Page 62 of Lockout

“You never know with Isla,” Gwen said with a heavy sigh.

“She’s always teaching the kids new…skills,” Jenny added.

“Maybe we should be having her teach us skills, too,” Jordan pointed out as the assassin went to go help the kids flip a table in the main area on its side.

We all watched as Isla crouched behind a table, quietly explaining something. The kids were watching her with rapt attention.

“What’s she teaching them?” Eva asked.

All the kids grabbed an orange and then started lobbing them over the table, toward the other wall of the clubhouse.

Seek started laughing right away.

“What is it?” Kit asked, looking at her, then back at the kids.

“She’s showing them how to throw grenades,” Seek said with a laugh.

“No she’s not,” Dani gasped, then narrowed her eyes as she kept watching.

“Pretty sure Seek’s right,” Kit said, her lips twitching.

“As if your kids aren’t enough of a menace,” Jordan chuckled. “Now she’s showing them how to use explosives?”

“Hey, the fact that they’re practicing with fruit instead of the real thing?” Jenny said. “I consider that a win.”

“Good point,” I told her.

“She had them about to practice using knives on each other,” Jenny told me.

“Toxic put a stop to it,” Billie added.

I winced. “You know it’s bad when Toxic is the voice of reason.”

“Exactly,” the group said in unison.

“They adore her, though,” Jordan pointed out. “Look at Caitlyn’s face.”

The little girl had a wide grin on her face. I was just glad to see the melancholy look gone from her eyes. If it took tossing fruit to do that, I’d go give her every piece we had upstairs in our apartment.

“We adore her, too,” Seek added. “I never really considered what it would be like having a female Butcher around, but-”

“She’s the best,” Sloane interrupted. “She loves our kids so much; I just know she’d burn the world down to keep them safe.”

I blinked back tears because I knew we’d all do the same for the kids, for each other, and for the men. “I’m so grateful to have you all as family,” I choked out.

Isla walked back up, her steps hesitating as we all jerked out of our seats and started hugging each other. “Jesus. I was gone for two minutes max and you all turn into women again. No. No!”

But I’d already pulled Isla into a tight hug. She grumbled something under her breath. “Just give into it,” I told her, loud enough so the others could hear. “Shhhh, stop fighting. Let it happen. Struggle snuggles.”

She went limp in my arms, then slowly she hugged me back. When I finally released her she pointed her finger at my nose. “That’s all you get. No more hugs.”

“For how long?” I asked, pretending to pout.

“Forever. One hug per person,” she said, then she yelped when Billie hugged her from behind. “You’re all batshit crazy.”

That had us howling in laughter, because for the insane assassin to calluscrazy? It was too funny to resist.

We spent the rest of the day learning how to toss grenades alongside the kids. It was fun. Who knew? Maybe one day it would be useful.

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