Page 47 of His Claim

“Are we done here?” I growled. “Maybe we should all get back to trying to find Brandt before he finds us?” I suggested.

“Easy,” Leo called. “Creed isn’t interested in Tatum, Murphy. That’s just his bonehead way of telling you to not fuck this up again.”

“I got it,” I grumbled.

“I gotta get back to Greer and the kids. We were in the middle of a riveting game of Monopoly.” Apollo lowered his voice. “I love my family, but if I have to spend another ten days with them, and only them, I am going to hunt down Brandt by myself. You got me?”

Now, that made me laugh. “Maybe Creed can take Greer off your hands.”

“Don’t even open your fucking mouth, Creed,” Apollo threatened. He then sighed heavily. “Let’s just find Brandt and get things back to normal, yeah?”

“The best idea I’ve heard. Keep your eyes and ears open, and watch your backs. Call in if you get even the hint of Brandt, right?” Leo asked.

We all promised, and the conference call ended.

Something was going to have to give.

Brandt wasn’t going to give up; it was just a matter of time until he struck again.

“Everything okay?”

I had wandered to the end of the driveway and turned to see Tatum on the front porch with two cups in her hands.

“One of those for me?” I asked.

She held up one. “I made Greta’s famous margaritas. One scoop of ice cream.”

“Still sounds... odd.” I headed up the driveway and took the drink from her.

Tatum nodded. “Just trust me. You are going to be blown away.”

I took a sip and was surprised. “It’s creamy.”

Tatum nodded happily. “And delicious.” She looked up at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rain.”

“That’s what the weatherman is saying. Possible thunderstorm.” It was just a little after four, and the sky was already dark.

Tatum looked even happier. “We should make a fire and watch a movie after dinner. I love rainy nights. I wonder if Ethel has some hot chocolate in the cabinet.”

“Margaritas and hot chocolate?” I asked. “I think I’ll just settle for the fire and a movie.”

“We’re not going to drink them at the same time.” She held up her drink. “We’re drinking these while we make dinner, and then we can have the hot chocolate when we’re snuggled up by the fire.”

“How long is it going to take to make dinner?” I asked.

She stepped toward me, and I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Probably half an hour. I found a casserole in the freezer. It just needs to be heated.”

“Oh, well, we have a bit of time to waste, huh?”

“Have anything in mind we could do?”

I set my drink down and swung her into my arms. “I can think of a few things I could do to you.”

“Murphy,” she shrieked. “You do know I can walk, right?”

I pressed a kiss to her lips and walked into the house. “You can, but I like having you in my arms.”

“Awe,” she sighed. “So sweet.”

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