Page 28 of Kade

I held back a laugh because she was right. Shewasfucked.

11

MASON

Turned out, Sam wouldn’t be taking point.

Logan got a text as we neared Fallen Crest and began laughing. “The women are at Manny’s and they’re wasted.”

Nate groaned. “Quincey tends to want to check on all of Nova’s animals when she’s had a couple too many drinks. She gets all weepy about how wonderful each of them is. We brought five of Nova’s animals with us this time.Five. That damn fucking tortoise. She’s going to try to bring Harold into our bed.”

“Harold?” Matteo laughed. “What?”

“The tortoise. She’s going to bring a stepladder into the room so he can climb into the bed. Goddammit. I’m not sharing my bed with a giant turtle.”

I snickered, at least until Logan got another text. His gaze met mine in the rearview mirror.

My grin fell fast. “What?”

He grimaced. “We don’t get Ninja Sam tonight. We get Dinosaur Sam.”

I frowned.The fuck?

When we got to the house, I sent Maddy to bed, saying sternly, “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“We have the funeral tomorrow.”

“We’ll talk when we can—maybe the day after. Go to bed. I mean it, Maddy.” I raised my voice as she started up the stairs.

Matteo and Nate didn’t stick around. Both headed to their respective areas of the house, or outside to the pool house, in Matteo’s case. Logan disappeared into the kitchen, and I waited, checking my phone to see if Channing sent a follow-up text. He hadn’t.

Ten minutes later, I found out what Dinosaur Sam meant.

Taylor walked inside first. She was sober, biting back a grin. Her shoulders shook with laughter. “I can’t—I just can’t. They’re…good luck.” She looked around. “Where’s my husband? Husband!”

“Wife!” Logan walked from the kitchen, a plate of warmed-up pizza slices in his hand. He beamed at his wife. “My Taco.”

She flushed. “Logan.”

He chuckled, pulling her in for a kiss. He held up the plate of pizza. “Hungry?”

She moaned. “God, yes. I shouldn’t. I might be up all night, but…” She stared at the plate.

He took a slice and pushed it into her hand. “Eat. I’ll hold your hair if it doesn’t agree with you.”

I frowned. “Shouldn’t you be out of the morning-sickness stage?”

Taylor groaned, shaking her head. “I wish. I still never know when something is going to not agree with me, but I’m starving.”

Raucous sounds came from outside. Taylor chuckled, nabbing a second slice and kissing Logan on the cheek. “And that’s my cue. Have fun.” She snorted, disappearing down the hallway to the wing where they always stayed.

Logan and I turned in time to see the door kicked open. I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing, but I was. Sam was in the doorway, her arms up and bent outward, and her knees bent in a squat.

“What the—”

“KER-BAHHHHHHHHHP!” She leaned forward and her mouth opened as she made the sound, then clamped together as her head moved backward. Her legs and arms moved forward, her knees still bent. She looked like a crab trying to walk forward as it stood up. She only went another few feet before there was a repeat performance.

Head out.

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