Three days later, Alana went to Vegas to pursue the cheating mobster case, while Charles left for San Francisco to check on the McGrath Distillery. As for the rest of us, the housebreaking of the newest member of the family seemed to take over our lives.
It was like having a newborn baby all over again.
Scout was adorable. It amused me to see how Levi and the girls did their best to take care of the pup without putting any pressure on me. After giving the pup his last walk for the evening, they deposited him into the crate.
“When can he sleep with us?” Ashley asked with pouty lips when Scout gave a little whine and shot her his soulful brown eyes.
“When he’s fully housebroken,” Levi said.
“Gramps told us that, remember, Ash?” Whitney reminded her. I noted that my older one was learning to be more patient with her sister.
“I know.” Ashley squatted in front of Scout. “Night, Scout. See you tomorrow. Don’t pee in your crate, okay? Or you might not get to sleep with me soon.”
Standing up, Ash announced she was going to brush her teeth.
“I’ll read you a story after,” Levi said.
“I’m tired, Daddy,” she said. “Plus, I need to wake up early tomorrow and feed Scout.”
“We’ll come by and say goodnight.”
“I’m tired too.” Whitney yawned. We followed them out of the mudroom and watched them drag their feet up the steps. They passed their great grandmother on the way down.
“Night, Nana,” they chorused.
When my grandmother reached us, she said, “Seems like a win-win getting the pup for the girls. I’ve never seen them so ready to turn in.”
“And they hardly watch television anymore,” I said.
“Well,” Nana grumbled. “I guess that’s good, but I miss my binge-watch buddies.”
I laughed. “I could be your binge-watch buddy.”
“Don’t listen to this old woman. You and Levi go make more babies.”
“Nana!” My eyes widened even as I heard Levi chuckling behind me. “Two isn’t enough?”
“Four is a good number. Look at Robbie and Sean. And Ava for that matter.”
“Times have changed.”
“Bah,” Nana emitted a non-committal sound and suggested tea in the kitchen.
Levi and I sat on the barstools around the kitchen island.
Nana put the teakettle on the stovetop and fired it up. “Broken bed aside, what are you going to do with the housing situation now that you’re back together?”
“Seems easier to stay at Kelly’s house.” Levi winked at Nana. “Free child-care.”
“The house a few blocks down is for sale,” Nana said with a twinkle in her eyes. “It’s a lot bigger than the one you have now. Plus, you have a pup to consider, and Cillian could do the dog sitting.”
“I know you all are trying to make it easy for me and I really appreciate it,” I told my grandmother. “And I also see how the girls are bonding over Scout. Have you seen any troubling behavior, Nana, since that incident with Ash?”
Nana shrugged. “Kids will be kids. They go through mood swings. And Whitney is eight. That’s the age where you wonder where your lovable and good-natured child disappeared off to. I’ve been through that stage several times with all my kids. Add in the grandchildren too. It’s common.”
“That’s a relief,” Levi muttered.
The front door opened and Gramps and Bristow strode in, with Ruger trotting behind them.
“Well, I’m taking off,” Bristow said.
Levi stood to give his friend a hug and a back-thump. “Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, Garrison said he might have something for us.”
I grew interested. “Anything to do with Tom and his friend?” We hadn’t mentioned Dmitry to my McGrath family yet because that would mean revealing the sabotage of Callum’s mission. Without all the facts, I wasn’t willing to send us into that tailspin of grief again. Especially Mom. That news might just kill her. It was only during the past two years that she’d come to terms with Callum’s death.
Bristow shrugged. “He isn’t saying.”
“Well, I hope they can get to the bottom of who wants to hurt my granddaughter.” Gramps glanced at Levi. “If Stepanov, indeed, gave the order, I want him dealt with. I want that Blaze guy found. I want the mastermind. We’re not letting them get away with shite.”
“We’re not,” Levi’s jaw clenched. “Kelso is keeping in touch with Vegas PD who has a line on Stepanov.”
“No mob justice, Gramps,” I said. “We do this by the book. I want them prosecuted.”
Under the island, Levi reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. That was all there was to it, wasn’t it? Though I knew deep inside my husband wanted vengeance, I wanted more than anything to put everything behind us.
“All right, but keep me updated.” Gramps stalked off to the mudroom. I heard him say good night to Scout before whistling for Ruger and heading up the stairs.
“Can’t take the enforcer out of the man,” Nana sighed. “He’s only known one way to take care of things.”
“I know that,” Levi said.
“I’d rather you stay out of jail than get caught taking the law into your own hands,” my grandmother warned.
“Me too,” I said.
We changed the subject to the girls’ upcoming summer activities.
After Levi tossed back his whiskey and I finished my tea, we all went upstairs to retire for the night. As Levi and I turned into our bedroom and closed the door, he backed me against it and put his forehead to mine.
“A part of me thinks Cillian is right,” he said. “Stepanov may not have physically hurt you, but he gave the order.”
“What are you saying?”
“If Roth is working with Dmitry to take down Stepanov,” Levi said. “I want in on that. And fuck waiting for Roth to show his mug again. It’s pissing me off.”
“Wouldn’t it bug you for the rest of your life if you took matters into your own hands.”
“Can’t answer that for sure, babe. Going rogue has never been a problem. What matters to me is you. That this wouldn’t change the way you look at me.”
“It’s just that.” I raised my hand to his cheek. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, but I think we also need answers about Callum.”
He grabbed my hand. “Bristow is working on that.”
Something vibrated between us. It was his phone.
Levi checked his message. “It’s Garrison. He wants a meet.”
“When?”
“Now.”
“He’s here?”
“He’s outside.” Levi shot me a heated look I felt right between my legs. “Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’m thinking of making love to my wife slow and sweet.”
“Hurry back.”
“I will.” With those sexy hooded eyes, he gave me that lazy grin that definitely made my lady bits quiver some more.
“Garrison’s waiting,” I reminded him breathlessly. “I think I’ll soak in the tub.”
“Do that.”
After Levi left the room, I couldn’t wait to strip free of my clothes. In the bathroom, I started filling the tub, but decided to take a quick shower first.
I welcomed the quick rinse, and after I exited the glass enclosure, the tub was almost full. Steam snaked up from the surface of the water. I didn’t need to dip my fingers in it to tell it was scorching. Emitting a brief laugh, I adjusted the temperature. Levi tolerated baths with me but it wasn’t his favorite activity unless he’d had a strenuous workout and there was a promise of sex afterward.
Just as I shut off the water, I thought I heard a scream.
Then a dog started barking furiously.
Was that Ruger or the television?
My heart thudded.
Did Nana get the kids out of bed to watch TV? I sprinted out of the bathroom, throwing on clothes not caring if they were inside out, because my instincts were clawing at me. A muffled angry voice that sounded like Gramps filtered up from the first floor.
I left the bedroom and dashed to the girls’ bedroom. Ash was sitting up on the bed, dazed.
“Mama,” she whispered.
“Where’s Whit?”
“She went to check on Scout.”
I plucked her out of the bed and deposited her into the closet. “Do not come out unless I say it’s okay. Stay quiet.”
I ran back into the hallway and smacked into Nana. “What’s going on?”
“Someone inside the house,” she hissed, holding the shotgun.
Ruger’s bark turned frenzied. Men started shouting. I ran back into the bedroom. “Have you called 911?” I threw over my shoulder.
“Yes. What the feck are you doing?”
“Shit, shit.” My phone was in my purse, and it was downstairs. I spotted Levi’s duffel of things and rummaged through its contents and found what I was looking for. “Come on.”
I led the way to the staircase.
“Gramps!” A scream came from downstairs.
Whitney!
“Run!” Gramps yelled.
My lungs and heart jockeyed for space as I sped down the steps, but when I reached the bottom of the stairs, my blood plummeted to my feet.
Whitney was hurtling toward me, and a man was limping after her. Another was holding Gramps at gunpoint. I grabbed my daughter and shoved her behind me at the same time I withdrew the taser from my pocket and held it up. The man after Whitney paused.
“That’s a bad idea,” Limping-Man growled.
I fired my taser past him right at the black-clad man holding Gramps, hitting him right in the chest.
“Fu—” the man dropped and started to convulse.
The man before me grinned. “Missed your shot, sweetheart. Think you can take me on?”
All I could hear was the pulse in my ears and Gramps’ muffled yelling. I slowly backed away with my daughter, down the hallway, past the mudroom on the way to the backdoor that led into the yard.
“You’re going to leave your other child?” the man grinned and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “She’s up—”
The ratcheting of a shotgun commanded everyone’s attention. I instinctively rounded over Whitney, sending us crouching on the floor.
“Stay away from my grandchildren, you fecking bastard!”
