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“Yeah,” I replied.

“Now?” Tadhg piped up, sounding reluctantly excited.

You’re going to jail, Cap…

“Yeah,” I choked out. “Why not.”

* * *

Three hours, one trip to the playground, and two food runs to McDonald’s later, I was bleeding exhausted. Panic-stricken, I pulled onto Gibsie’s street, knowing that I needed some backup and some life advice.

“Lads, wait in the car, okay?” I coaxed, glancing back at the three blond heads in the back of my Audi. Ollie and Sean were stuffing their faces with bags of sweets. Tadhg was slurping down a slushy. Empty Happy Meal boxes were scattered all over the floor of my car and I was praying these kids didn’t have allergies because I’d loaded them up on more shite than I dared to think about. “I’m just picking up my buddy.”

“Can I drive now?” Tadhg asked, unbuckling his seat belt and moving to climb through the seats. “We’re on a cul-de-sac.”

“No,” I shot back. “I already told you.”

Huffing, he sat back down and took a sip from his straw. “You suck.”

You cheeky little fucker.“Just wait here,” I muttered, climbing out of the car before I strangled my girlfriend’s little brother.

“What did you do?” Gibsie asked, watching me from his front door as I hurried up the garden path toward him. “Johnny?”

“I’m in trouble,” I choked out when I reached him. “Big trouble.”

“I know,” Gibsie replied, eyeing me with suspicion. “I can tell by your face. What the hell did you do?”

“I took them!” I choked out, pointing at my car.

“You took what, Johnny?” Gibsie asked warily.

Swallowing down a groan, I grabbed his arm and dragged him down the path toward my car. “Them,” I choked out, pointing to the three blond boys looking out at us.

“Youtookthem,” Gibsie said. “You just went ahead andtooksome kids?”

“You weren’t there!” Exhaling a furious growl, I ran my hand through my hair and hissed, “You didn’t see what I saw, so don’t fucking judge me.”

“Don’tjudgeyou?” Gibsie spluttered, eyes wide. “Lad, you stole some fuckingkids.” His voice rose, turning all pitchy as he continued to rant. “And you brought them here—tomyhouse—making me an accomplice!”

“I didn’tstealthem,” I growled. “I took them.”

“Steal, take—it’s all the same, Johnny,” he snapped. “They are not a product of your fucked-up dick, therefore you have no business taking them anywhere.” He stepped around me and peered through the window. “What’s wrong with that one?” he asked, pointing at Sean. “Why is he eating his fingers?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk,” I groaned, flustered. “I don’t know what the fuck I should do next.”

“Take them back to whatever playground you found them in.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” I bit out, grinning and giving the boys two thumbs up. Ollie and Sean waved back at me. Tadhg gave me the middle finger. “We can drop that one back,” I muttered under my breath. “Look,” I said, turning back to Gibsie. “Can we bring them inside?”

“Inside my house?” Gibsie balked. “Yeah, because that doesn’t sound at all predatory and fucked up. Two seventeen-year old lads bringing three small boys into their house.”

“Can we?”

Gibsie gaped at me like I had lost my mind, and the truth was I probably had. But I was in this now and I was rolling with it. “Fuck no!”

“Then what am I supposed to do with them?”

“Take them back.”

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