Page 57 of A Bloom in Winter

When they finally came to the garage door, they opened things and motion-activated lights came on—

“Okay,” Qhuinn said. “I’ll give him the cars.”

A dozen Porsche 911s of various vintages and styles were lined up in rows, their paint jobs glowing, their sloping back ends and round headlights making them seem like dogs sitting on command.

Tohr walked down the far wall, passing by all kinds of Porsche posters and Porsche models set on clear shelves. “Man, he got into some buying ruts, didn’t he.”

“Helluva rut.”

While Qhuinn lingered over something that had a rear tail so big you could have pulled chairs up to it and called it a four-top, Tohr headed for a door about three-quarters of the way down.

Locked solid.

“We need your little kit.”

“Coming.” The brother jogged over. “Sorry, I got distracted. I wonder what happens to all of these now? Maybe Shuli’ll buy ’em from the estate. ”

He went to work on the upper dead bolt.

“So Rhamp’s not focused on the getting mated thing, huh?” Tohr leaned back and idly looked at the cars. “Not yet, at least?”

Qhuinn rolled his blue and green eyes. “Not in the slightest. And honestly, Lyric’s the same. I don’t have a problem with it. Not everyone feels that way, though.”

“Blay’smahmenready for great grandyoung?”

The brother switched tools and went back to work, the soft sounds of metal scraping metal rising up. “Oh, she’s not the problem. Not by half.”

“Layla?”

“She wants them, sure, but not over and above our kids’ happiness.”

Tohr frowned. “Blay’s dad?” When there was a shake of the head, Tohr did a double take. “Blay?”

“Nope.” Qhuinn straightened. “Your half brother, Xcor. He’s baby daft.”

“I’m . . . okay, that’s a surprise.” Tohr smiled as he pictured the big male with his distorted upper lip. “I mean, a good surprise. But yeah, wow.”

The head of the Band of Bastards wanted to be a grandpappy already?

“He’s a softie, for certain.” Qhuinn nodded at the lock. “But you know what isn’t? This frickin’ door.”

“My turn.” Tohr pushed a hand into his jacket. “Now that I think about it, Xcor was awesome with Rhamp and Lyric. I heard through the grapevine that he did it all, the diapers, the baths—step back for me, wouldya?”

“He was really great.” Qhuinn got out of range and crossed his arms over his chest. “He truly was. Do you need a charge?”

“Got one, but thanks.” Tohr set the C-4 plastic explosive between the dead bolt head and the steel jamb. “That’s what I always love about your family. All four of you—you and Blay, Xcor and Layla—really pulling together for those kids. Nobody was ever raised with so much love.”

“Thanks. We’re a good team—hey, did you get that C-4 from the new stock?”

“Yup.” He inserted the detonating fuse. “Z really prefers the new supplier. It comes down from Canada.”

The fact that they were alternating between talking about young and him setting up a breach involving enough explosive to blow both of them up was par for the course.

Just another night on the job.

“On three.”

Both of them backed all the way to the door they’d exited from. When they were sufficiently out of the blast zone, Tohr initiated the detonation program on his phone.

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