Page 283 of Assassin

“Uh, wedding? DC? My son? The invites all of you got but NONE RSVP’d for?” she asked, calling them out on their bullshit.

They all began laughing.

“Really? At the White House, Elizabeth?” Maura said. “Do you know how hard it’s going to be to get Zayn there?”

She blew it off.

“With all of the Secret Service?” she asked. “He’ll be fine,” she offered.

Jagger couldn’t help himself. Someone was a little giddy when Harvey called him ‘the little guy’.

“No, getting his fat ass through the door,” Jagger said, going there.

The big man flipped him off.

“Funny, Little Guy. Real freaking funny.”

Then, Zayn focused on Elizabeth.

“You cannot make me go,” he said. “I’m not parading myself in front of…”

MATE appeared, surprising him.

“Then you can hang out with me. We can play cards. I need a new bestie. Want to tell each other all of our secrets? I’ve always wanted to wear a human.”

The man’s eyes went huge.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “In fact, can I come now?”

The whole family laughed.

How could they not?

This had been a long run, and so many days of pandemonium. Now, Maura was curious.

“Will we have some time to acclimate before you give us another case?” she asked Elizabeth.

The woman laughed.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds like me,” she said, pointing at Greyson. “We’ll give you a lift back to Boston. I want to hear everything about Ethan and Gene. You know, the early years.”

Ethan’s eyes went huge.

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

“No, she doesn’t. Ignore her, Greyson. She’s insane. If you tell her, I’m bringing up the redheaded ME you had a thing with there.”

He held up his hands.

“Don’t bring me into this,” he said. “I’m an innocent bystander.”

“Said no one ever,” Dimitri admitted.

That said it all.

They laughed, and headed out, waving to their Southern sisters and brothers from another mother.

As of late, they’d spent too much damn time together. It was time for a break.

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