Page 103 of Boss Level

I was going to swallow it today though, and enjoy this holiday with everyone.

Through the meal and after, everyone’s phones kept chiming. Rosie grumbled about it a few times, but she allowed it, because they were holiday greetings from other people. Judith and Xander especially were getting hit with the notes.

As we all eventually pushed away from the table, I struggled to fight my moodiness. Everyone helped clean up the table and stack dishes in the kitchen. Claire tried to stay and wash, but Rosie wouldn’t let her. It would wait a few hours.

We moved into the living room as a group, and I grabbed a chair at the edge of the room. I couldn’t shake this feeling of being an observer. Maybe one of the aliens Maddox had built his mashed potato sculpture to so many years ago.

“Hey.” Maddox startled me when he dropped into my lap and draped an arm around my neck. “Why did the cat ask for a drum set?”

Fucking… Maddox and his bad jokes. I didn’t know if I wanted to be sucked into this or stay on the perimeter.

“Why?” Alys asked.

Maddox was watching me, amusement dancing in his eyes, and his smile threatening to burst out.

Behind him, Claire waved her arm. “Oh, I know this one. Because he wanted to make some mewsic.”

“Get it.Mew-sic.” Maddox repeated. He and Claire both burst into giggles.

The joke wasn’t funny, but their amusement was contagious.

“Holy fu—” Xander’s sigh was exaggerated. “This is why we didn’t have kids.”

“Sorry,grandpa.” Maddox glanced over his shoulder. “Do you need your walker to hobble to your car? I didn’t know old people couldn’t have fun.”

I laughed along with everyone else, as the bad jokes and teasing continued. I was going to miss this next year, and no one here knew yet that I’d be gone, so I’d better memorize the fuck out of it now. Even though I was leaving, these people were my friends, and I’d remember them when I was on the other side of the country.

epilogue 2

fourteen months later

xander

The midday sunlight glinted off the hood of my Impala. As I parked in Elliot’s driveway and shut off the engine, my cell phone rang. The screen just saidJoker.

Good. Maybe I could finally put an issue to rest that had gone unresolved for far too long.

I swipedAnswer, but before I could say anything I heard, “You sent my kid a drum set? Were you high?”

Always a joy to hear from RogerJokerSimms. I chuckled as I climbed from the car and closed the door behind me. “I’m assured they’re top of the line drums. Maddox promised.”

“I’d tell you that’s not the issue, but I think you already know that.” I could practically hear Roger’s eyeroll. “If this is your way of getting me to work faster, you can’t rush these kinds of results.”

“I sent the drums because the kid asked for drums, and who am I to impede future greatness?” I’d also done it because Joker thought it would be fun to send a sexy soldier stripper to Judith’s office for her birthday, and claim it was from me. As if I’d pick any theme other than sexy Viking. “But now that you mention the job…”

It never sat well with me that we couldn’t pursue more serious actions against Chris and Bryce. I wanted them to suffer for what they’d done to AcesPlayed, and Simms had access toresourcesDom and I didn’t.

“I should have the Old Man charge you double, solely because of the drums.” Joker groused.

I’d pay a thousand times the quoted price to have this matter dealt with, but he didn’t need to know that. “I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say your girl needs a cymbal to go with that drum set?”

“For the love of God, no. But your little matter has been handled.”

I knew I’d gone to the right place. The firm Joker worked for in Virginia operated in that gray area of the law that I couldn’t touch, and I was grateful for it. “Do I dare ask for details?”

“Probably best you don’t. Let’s just say the evidence we provided to an overseas ally was enough to get Dumb and Dumber extradited. They’ll be taken into custody as soon as their government-sponsored flight lands on sovereign soil.”

One thing Simms had already told me—Bryce and Chris had expanded their operation beyond AcesPlayed. Nothing local, they thought they were being smart by keeping their crimes international.

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