Page 191 of Dagger

“I just puked in my mouth a little,” Bowie muttered. “Don’t you think it’s about time you bought a new Santa suit, Pop?” He nodded toward John’s ass crack, “We can see what you had for dinner last night.”

“Not to mention the family fuckin’ jewels,” Cash added.

“That’s five dollars, please, Uncle Cash,” Sunny piped up.

“It’s fuckin’ obscene if you ask me,” Atlas muttered, peeling a five-dollar bill from a huge bundle he held in his hand before handing it to Sunny. “How the fuck can you not see what we all see?” He held out another bill for Sunshine.

“There’s nothin’ wrong with my Santy suit,” John declared, thrusting his hands to his hips in a superhero stance. “Bought this suit the Christmas Cash was born; it ain’t goin’ nowhere.” He craned his head. “Yo, Jacky boy, you like your old man’s Santy suit, right?”

Jack’s mouth twisted in concentration as he shot up some enemies on his PlayStation with Kai. “Nah, Pop. Everyone can see your nutz. It’s bobbin.”

John adjusted his crotch.

“What the fuck does bobbin mean?” Atlas demanded, peeling off another note and handing it to Molly that time. “These kids talk a different fuckin’ language.” He rolled his eyes at Molly, who stretched her hand out again. “Alright, alright, gimme a goddamned minute,” he muttered, adding two more bills to her stash.

“I must say, John,” Cara called over from the sofa where she sat with Sophie and their toddlers. “At least I know where Cash gets his girth from.”

Kennedy snorted.

Abe choked on his beer.

“Damned straight,” Cash muttered.

John bent forward, peering at his crotch. “It’s fine.” He looked up again directly at me. “It’s fine, right?”

I sucked a breath in through my nose, trying to tamp down my laughter. “No, John. I told you this morning they’re too tight, the same as I told you last Christmas, incidentally, when you weighed ten pounds less.”

“Granddaddy John’s not fat,” Kady interrupted in her sweet voice. “He’s just big boned.”

Atlas cackled.

John’s face fell. “I love this suit. It reminds me of when my kids were young, and I’d hand their gifts out to them around the tree.” His stare slid toward each of his sons. “I had amazin’ kids, right, Abe?”

“You did, John,” Abe confirmed from his barstool.

“Then they grew up, right, Abe?” John called out.

“They certainly did, John,” Abe concurred.

John’s eyes narrowed. “Before I knew it, I turned around, and my Bowie had turned into Dirk Diggler, porn star supreme overnight. Cash suddenly decided he liked to be confined to small spaces, like jail. And my Kit discovered his fascination with fire and blowin’ shit up.” He deadpanned. “Maybe I do need a new Santy suit. This one’s got some bad-assed mojo.”

Sunny looked up at John, confused. “Granddaddy John? What’s a porn star?”

“Ask that sweet pussy your dad got your mom a few years ago,” Kennedy told her. “She’ll know.”

Sunny looked even more confused.

John walked over and plonked his ass down on the sofa beside me. “I think the kids like their gifts.”

My smile widened as I watched Jack shoot up more enemies. My heart contracted when my eyes turned to watch Molly play with her Golden Labrador puppy.

We’d spoiled the kids this year, but then, what else were we going to do with our money?

Robert and Bear’s deaths had closed down the trafficking ring for good. What it had also done was help the Feds discover the millions they made from it.

Most of the cash had been confiscated by the US Government, which was exactly how it should have been, except that Robert had also owned legitimate businesses and invested well.

With Robbie dead, I was his next of kin, and I inherited over one hundred and fifty million dollars.

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