Page 89 of Beware of Dog

Overwhelmed, Cass laid her head down on Raven’s shoulder and they sat in comfortable silence until Nat burped and could be laid down on the mattress at Raven’s hip.

“How’re the boys going to take it?” Cass asked, meaning their brothers.

“Truth told, I’m not sure. They handled Toly much better than I expected, but then again…”

“I’m the baby.”

“Yes. I’m afraid so. But don’t fret over it. I’ll pave the way. And he might earn himself a black eye for mouthing off, but Shep won’t have trouble standing up for himself.”

Cass grinned. “No, he won’t.”

“He’s going to make a complete ass of himself at the Met.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Raven sighed, but then her voice turned sly. “So. Is he good in bed?”

“Not that I have any basis for comparison,” Cass said, face heating. “But…dear God. I don’t know why I bother gettingoutof bed.”

Raven cracked up, and then Cass did. They were tipped together, laughing, when Toly appeared in the threshold, cautiously optimistic.

“Everything okay?”

“Everything’s lovely, darling,” Raven told him. “When’s the pizza arriving? We’restarved.”

~*~

They all four sat on the bed, eating pizza straight out of the box, Nat sleeping in a nest of pillows. Cass had her left leg stuck out so that her socked toes rested on Shep’s thigh.

“What a bitch,” Shep said between bites when Cass told them about Jamie’s mother that morning.

She poked his leg with her toes. “She’s upset.”

He grabbed her toes and squeezed, more reassurance than punishment, though his face screwed up. “Some fuckhead rapes her daughter, that same fuckhead pays to have her house watched, and then she blames you? When you’re just trying to help her kid? She can bite my ass.”

“Yes, well,” Raven said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. “Misdirected though her anger might be—”

“Really?” Toly drawled, picking black olives off his slice of supreme. “You’re going to play devil’s advocate here?”

Raven blushed.

Shep caught Cass’s gaze and lifted his brows, delighted.You seeing this shit?

She grinned. Nobody got Raven twisted up and off her game like Toly, and it never got old to witness.

“Okay, she’s a bitch,” Raven relented.

Shep let out a single, gratified, “Ha!”

Toly cut him a sideways glare.

“But,” Raven continued, “I do believe that she’s, most of all, frightened. I’ll go see her myself, and explain to her the importance of Jamie testifying at trial.”

“Who’s watching them?” Cass asked. “Prince’s crew?”

Shep shook his head. “Nah. They were tailing you.” He made a face. “Us.” He’d shown her the pictures and she may or may not have shouted in alarm and thrown them to the floor.

“Someone else, then,” Raven said. “Can we offer them protection?” She looked between the guys. “If not, I’ll hire outside contractors.”

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