Page 18 of The Evening Wolves

“I imagine North is at the center of it.”

John made a noise that could have meant anything.

“He’s probably giving Tean an atomic wedgie or something along those lines. You realize someone needs to put him in his place again? He’s been away for months, and he and Shaw will be completely out of control again.”

“I guess we have to deal with them sooner or later.” Tugging Emery to his feet, John set off for the stairs. In a contemplative voice, he said, “Maybe if you kissed him. Just once.”

“Shaw already tried to kiss me, remember? He said it was his name day, whatever that’s supposed to mean.”

“Not who I was talking about.”

Upstairs, North knelt at the coffee table, arm propped up on one elbow. Theo knelt opposite him, shirtsleeve rolled up.

“I’m going to take it easy on you, Gramps.”

“Uh-huh,” Theo said.

Auggie already had his phone out and was recording. “Please make this epic, Theo.”

“Epic.”

“You know, crush him. Destroy him. Obliterate every fiber of self-confidence.”

A grin slashed across North’s face. “Yeah, Paw-Paw. Obliterate my self-confidence.”

“This is very childish,” Theo said. “Tean, back me up.”

“Oh no, Auggie’s right,” Tean said. “This needs to be a massacre, or he’s going to be impossible to live with.”

If anything, that made North grin harder.

“Say something about alpha males,” Jem said. “Oh! Say something about mounting.”

“Yes!” Shaw was bouncing on his toes. “Say something about mounting!”

On the far side of the room, Glenn and Grace Elaine looked like they’d wandered into a nightmare, and Cora was laughing into her sleeve. To judge by the barking, Lana and Evie were playing with Biscuit in the front room. And Colt, Emery’s only son, was staring at North McKinney with something approaching awe.

“Are you kidding me?” Emery asked.

“Emery—” Theo began, and he turned around.

North grabbed his hand and slapped it down against the table. “Boom!” he shouted, raising his hands in triumph. “Take that, Grandpa!”

“He wasn’t ready,” Auggie protested. “You cheated!”

“Suck it!”

At which point, North stood, cupped his crotch, and began humping the air in Theo’s direction.

“Are you out of your mind?” Emery asked, clapping his hands once. North stopped moving. “There are children in this house, not to mention people to whom I have a societal need to show a reasonable amount of respect. This isn’t the back room of the Manhole, you horse’s ass.”

North spun toward Shaw, stabbing a finger at him. “I told you! I told you he did backroom stuff at the Manhole when he lived in St. Louis!”

“I did not—” Emery began.

“That place is filthy!”

“I don’t know,” Shaw said. “I think he’s faking it. I’ve never seen anybody arm wrestling in the back room. Oh, one time I did see this guy with his arms tied behind his back, and—”

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