Page 41 of Adored By Them
“I’m more than okay with it.He’s friendly, right?”
“Too friendly,” Edmund says with a chuckle.
I bend down to pet Arky, who leaves a series of doggy kisses over my hand and arm.“I love dogs.Not sure how Cackle will react, but?—”
As if on cue, a low, irritatedmrowrcomes from the bedroom.Arky’s ears perk up and he races to the door, ignoring Troy and Edmund who try to call him back.
I race after him.
I didn’t close the door all the way—the force of Arky’s excitement pushes it open.Oh, shit.
Arky stops short at the sight of a puffed-up tabby cat facing him down.
“Cackle,” I say softly, “this is Arky.Arky, that’s Cackle.”
The two animals stare at each other.Arky seems like a harmless teddy bear, but he looks like a ferocious beast.What are they going to do?
Cackle holds completely still while Arky takes a step toward him.He holds completely still while Arky sniffs him.
And when Arky licks up the side of Cackle’s face…Cackle licks him back.
“Instant besties?”I muse.
“We’ll have to get a new place,” Edmund says.“Somewhere with a yard.”He pauses, suddenly realizing that I’m not wearing any pants.“What happened here?”
“We had a talk about honesty.”Troy smirks.“Someone needed a spanking to help the message sink in.”
“I see.”Edmund eyes me up and down.“Obviously, I’d like to hear more about this so Troy and I can determine whether or not more instruction is needed.”
I bite my lip.“I was naughty, but I’m better now, I promise.”
“Still—” Edmund’s phone chimes in his pocket and he curses.“It’s Grinnote.”
All the sexy tension in the room dissipates.
Edmund answers the call on speaker.“Grinnote.Give me good news.”
“Great fucking news,” a male voice says.“SEPD and Mirarosa PD worked together.The Vorsongs are in custody.They’ll lawyer up, but with all the evidence we have, I don’t think they’ll breathe fresh air for a long fucking time.”
I sit down hard on the couch.Is it that easy?It’s over already?
“Look, I gotta go.”The voice on the phone is rushed, distracted.“There’s still a lot of shit to do here.But I’m keeping you posted, as promised.”
“Thanks, Grinnote.Tomorrow, I expect a full briefing.”Edmund ends the call and faces Troy and me.He doesn’t frown, doesn’t smile.He looks shocked.“It’s over.They got them.”
The three of us stare at each other for a long moment.I want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to throw a party.We have to celebrate.
I yank off my t-shirt and start toward the balcony door.“Let’s go swimming.”
14
Edmund
Grinnote steps out of his suburban dream house in a pair of running shorts and t-shirt.He sees us waiting across the street, then starts off at a slow jog down the sidewalk.
We take the hint and drive behind him for a few blocks before pulling over.
“Hey.”He jogs in place.“I was just about to call you guys.”
