Wolf with Benefits
Page 119
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Someone better, Toni snarled. No more lion males if they cant handle a couple of bratty three-year-olds.
Bratty three-year-olds the twins might be, but that didnt mean they were any less dangerous. But Livy wasnt about to say that to her best friend. Not when she was this angry.
They reached the front door and Toni faced Ricky. I know your brother handled this job, but I want you to evaluate all the personnel involved directly with my siblings. You understand them, Reece doesnt.
Done.
Smart wolf. He knew better than to argue with Toni when it was about her siblings. Because there would be no winning that fight. Only lonely nights.
Good. Toni grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open. Her limo driver reared back.
Oh, he said. I was just coming to
Just go already! she yelled at him.
What are you screaming at me for? the feline demanded. I didnt do anything!
Shut up and drive, you idiot!
Bickering, the pair stormed out of the house. Ricky looked at Livy, sighed, shook his head, and followed.
Livy did not follow. She knew better.
It took Ricky nearly half a day to get his brother on the phone. Rory had been in client meetings and other than texting him to stop bothering me, hed been pretty quiet. But now that Ricky had him on the phone, he was forcing Rory to go through each team member hed brought onto the Jean-Louis Parker job and which kid that team member was attached to. His brother wasnt happy about thishe never liked it when anyone questioned him but especially when it was Reece or Ricky. But with Stewart stuck in the hospital in the throes of an ugly fever while his leg healed, Rory knew he had no choice.
So far, though, Ricky was fine with the team Rory had assembled to watch the kidshe wasnt about to blame any male, even a feline, for being freaked out by the Jean-Louis Parker twins. Then Rory told him who hed put with Freddy.
Sitting in Tonis office, which was filled with flowers from individual playersespecially the ones of Russian and Mongolian descent who would now have a chance to visit distant relatives at team costand other Eastern Europe shifter hockey teams whod clearly heard about Toni through Zubachev, Ricky told his brother flatly, No.
What do you mean no?
I mean no. I dont want Roy with Freddy.
Why not?
Hes lazy.
Dude, come on. How much effort is needed to watch a seven-year-old?
I dont want Roy on this.
Who then?
Ricky thought a moment. What about Miranda?
Miranda? Is she remotely good withkids?
I dont care. And I can promise you Freddys sister wont care. Its about whether hell be safe, and Freddy has a lot of outside classes. So put her on it.
Okay. Okay. Lord, you are gettin snarly. Startin to sound like Daddy.
Only because youre irritating the shit out of me.
I said okay! Ill take care of it. But Mirandas in Queens today on another job. I can pull her, but itll take a bit to get her back to the city, so Roy will have to stick with the kid while hes at school.
Ricky looked at his watch. Yeah. All right. Hed replace Roy himself but the coyote would wait until Ricky could get there.
Have her meet us at the Parker house.
Yeah. Okay. Then his brother chuckled. Parker house. Arent those rolls?
Yep. The Reed family secretRory was kind of goofy.
Does your hot, new girlfriend smell like rolls, too?
Ricky looked over at his hot, new girlfriend.
Rory? Ricky said to his big brother.
Uh-huh?
Mommas in town.
Wait. What?
Bye! Ricky disconnected the call and then turned his phone off.
Whats going on? Toni asked. She was focused on her computer monitor, her hands flying across the keyboard, and he didnt think shed been paying attention.
Just freaking my brother out.
You mentioned Freddy. Whats going on with Freddy? Damn, the woman was good.
Im going to go pick up Freddy from school today.
Ill come with you.
You dont trust me with your brother?
I dont trust that he wont talk you into letting him drown himself in a chocolate sundae as big as your head. She smirked. Hes quite persuasive, my baby brother.
And I wonder where he learned that from?
Quiet, you.
Freddy Jean-Louis Parker hated school. He hated professors. They always got so mean when he corrected them. How was it his fault when they got it wrong? How was it his fault that they didnt know as much as they thought they did?
It wasnt! It wasnt his fault! And it wasnt fair to yell at him! He didnt do anything wrong. And even when he did do wrong things, his parents didnt yell at him. Even Toni didnt yell at him and Toni yelled at pretty much everybody. She did slap those matches out of his hand that time, but he didnt blame her for that. But then she calmed him down. Toni always calmed him down. She was real good at that.
Bratty three-year-olds the twins might be, but that didnt mean they were any less dangerous. But Livy wasnt about to say that to her best friend. Not when she was this angry.
They reached the front door and Toni faced Ricky. I know your brother handled this job, but I want you to evaluate all the personnel involved directly with my siblings. You understand them, Reece doesnt.
Done.
Smart wolf. He knew better than to argue with Toni when it was about her siblings. Because there would be no winning that fight. Only lonely nights.
Good. Toni grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open. Her limo driver reared back.
Oh, he said. I was just coming to
Just go already! she yelled at him.
What are you screaming at me for? the feline demanded. I didnt do anything!
Shut up and drive, you idiot!
Bickering, the pair stormed out of the house. Ricky looked at Livy, sighed, shook his head, and followed.
Livy did not follow. She knew better.
It took Ricky nearly half a day to get his brother on the phone. Rory had been in client meetings and other than texting him to stop bothering me, hed been pretty quiet. But now that Ricky had him on the phone, he was forcing Rory to go through each team member hed brought onto the Jean-Louis Parker job and which kid that team member was attached to. His brother wasnt happy about thishe never liked it when anyone questioned him but especially when it was Reece or Ricky. But with Stewart stuck in the hospital in the throes of an ugly fever while his leg healed, Rory knew he had no choice.
So far, though, Ricky was fine with the team Rory had assembled to watch the kidshe wasnt about to blame any male, even a feline, for being freaked out by the Jean-Louis Parker twins. Then Rory told him who hed put with Freddy.
Sitting in Tonis office, which was filled with flowers from individual playersespecially the ones of Russian and Mongolian descent who would now have a chance to visit distant relatives at team costand other Eastern Europe shifter hockey teams whod clearly heard about Toni through Zubachev, Ricky told his brother flatly, No.
What do you mean no?
I mean no. I dont want Roy with Freddy.
Why not?
Hes lazy.
Dude, come on. How much effort is needed to watch a seven-year-old?
I dont want Roy on this.
Who then?
Ricky thought a moment. What about Miranda?
Miranda? Is she remotely good withkids?
I dont care. And I can promise you Freddys sister wont care. Its about whether hell be safe, and Freddy has a lot of outside classes. So put her on it.
Okay. Okay. Lord, you are gettin snarly. Startin to sound like Daddy.
Only because youre irritating the shit out of me.
I said okay! Ill take care of it. But Mirandas in Queens today on another job. I can pull her, but itll take a bit to get her back to the city, so Roy will have to stick with the kid while hes at school.
Ricky looked at his watch. Yeah. All right. Hed replace Roy himself but the coyote would wait until Ricky could get there.
Have her meet us at the Parker house.
Yeah. Okay. Then his brother chuckled. Parker house. Arent those rolls?
Yep. The Reed family secretRory was kind of goofy.
Does your hot, new girlfriend smell like rolls, too?
Ricky looked over at his hot, new girlfriend.
Rory? Ricky said to his big brother.
Uh-huh?
Mommas in town.
Wait. What?
Bye! Ricky disconnected the call and then turned his phone off.
Whats going on? Toni asked. She was focused on her computer monitor, her hands flying across the keyboard, and he didnt think shed been paying attention.
Just freaking my brother out.
You mentioned Freddy. Whats going on with Freddy? Damn, the woman was good.
Im going to go pick up Freddy from school today.
Ill come with you.
You dont trust me with your brother?
I dont trust that he wont talk you into letting him drown himself in a chocolate sundae as big as your head. She smirked. Hes quite persuasive, my baby brother.
And I wonder where he learned that from?
Quiet, you.
Freddy Jean-Louis Parker hated school. He hated professors. They always got so mean when he corrected them. How was it his fault when they got it wrong? How was it his fault that they didnt know as much as they thought they did?
It wasnt! It wasnt his fault! And it wasnt fair to yell at him! He didnt do anything wrong. And even when he did do wrong things, his parents didnt yell at him. Even Toni didnt yell at him and Toni yelled at pretty much everybody. She did slap those matches out of his hand that time, but he didnt blame her for that. But then she calmed him down. Toni always calmed him down. She was real good at that.
