Page 17 of Ewan

I notice the nuance.

He’s still prepping me up.

Giving me the backstory, something to feel bad about, and I expect him to deliver some kind of unpleasant news.

“It’s a Santa suit,” he says as I pull the zipper open, and something red and daring peeks at me. “It will probably fit snugly, but I’m sure you’ll rock it.”

I have been set up.

Aside from the unfortunate circumstances and all the trouble he is in, I have a feeling our entire conversation has been about getting me to this point.

“What?” I push out.

“It’s about little Colton,” he says, unfazed.

My heart rushes like a scared rabbit.

“What does Colton have to do with this?”

I haven’t seen Colton and his mom, my sister-in-law, in a while.

We’ve all made a pact––Callan, Alistair, Duncan, and I––the Bard brothers––to stay away from those family members who haven’t been involved in a life of crime.

Our pact began when our parents got killed, and we stood by it.

We thought it would be better for everybody, and it worked. Colton, Elisa, and her husband are some of those people.

We didn’t want to drag them into the mud and make their existence miserable by constantly fearing for their lives or getting a hard knock on their door at six o’clock in the morning from the authorities.

Life is stressful even without that.

“The people at his school have organized a Christmas party. And the kids need to meet Santa.”

The reality starts to slip in, and I feel like throwing up.

Me?

At a Christmas party with little kids?

I could drink my enemy’s blood while dripping from their slashed open veins.

Put me in a room with a bunch of bad guys, and I’ll take them out one by one.

But kids?

Little kids?

And a Christmas party with parents and songs and little awkward dances?

No booze? And no way out?

Please, no.

I’d rather have the barrel of a gun to my head and ten seconds to come up with an escape plan.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say, horrified.

Amanda starts to get nervous. It’s like she’s about to witness a rocket launch live in ten, nine, eight…

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