Page 47 of Rescued

Dealer grinned. “Sorry. It was only a .22. Won’t do much damage to a big lug like Cisco. But it went in deep—they’re gonna have to dig it out with a probe. It probably hurts like fuck, if that makes you feel any better.”

“It actually does.” She was calming down now.

Dealer said, “They liked the cookies. I think they like you.”

“And this is how they show it? What are they, twelve?”

“Pretty much,” Dealer and Switch said together. Dealer added, “Socially, anyway.”

Breanna rolled her eyes. “What about you guys?”

Dealer munched thoughtfully on a cookie. “Fifteen?”

Switch nodded. “That’s about right.”

“Argh.” She shook her head in disgust.

There was a knock on the side window, and Matéo pushed the sash up, Sanchez and Cisco crowding in behind him. Matéo said plaintively, “You weren’t serious about not making us any more cookies, were you?”

“You’re bastards,” Breanna snapped. “And I’m out of ingredients.”

Sanchez said, “You could get more.” Like he deserved any more cookies. But they all looked so despondent at the idea of not getting any that Breanna felt her heart softening.

But they needed to suffer first.

Switch helped by chiming in, “Hey! That shit’s expensive! I’m not paying to keep you assholes in cookies.”

Breanna shrugged and looked at Sanchez, her arms folded.

Sanchez sighed. “Well, what goes in them?”

Breanna narrowed her eyes, thinking, and then she went into the kitchen garbage and pulled out an empty chocolate chip bag. With egg gunk all over it. She walked over and handed it to Sanchez through the window. “It’s on there.”

He took the bag, wiped it off on Matéo’s shirt, and read the recipe. “This is only for one batch!” he protested. “We need more than that.”

“Do the fucking math.” Breanna slammed the window down, barely missing his fingers.

Sanchez turned away, grinning, and he and his cousins got into a huddle around the chocolate chip bag, Cisco tapping the calculator app on his phone. He was still bleeding a little, the idiot.

Switch stared after them, mouth open, then looked at Breanna. “They do like you,” he said, sounding awed. “You’re like, the rabid wolf whisperer.”

She was. Huh. “Never underestimate the power of cookies. And doe eyes.”

Switch said, “Yeah. The cookies actually might have been a tactical error. They’ll never stop bugging you for them now.”

“Uh huh. Betcha I can get them to fix the roof.”

A slow smile spread across his face.

Dealer was looking at her admiringly. “I’ve always liked you, cookie babe. But now I like you even more.” Switch gave a soft growl, and he added hastily, “Like a sister. I like you like a sister.”

“Really? Then give back my bracelet.” She’d taken it off and left it on the side table when she was making cookies. Now it was gone, and she knew perfectly well that Dealer had palmed it.

She’d already learned you had to check your valuables when he was around. But he usually gave them back.

He grinned and pulled it out of his pocket. “What, this old thing? I don’t even know how that got in there.”

She held out her hand, and he passed it over. Breanna shook her head.