“The fuck isthat?” Dec asked as Malek signed for an enormous package. He helped get it in the door and his face lit up when he looked over at me. “It’s from Mexico.”
“Oh, my gahhh! Open it!” I wailed. We were both on the edge of our seats, waiting for two grown-ass men to figure out the complexity of a cardboard box. “You know…it’s actually impossible to underestimate the two of you.”
Sev snorted, biting off a hunk of her egg roll. “Solid, Bridge. Well done.”
“Holy shit…it’s—Viper, it’s acoffin.”
My heart sank, and the way Seven’s hand immediately went to her baby belly almost had me in tears. A coffin that size sends a message…and a really fucking dark one. That box isn’t even as long as the width of the counter. Sev’s skin turned as gray as her hair, and it won’t surprise me if she pukes into that plate. When Malek pulled the box apart…there it sat. A tiny, pink coffin the color of a ballerina slipper. I got confused when Malek looked over…smiling? I shot up and ran over.
“What in the fuck could possibly be funny right now?”
But then I realized it.
Not a casket…a coffin. The same as Sev’s. Rose pink. Dismembered metal rods laying in the box in the shape of an arc.
“It’s a coffincradle,” Dec smiled, wiping underneath one of his lenses. “A baby gift.”
Mal lifted the lid, and the inside was lined in white satin, a black teddy bear that looked like a voodoo doll, a card, and a long velvet black box. We followed him like nosy asshats while he took the box and the envelope to Seven.
“What’s it say?” she asked, lowering her plate to sit next to her.
I recognize the penmanship. He really does have the handwriting of a serial killer. There was a photo of Simon and the waitress I almost murdered…and a note. Sev read it out loud. Extra points for reading it exactly how Simon talks.
“For princess. Congratulations. Box for Shamrock. He’ll need it.”She smiled up at Mal and he opened the box. It’s the most gorgeous knife I’ve ever seen. Looks custom-made with his initials carved into the gold and ivory handle.
“That ingenious little three-foot creep.”
I grinned, poking Malek in the cheek. “Are you crying?!”
“No!”
Dec helped Seven out of the coffin and she went to go look at the cradle. I really hate that my immediate thought was something terrible. Maybe I’ll always be looking over my shoulder. Maybe I’ll always expect the worst every time we feel safe…or happy. But I do know one thing…
I’ll always be fucking ready.
And they’ll never take another damn thing from us.
“I still can’t believe this chap ended up on some exotic beach with a spicyLatina. Surely tofuck, he’s gotta have at least three or four inches on us, dude.” I covered my ears…but not my eyes. And Sev looks like she’s about to lose it.
“Oh, she’sspicy, is she?”
Uh oh…
“Viper…baby, I didn’t mean—”
“She’sspicy?! Why don’t you come on over here,Sir Charms…I got somethin’exoticfor you!” She stabbed a plastic knife into one of the takeout boxes and I covered my mouth, trying to reel in my explosive laughter.
“Sev…love, I just meant that—I mean, come on. It’sSimon. You’re really gonna say you’re not impressed and buggered out that he ended up with a lass likethat?”
Oh, Mal…no. No, no, no…
“Likewhat? Not huge and bulbous? Not pissing herself every time she sneezes? One that doesn’t have goddamnhippo hipsand an ass the size of a dump truck?!” Her shoulders sagged, and her chin fell…and cue the waterworks.
“Oh, your dump truck is fuckin’ immaculate,Nathair Bheag.” He rushed over, taking her shoulders and poor Sev just broke. Declan leaned into me.
“You made me fat! You fuckin’ did this to me! I gotta grow a whole-asshumanand you get to add some hottamaleto your spank bank!”
“Told you…fightin’ for his life,” Dec whispered, covering his grin and squeezing his eyes shut. I elbowed him in the ribcage.
