Page 115 of Oddly Fine

“Well, boys, you planning on taking my bag? Or are we just going to stand here all day?” she said, as she stopped petting Nickel and pointed to the backpack she’d dropped at her feet.

Beckett snorted and grabbed a strap of the backpack, swinging it over his shoulder, finding it much heavier than he’d anticipated.

“You been hiking the Kilimanjaro with this thing? Jeez—” he complained, as Hayes led the way to their car. Beckett gestured for Adeline to follow Hayes, and he followed her, completing their conga line.

“Ah, so it’s not just your head that’s full of air then—” she countered. “So are your muscles.”

And even Beckett had to snicker at that one. He had very little pride, but he did have a whole lot of humour.

They drove back to Matthew’s condo in companiable silence. Adeline had insisted on riding in the backseat, and had plucked Nickel from Beckett’s chest so he could sit in her lap. The dog hadn’t moved since leaving the airport and looked perfectly content to live out the rest of his life in her lap.

The traitor.

Adeline asked the occasional question about Montreal but was otherwise occupied with entertaining Nickel. Beckett answered her questions, though he hadn’t lived in or near Montreal in quite some time.

“I’d like to eat some poutine before I die—” she said, as Hayes pulled into their reserved space in the parking garage of the condo.

“Best to get a crack on and have one for dinner then—just to be on the safe side,” Beckett shot back.

She cackled like a woodland witch.

Hayes looked about ready to pour himself a tall glass of scotch and call it quits for the day.

Matthew was waiting for them as they entered the condo, dressed very conservatively for once. His grey polo shirt with white trim went well with his blue jeans and loafers. His hair was styled in his usual sleek, rich boy way and his only accessory was a Swiss watch that cost more than Beckett made in a year.

“Adeline, meet Matthew, the scumbag-rich-bitch-mob-boss my brother is in bed with,” Beckett declared sardonically, sparing no one’s feelings.

“Oh—another pretty boy!” Adeline exclaimed happily. The aforementioned pretty boy extended his hand politely, his expression pinched as he struggled not to react to Beckett’s taunt. She ignored his hand completely. Instead, she put her hand up to his cheek and patted him as if he was a good dog.

“I see the brothers have similar taste,” she said, looking back and gesturing towards Hayes. She smirked, obviously enjoying the chance to tease Beckett.

Beckett hated that it made him like her all the more for her lack of a filter.

“Would someone tell the octogenarian to take her hands off me before I shoot her in the gut?” Matthew demanded angrily.

“Suit yourself, but I’m not digging any more graves this month,” Beckett said, raising his hands and backing away. “Besides, she has her hearing aids in—you can tell her yourself.” And yeah, he was grinning like the little shit he was. Adeline merely winked at him in appreciation. She was cradling Nickel, and Beckett made a mental note to check her bag before she left. She had “dog snatcher” flashing across her forehead.

Hayes’ sighed loudly, hanging his head in defeat.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this little fuckfest, but maybe we could get down to business?” Matthew growled, at his wit’s end with all of them.

“Not without condoms,” Adeline said.

“And a signed NDA,” Beckett tacked on.

They grinned at each other like evil twins.

Hayes sighed, deciding it would be for the best if he took the lead.

“How much did Gill tell you?” he asked her, as he sat down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter.

“As much as he could,” she said, with a shrug. She settled into a large leather ottoman, lounging back and putting her feet up on the stool in front of her. She sighed, like she’d been dying to get off her feet. “Said you needed access to some rando’s computer to get information about tenants and renters’ agreements. Had no specifics about the type of hardware, system, or program involved. Said the guy in question would be working for a rather paranoid mob boss, so I needed to come prepared,” she summarized briefly.

“And did you?” Matthew asked with a frown.

Beckett didn’t blame him for questioning her abilities regarding high tech work. Adeline looked like a grandma on vacation. She was wearing white capris, a sky blue t-shirt with turtles embroidered on the front, and a white cardigan tied around her neck. She looked ready to head on over to the Club Med pool bar and flirt with the first available widower she could get her hooks into.

“’Course,” she said simply.