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The sickness inside me turns to raw anger.
I’ve been around animals my entire life. I’ve confronted death and sad things plenty of times in nature, but this...the transfer of a lion cub to monsters for nothing but filthy money makes me so furious I want to get up, drive back to the rescue, and slaughter Priscilla and Niles Foss with my bare hands.
Tonight, I’m thankful the truck is still broken down.
Because if it weren’t, I might be tempted to go berserker, and that wouldn’t turn out any better than running away. So I let my anger speak, and allow my revenge fantasies to pop off in my head through a haze of red.
I question calling Dad again, but I know he can’t do more than Grady.
Actually...
Dad wouldn’t even be able to help as much as Grady is.
Not when his contacts are official, and if the Fosses have minions like Bordell from the state helping them, there’s no telling how deep this goes.
I’m just more thankful than ever that I broke down at the Purple Bobcat, and not somewhere else.
That was Fate looking me dead in the eye and smiling.
Now, I just have to hope my luck holds and brings an end to this mess for everyone involved.
The next morning, after sleeping in short fits, I check on Bruce before returning to the house to cook breakfast. Grady’s up, sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal and a steaming mug of coffee.
His bearish presence makes me grin. I think he’s smiling back with those eyes full of mahogany shadows.
“I was only joking about the food poisoning, ya know.”
“I know, but I don’t expect you to cook every meal. Aunt Faye never cooked breakfast. That’s always been my job. She’d usually come over in the afternoons, to be here when the girls got off the bus, and she’d head home when I got back from the bar. If it was early enough, she’d leave before dinner, or if it was too late or too cold, she’d stay over till morning.”
The girls told me most of that, too.
I walk over and pour a cup of coffee.
“She’s been doing that for what, years? Spending her free time looking after you guys?”
“Yep, we’re her main family now. Uncle James died while I was in the Army, and my brother moved out of Dallas years ago. Faye’s kids, two boys and a girl, are all grown with families now, and they also live out of state. So Aunt Faye’s happy as hell to get her time in with the girls.”
“So you normally work at the bar every day?” I ask, taking a slurp off my cup. “I wish this time off was actually relaxing for you.”
He gives me a wry smile.
“Nah, I try to duck out on weekends unless there’s a big event going on or something. I try to leave by ten most nights, too, just so Aunt Faye can get home before it’s too late.” He smiles thoughtfully. “Lucky for me, my latest batch of hires is holding up pretty well. Takes the load off my shoulders, and it might also have something to do with folks thinking the Bobcat’s where all the big adventures begin. The young folks want to be there at ground zero for the excitement.”
“Adventures?” I blink.
“For sure. A lot of the ruckus we’ve had in Dallas the last couple years started at my bar. First with Ridge and his now-wife, Grace. She came blowing in one night with her sick father and these scumbags in hot pursuit. Then there was Faulk, who crossed a real nasty group of folks when he was in the FBI. They came sniffing around after him, and I was careful to tip him off. Even old man Reed used to step in for a drink and a little schemin’ with Drake, back when my buddy was just his bodyguard instead of a cop.” Grady kicks back in his chair, slurping his coffee, his eyes somewhere else. “Guess it’s my turn to get mixed up in the thick of it, seeing how Faulk wound up settled down with his ballerina.”
I’m about to ask him more about the crazy happenings he’s seen when little feet come plowing into the room.
The girls are at his side in seconds, greeting him with a big group hug.
“Dad! We got a text from Aunt Faye. She’s asking about our cool new nanny. What should we tell her?” Avery grins, a couple cute little gaps in her mouth from missing baby teeth.
We talk it over briefly.
Grady reminds them not to mention Bruce in any way, shape, or form.
I happily agree to a selfie with the duo, so they can send it back to her, and listen to the long list of things Faye wanted to pass along about the house, and most importantly, the freezer full of meals and casseroles that just need to be thawed and heated.
