Page 104 of Wild Card
Axel
“Pizza delivery!”Holden called as he came through the junkyard gate.
Banshee leapt to her feet and raced toward him, doggy grin in full force. Loki and Oreo loved a good chase, so they ran after her, circling around Holden and nearly tripping him up.
Matteo hopped up from one of the flimsy camp chairs where we’d just collapsed after a big job breaking down a truck for parts. An auto shop in Lincoln had called in an order that would pay our expenses for a month, so he’d worked late to help me do it.
“Thanks, man,” he said as he took the pizza box. “What do I owe you for my share?”
“It’s on the house. Perk of working overtime.”
Matteo sat down and flipped open the lid, pulling out a piece. “I should work late more often.”
“I forgot to get vegetarian for you,” Holden said. “Sorry, man.”
Matteo lifted out a greasy sausage-and-pepper slice of pizza. “It’s okay. I’d eat anything tonight.”
I smirked. “Famous last words.”
Flames crackled in a fire pit I’d set up near my RV, spitting out just enough warmth to counter the early November chill. A few beers did the rest of the work.
“Don’t eat all that,” I warned as Matteo inhaled his first slice like a fucking anaconda swallowing prey whole and reached for a second.
He handed me the box, cheek bulging. “Sorry. Starved.”
When the heavenly scent of sausage and peppers hit me, my mouth started watering, and I took a bite big enough to rival Matteo’s. “Damn, that’s good. You better get in here, Holden, before we eat it all.”
Holden chuckled and shook his head. “That’s all right. I got a Hawaiian for Bailey over at the house. I’ll just eat some of that.”
“You sure? You know you lovesausageas much as Gray and me.”
He snorted, catching my innuendo. “You’ve got no evidence of that.”
“Not yet,” I said with a wink.
Matteo glanced down at his pizza as if it had betrayed his heterosexuality. “Liking sausage doesn’t equal…”
Holden laughed. “It’s just food. Ignore my dumbass brother.”
I smirked. “Although the way you’re swallowing it down makes me think you could have a real future as a gay porn star.”
“Oh my god,” Matteo muttered, face turning bright red. The guy was straight as they came—and fully in love with Allison—but he was sure fun to tease.
“I gotta get back to the house,” Holden said. “I’ve got a phone call I can’t miss. See you.”
He turned and started walking toward the gate. I pulled out a third slice of pizza and handed the box back to Matteo to finish off.
“Does he really have a business call this late?” Matteo wondered. “He works too much.”
“I don’t know what it would be,” I mused. “He’s been taking a lot of calls after dinner lately. He’s been going out less too. Always too ‘busy.’”
I used finger quotes because I wasn’t sure why Holden was avoiding nights out. At first, I’d thought he wanted to spend more time with Banshee. He’d taken to keeping her most evenings that I went out. But tonight, he could easily hang with her here, so she wasn’t the reason.
Whatever. I wasn’t my brother’s keeper. Sugar set her big head on my knee, looking at me with soulful eyes. Begging eyes. I gave her my last bite of pizza.
Taz danced around Matteo’s feet until he, too, received his reward. When Matteo set the pizza box aside, he got a lapful of Chihuahua, but he didn’t seem to mind.
The other dogs came trotting back from the gate—minus Banshee; she must have gone with Holden—and nosed at the empty pizza box. I threw open the lid so they could lick at the grease stains.
