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“He somehow managed not to mention that.”
“Of course,” I said, shaking my head at him.
“I’mfine,” Junior insisted.
“I think that is for the doctor to decide,” Alex insisted.
“This is hardly the worst thing I’ve had happen to me,” Junior said.
“That’s just what a mother wants to hear,” Alex said.
“You pulled a bullet out of me once,” he reminded her, surprising me. He did have a weird, almost puckered scar on his thigh. But I figured it was some sort of stupid adolescent injury, not from a bullet.
“Yes, something a mother loves to do,” Alex said. “Are you dizzy? Have double vision? Nausea?”
“No. I had a headache and that was it. I feel fine after sleep. I’m fine.”
“How are you?” Alex said, looking at me.
“Oh, I’m fine. He got it worse than I did,” I insisted.
Alex’s gaze moved to my cheek.
“It was just a slap,” I said, shrugging it off.
“I heard that it’s all… settled,” Alex said.
“Yeah,” Junior said as he stepped away from me to grab his cup of coffee. His mother took that opportunity to walk over toward him, and whack him hard on the back of the head. “The fuck was that for?” he asked, looking genuinely stunned.
“You were working on a job trying to track down these bastards, and you didn’t bring me in on it?” she asked. “Me, who taught you damn near everything you know?” she added.
Junior had the good sense to look guilty.
“Guys!” Barry said, bursting into the apartment with a box of donuts. But that wasn’t the most interesting thing he was holding.
Oh, no.
That was a leash.
With a puppy attached.
“Look what I got!”
“Where the fuck did you get that?” Junior asked as his gaze fell on the tan and white pittie puppy.
“Someone was out front when I came back,” Barry said. “He asked me if I was coming up here. I said yes. And he handed me the puppy. We got a puppy for Christmas!” he declared.
Sure enough, the puppy had a bow on its collar and a little gift tag attached.
“Looks likeShalegot a puppy for Christmas,” Junior said as he stooped down to pet the puppy’s head and read the tag.
He held it out to me, and I opened it to find neat handwriting inside.
Shale - for the help bringing down some rivals. - AA
Then there was more handwriting underneath, but clearly written by a different hand.
Yes, I tried to tell him this was inappropriate. No, he didn’t listen. Enjoy her. - Hope
