.

“I wouldn’t exaggerate!” Ralphie snapped.

Buddy gave him the look he deserved for uttering such a lie.

Ralphie glared back.

“Would someone tell me? I don’t give a f**k who,” Hector cut in, losing patience.

“What do you drink?” Buddy asked immediately, taking charge.

Hector looked at the beer in his hand then back to Buddy.

“No, stronger. Bourbon, vodka, gin…?” Buddy explained.

Hector’s eyes went intense and Buddy pulled in breath at the power behind his look.

Then Hector muttered, “Shit.”

“Shit is right,” Buddy muttered in return.

Hector sighed then said, “Bourbon. Jack, if you’ve got it.”

Ralphie went to get the Jack Daniels and three glasses.

They had three more beers and made a major dent in the bottle of Jack by the time they were done explaining what Ralphie called The Night of A Thousand Horrors Accompanied by Lemon Drops.

A night neither of them thought that Sadie fully remembered.

A night where she explained about her Mom, her father and her life.

This, Hector didn’t seemed surprised about so Buddy figured he knew.

A night where she talked about Daisy, the Rock Chicks, going to see Lee Nightingale, Hector being there and how that made her feel.

This, Hector also didn’t seem surprised about but his mouth got tight and his face went dark, likely, Buddy figured, with guilt.

A night where she talked about having no friends and living her life as an Ice Princess.

This, Hector took in without giving anything away but still, the air in the room changed, almost like it had gone electric.

A night where she described, in detail, what had happened with Ricky Balducci.

After what little Buddy shared (but clearly it was enough), Hector’s entire body got visibly tight, his face went scary dark and Ralphie cautiously removed all bottles from his reach.

“Hold it together, Hector,” Buddy warned. “She’s in the next room.”