Page 9 of Rent Free

Food.

Houses.

Colds.

“Are there any other issues that you want to discuss today, boss, or can we get out of here already?”

I nearly choked on my phlegm as I snorted.

Scott, my boss, narrowed his eyes at the speaker.

Before he could chew Bob a new asshole, I interrupted with, nasally as it was, “I don’t have anything else to go over.”

I was exhausted.

Well and truly exhausted.

“You’re free to leave,” our team leader, Scott, offered up.

I was instantly on my feet, ready to get the hell out of the training facility.

Last night, Scott had declared that today we would have a team meeting, as well as a mandatory two-hour training session at the DPD SWAT’s training facility.

Which put a damper on my morning plans of fishing with my brothers and dad.

The last thing I wanted to do was be in this place on my day off, yet Scott didn’t seem to care.

Apparently, Scott had no life. Scott felt like just because he had no life, it meant that no one else should have one, either.

My phone rang as I was heading outside, and I smiled when I saw my sister’s kids’ faces there—Tex and Addi.

“Hey, Ande,” I said. “What’s up?”

“I’ll give you absolutely anything you want if you bring me some Pie Hard,” she pleaded.

I grinned. “Hard night?”

“Tex is potty training,” she said. “He wet the bed twice, and one of those times was in our bed, all over Keene.” She sighed. “And you know how he feels about having the kids in bed with us. He lost his shit on me after we got Tex all cleaned up and back in his bed. Rightfully so. I promised I wouldn’t allow the kids to get back in our bed after Tex peed in it the last time, and then I broke it because I was too tired to go do his sheets.”

“You could’ve gotten him up to clean them,” I suggested, angry that my brother-in-law would get mad at my sister.

I loved the hell out of the guy, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t always choose my sister over him.

“And I have. The last four nights.” She groaned. “He’s sick, and I couldn’t wake him up again.”

“You need to figure something else out then,” I suggested. “But yes, I’ll bring you Pie Hard. What do you want?”

“A milk bun and a cinnamon twist.” She sounded excited. “And whatever for the kids.”

Her kids were like rats. They’d eat anything as long as it was edible.

“See you in a few,” I said as I got into my truck and headed over to the bakery.

The bakery was close to the station, which had to be why I saw cops in there all the damn time.

Today being no exception.

Though, the cop I saw also happened to be my brother.

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