I backed away. “All right, break it up.”
He twisted his mouth and returned to the fridge. I gathered our papers from the table and tucked them in a single file folder.
Crush rattled plastic. When I looked, he was tossing cheese slices at the dog, who practically inhaled them.
Christian shook his head. “Jaysus wept. You’re going to back up that mutt’s colon until he shites all over the place.”
Crush tossed the dog another piece. “I ran out of fucks to give.”
The red bullmastiff gobbled up another slice of cheese and walked back to keep an eye on Christian. He had a dark face with droopy jowls, but he was solid muscle.
“Oh, for feck’s sake!” Christian suddenly covered his nose and flew out the front door.
Confused, I went to go after him when I caught a whiff of what had driven him out. “Jesus, Crush. You need to start feeding him dog food. Do you really want all that gas in your house?”
Crush straightened his back. “I get gas. So what?”
“If you light up a cigar, you’re likely to blow this place up.”
He gave a rolling belly laugh, and it made me laugh right along with him.
“I’m serious. Stop giving him all that cheese.”
“Fine, fine.” He threw the dog the last slice and pitched the wrapper into the trash. “I was using food to train him.”
“I think the pet store sells special treats for that.”
“And I bet they charge an arm and a leg for it.”
“I’ll pay for all the expenses,” I said, patting the dog. “If you make him fat and lazy, he’ll be useless.”
Crush tied his goatee up with a small rubber band. “True. I liked the way he chased after your Vampire. What’s in the file?”
“Work stuff.”
“The same work stuff you won’t involve me in but you’re using my house for?”
“Have you talked to Ren?”
Crush scratched his ear. “Two nights ago. Why?”
“Did he say anything?”
“No. He’s keeping things tight-lipped now that you’re working on it.”
“Good. I want you to do the same. I don’t think we’ve got anything,” I said, lying through my teeth. “So if they’re sitting around swapping stories, they’re better off putting an end to all that gossip. You know how your friends run wild with ideas.”
“Give me a hug before you leave.”
My father never held back on his affection for me, and I loved the hell out of him for it. Every hug made up for all those years lost, and I wasn’t sure if he was doing it for him or me.
“I believe in you,” he said, squeezing me tight. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t name that dog Pickles. What if I named you after your favorite food?”
“Hungry Man is a respectable name.”
We both laughed, and for a brief moment, I forgot all about lions and tigers and bears.
Chapter 17
I stared at my dinner plate, my stomach turning.
Wyatt took off his hat and dropped it in his lap. “What the immortal hell is this?”
Gem spooned a helping onto Claude’s plate. “It’s my world-famous bacon macaroni salad.”
Shepherd lifted his plate to his nose and sniffed the mystery meal.
Viktor turned away from his liquor table and held up a bottle. “Who wants wine?”
Everyone but Gem simultaneously raised their hand.
“None for me,” I said.
Wyatt poked at the pasta salad with his fork. “What are the green things?”
Gem wiped her hands on her long apron, her fingernail polish every color of the rainbow. “That’s spinach.”
“And the orange things?”
“Jelly beans.”
Niko snickered. “Apologies. I need wine to prepare my palate.”
I lifted my glass. “I think I’ll have that wine after all.”
While Viktor filled our glasses, we quietly poked at our food. All except Shepherd, who shoveled it in.
Hunter fished out the candy, wiped each one with a napkin, and made a neat little pile next to his plate. Claude scooped out his and gave them to Hunter, who looked like he just won the candy lottery.
Shepherd buttered bread and set it on Hunter’s plate. “Eat some of that.”
When Hunter shook his head defiantly, Shepherd glowered. “You can’t keep skipping meals. I know you’re hungry.”
Wyatt spread his macaroni salad between two pieces of French bread. “Maybe you need to yank that tooth out.”
“Keep it up, Spooky, and I’ll extract your teeth with pliers the next time you get high on those mushrooms.”
“It’ll fall out when it’s ready,” Niko assured him.
Shepherd grumbled something inaudible before gulping down his wine.
“It’s my fault,” Blue confessed. “All that blood on the floor probably scared him. No wonder he doesn’t have an appetite.”
Shepherd laced his fingers together. “I know he needs to learn about what we do and what happens when we get hurt, but maybe he’s too young.”
“Nonsense.” Viktor set down his glass. “If the boy lives here, he must see the dangers. It is the only way he will respect this organization. It is not an ideal situation, but we cannot shield him from the world. If he doesn’t learn the consequences, he will not make good judgment.”
“Decisions,” Gem said quietly.
“Da. He is part of our family now, and there is no guarantee that he won’t overhear things he shouldn’t. We must teach him the importance of secrets. He must also know that there is always a chance one of us may not come home.”
Shepherd finished his drink. “I gotcha, but he’s also a Sensor. He didn’t have his gloves on.”
Viktor nodded. “Understood.”
Claude set another jelly bean on Hunter’s plate. “Maybe we can move this morbid conversation to another night. You’re frightening him.”
“Where’s the girl?” I asked, glancing at the empty booths on the other end of the room.
“Kira is looking after her.” Viktor studied a macaroni noodle on the end of his fork. “That is why we have this wonderful dinner Gem has prepared for us.”
Wyatt snickered.
“The girl would not allow Switch to watch her, so Kira cannot return to her duties,” Viktor continued, deciding to risk a bite of the pasta. “I have given Kira time off for next few days. She will stay with the girl day and night until we have resolved that situation. Until then, we are on our own again.”
“I’ll cook,” Claude volunteered.
“Dishes,” Blue chimed in.
Wyatt set down his half-eaten sandwich. “I’m not doing laundry.”
Viktor lifted his glass. “Then you light candles. Shepherd will wash clothes.”
Wyatt’s shoulders sagged. “Wait, I’ll do laundry.”
“Too late,” Shepherd said with a chuckle.
Wyatt held up his sandwich. “It’s not fair. Candles are a full-time job. And then I get wax all over my shirts.”