CHAPTER 16
Two days ago
Fairfax
Ash Riley
“Are you shittin’ me?” I exclaimed.
“What?” James asked, startled.
I grabbed the offending little duck frominside my lunch containerand held it up. “I’ve fucking had it with these things, man. They’re not my daughter’s, they don’t come from any kid who occasionally stops by the office, and they’re sure as fuck not mine.”
Someone was fucking with me, and I couldn’t figure out who.
Had this been a recent thing, I would’ve suspected one of the brats in Mclean. But this had been going on for months now.
I jumped off the tailgate of my work truck and strode over to the nearest dumpster, where I threw it away. We were in the middle of a worksite, so I didn’t suspect anyone here of messing with me, that was for damn sure.
Motherfucker. Now I couldn’t eat my lunch in peace without seeing a goddamn duck?
They’d been varying in color lately too. Before, they were all yellow, but I’d found blue ones, pink ones, and green ones as well. This one had been blue.
“Should we go through your list of enemies?” James joked.
“I don’t have enemies. I’m too lovable.” I huffed and returned my attention to my turkey casserole. “That said, I do have a short list of suspects.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded, mouth full of food. At the risk of turning into Lily, my lunch lacked ketchup.
My food was lacking altogether these days, though. Nate and I had been a team. I was decent on my own, but together, we’d crushed it.
“My nieces,” I said. “With Theo’s help, obviously. They’re too young on their own.” Theo and Claire had sworn their girls had nothing to do with the ducks, but I wasn’t entirely convinced yet. “Theo and I were good at pranking each other back in the day, and I once sent him an air freshener in the mail every month for almost two years. I wrote poems about how bad he smelled. I started when I was like…seventeen or something.”
James chuckled with a mouth full of chicken Alfredo that Jordan had made.
I was a little envious, I couldn’t lie.
“So, next time you’re there, go snoopin’ for plastic ducks in your nieces’ rooms,” James said.
I nodded and wagged my fork at him. “Solid idea. We’re supposed to play board games with them on Sunday, Mikey and me. And you know what? I can threaten them. If they don’t fess up, they can’t play with the latest family member.”
And that was Paws. Penelope had given me an actual kitten as an early birthday present, so guess who was no longer dying alone.
This guy.
Provided that the cat lived till he was thirty.
“I’m glad you’re not going overboard or anythin’,” James commented.
Asshole.
I nudged his elbow with my own. “I’mglad you’ve gotten over the whole drunk debacle where you practically begged me to fuck you. Remember that?”
He snapped his mouth shut and scowled at me.
I grinned.
