Who was now Liam’s lapdog.
“Yeah, I see you,” Alara called to the dog who was watching her with a very smug look. If dogs could have smug looks.
“Guys, this is Alara,” I introduced. “Alara, this is Charlotte and Liam.”
“And that is Tuna Roll the Traitor Trash Dog.”
“She your girlfriend?” Liam, looking to start shit, declared, judging by the smirk tugging at his lips.
“She’s probably family,” Charlotte whisper-yelled at him.
“You think I’ve had enough time to find a girlfriend since moving back here?” I asked Liam. “And she’s family-in-law. Alara is Ezmeray’s sister.”
“Not technically a Costa. The universe hates me that way,” Alara declared. “So, are you in the market for a dog? Because he looks like he is self-adopting himself to you.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Brio said, coming back with a line of much calmer dogs. “She loves that dog. He’s got a better wardrobe than she does.”
“Do I hear my baby sister?” Ezmeray asked, coming in from the kitchen.
“Hey, Ez. Need some help in the kitchen?”
“So you can burn it down? No, I’m good, thanks. I didn’t realize you knew Christopher.”
“Me and Chrissy? We’re old friends,” Alara declared, slapping me on the arm.
Ezmeray’s brows pinched at that.
“And by ‘old friends’ she means we met two weeks ago. And she may or may not have threatened me with a gun.”
“Oh, please. I washoldinga gun. Not threatening you with it.”
“I remember threats.”
“Then you need a cognitive test, old man. You’d know if I was threatening you. I’m very good at it. It would involve something very punchy and visual. Exsanguination, at least.”
“Or a piano wire garrote?” I asked.
Alara’s lips twitched for a second before curving into a smile. “Exactly.”
Suddenly very aware of both Ezmeray and Charlotte watching us with matching looks I couldn’t quite decipher, I tried to go for casual.
“I took over for Leo in the area where the pawnshop is,” I explained, choosing my words carefully in front of the kids. “Brio didn’t mention it?”
Ezmeray shot her husband a look.
Brio winced. “I was… at the office,” he explained.
The office.
That was what he was calling his torture room these days. I guess when you had kids, you had to be careful.
“I see,” Ezmeray said. “Well, it’s nice that you two met. Gun aside. Why were you holding a gun?” she asked.
“An abundance of caution.”
“Dunno if I like the sound of that,” Brio said. “What was going on?”
“Nothing that I can’t handle.” I didn’t know if her sister and brother-in-law were buying that. But I suddenly got the feeling she wasn’t being entirely truthful. I wasn’t going to call her out around her family. I made a mental note to pay a little closer attention the next time I went to the pawnshop.
