Page 28 of Cosmo

Murphy said, “Listen, before we do anything, and tell anyone else, Mims, you keep looking. Hack into those records.”

“I’m already on that. They’ve got an impressive firewall now, but it’s only taking time. If I didn’t have to work tonight, I could probably get it faster.”

“You’re working. This isn’t so time sensitive that we need the information now.”

The tears dried as a cheeky grin spread across his cute face. “Thought I’d give it a shot.”

“So, like Hippy, you have other plans tonight. You guys have all week!”

“Not true! Three days a week, we work.”

“Poor baby!”

“Enough,” Tally said. “Murphy, you know how hard these boys work. Stop being an ass.”

Mims glowed as Tally stuck up for him. He couldn’t win against those faces. “Whatever. You’re working tonight.”

“Then expect all the information tomorrow.”

Growling, he left the basement room, heading up the stairs. As he went, he lost his annoyance and smiled. Mims had been like a beaten puppy when he first arrived at the pub. He was morose because every member of his family had turned their backs on him.

He was still a mess, going after older, and mostly married, men. They’d all tried to get through to him, but he was a stubborn thing. But all the guys loved him dearly.

To see him defending Cosmo, to see him worrying over the new guy, and then see him turn on his cheeky side was so much better than when he’d first arrived.

After crawling into bed and cuddling up with his sleeping husband, he fell almost immediately to sleep.

When he woke, he stumbled down the stairs to see Eazy in the kitchen, cutting up bell peppers while Little Mick kneeled on the stool, watching closely. “Where’s Katie?”

“With Tally. They went to buy dessert since I wasn’t planning to make any tonight,” Eazy said, laughing. “How did it go last night?”

“Great for the bar…not so great otherwise. I need to talk to you…alone.”

“Micky, get lost,” Eazy said, laughing at their son’s shocked face after he said it.

“Daddy!”

“I’m just kidding, son. But can you go play in your room, just for a little while, so your daddies can do some adult talking?”

“Sure,” he said, then climbed down off the stool and took off, full speed, to the stairs.

“Do not run up those stairs, young man,” Eazy called after him.

All they heard in response were giggles.

“He’s spending too much time with Mick. Both are stubborn as hell.”

The peppers were taking a beating as Eazy took out his frustration on them.

Murphy got behind him and kissed his neck, watching the way the knife slowed, and Eazy’s muscles lost their tension. “Stop trying to butter me up.”

“Why? I like you slippery.”

“Jesus, Murphy, you’re a perv. What happened? You know he’ll be back.”

Murphy knew that. Little Mick never spent over ten minutes in his room alone, being that he had to have human companionship at all times.

He sat across from Eazy on a stool and explained what Mims had uncovered. “We don’t know why he didn’t stay with the father, or how long he did, if he did, but there we are.”

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