“You didn’t steal this puppy, did you?” Fitz clutches Pepper like she’s he’s first-born child.
“No one in their right mind would steal that dog. She’s neurotic.”
“Then whose is it?” Fitz won’t let it go.
“It’s my assistant’s,” I hiss out. “I’m dogsitting.”
“Oh my god, Seward was right.”
“Seward? Why are you talking to my concierge?”
“We’re poker buddies. He says he thinks your biological clock is ticking.”
“What is the emergency?” I demand, setting my briefcase down on the floor.
“Right to business, huh? Don’t you want a drink? We can talk about the new furry addition to the family.”
I brush past him into the living room, Pepper racing after me on her stubby legs. My brothers are all there. No one is bleeding, no one is missing any limbs, no one is at death’s door.
The pounding of my heart starts to subside.
“What the hell?” I yell at them. “Why did you call me over here?”
“Geez, sorry we interrupted your work time.” McCarthy rolls his eyes.
Hawthorne begins diplomatically. “So, we called you here today—”
“Get the man a drink first.” Whitman shoves a tumbler filled with scotch into my hand.
“Like I said, there has been a new development,” Hawthorne continues.
“A puppy!” A little boy, maybe around six, races into the living room and throws himself down on the rug, blond hair flopping over gray eyes.
My lips thin. “That better not be your child, Hawthorne.”
“Please.” My brother snorts. “I know how to use a condom.”
“You said condom!” The kid shrieks in laugher, rolling around on the floor.
Pepper wags her tail and slathers doggie kisses over his face.
“You probably didn’t do a good job washing your face.” Whitman bends down to run a wet rag over the kid’s cheeks.
“No.” The scowl is settling in, tensing my jaw.
“Aww, Salinger, look—he’s so cute.” Whitman hugs our new little brother to his chest.
“You’re squishing me.” The kid wiggles out of Whitman’s arms.
“No. Get rid of him.”
“What, like drown him in Puget Sound?” Whitman asks.
“No, asshole. Send him back to the East Coast.”
“Ooooh, you said a bad word. I’m telling.” The kid is bouncing around me like a rabbit.
I grab him by the scruff of his neck. “Look, you little runt.”
