Marie sniffed indignantly. “Yes, well, we’ll see if they last.”
“On that note, I think it’s time for us to be going,” Riley said. “I’ll see you guys at Nick’s surprise party Thursday.”
“Yes. Please tell Wander we’re grateful for the invitation and we’re looking forward to seeing her,” Marie said.
“Who’s Wander?” Miguel asked.
“Tell Brian we said hello, dear,” Marie told Josie.
“I think that went well,” Jasmine said as they walked down the middle of the street.
34
5:46 a.m., Wednesday, October 30
“Put some pants on, man.”
A foot nudged Nick in the ribs. “Ugh. I don’t wanna go to school, Mom,” he grumbled.
“I’m not your mother, and I sure as hell don’t want to see your junk.”
Nick cracked open one eye and found himself staring up at a weary-looking Kellen and the ceiling of his office. The rug was rough and scratchy against his ass.
His cousin wheeled into view with a yawn. Brian’s glasses were crooked, and his chin was covered in blond stubble. “Still doing that sleep-stripping thing? Classic Nicky.”
“What time is it?” Nick asked, performing a full body stretch on the floor.
“Seriously, man?” Kellen groaned and turned his back.
“Almost dawn. We fell asleep digging through Lucore’s financials,” Brian said.
Nick got to his feet and gave Burt a good morning thump on the chest. “Hey, buddy.”
“Santiago, if you don’t put some damn pants on, I’m going to start punching you in the face,” Kellen said.
Burt let out a short, sharp bark and sprinted out of the room.
“I’m very comfortable with my body. I can’t believe the girls didn’t wake us when they came home,” Nick said, looking around for his phone.
“That’s because they didn’t come home,” Brian said, looking at his phone.
“What?” Nick barked.
Just then Riley, Josie, and Jasmine strolled into the room with Burt happily trailing them. They were a disaster, Nick noted as he covered himself with one of the reports they’d spent the night poring over.
All three of them were covered in dirt, their faces streaked with soot. Riley was wearing a sweatshirt that was four times too big for her. It saidBig Al’s Gymon the front framed in a pair of bulging biceps.
“Sleep stripping again, Nicky? Or did we just walk in on an orgy?” Josie asked. She pressed a kiss to Brian’s cheek and flopped down into his lap.
“You smell like pancakes and house fire,” Brian noted.
She ruffled her husband’s hair. “Did you guys know you’re under surveillance?”
“Seriously?” Nick snapped.
“There’s an unmarked car parked next door with a pair of heads with binoculars,” Josie explained.
“What did you expect, Nicky?” Kellen asked. “They’re looking for Sesame, Tommy, and the finger guy, and they don’t trust either one of us.”
