“I’m not sure.”
“Best guess?”
“There’s someone our organization has been searching for. A full-human hunter. Those in charge want him. Dead or alive. And they probably need you for some breaking and entering.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“It’s what shifter Kowalskis do.” She thought a moment before adding. “And Yangs.” Her mother’s people. “We break. We enter. We steal expensive shit.”
“And mine used to tear houses off their foundations and eat the contents. The human contents. So we all have our pasts. You don’t have to be trapped by it.”
“No. I don’t. But I also don’t like full-human assholes that use us as prey. That really pisses me off.”
Grinning—and he had a very nice grin—the hybrid sat down across from her and remarked, “I’m sensing lots of things piss you off, Livy Kowalski.”
“And you’d be absolutely right.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you?”
“No.” Delilah stroked the arm of her driver, John. He was one of her guards now. He’d die for her and she knew it. She used it against him whenever she could, but not if it meant putting herself in danger.
That was something she’d never do.
“I’ll be right back. All of you stay out here,” she said to the acolytes. They thought she was a being from the great beyond, a power sent to them directly from God.
She wasn’t, but why bother them with the little details? Delilah got out of the car and walked into the warehouse. She knew this location well, had played Texas hold ’em with the mob guys here on more than one occasion.
But, as the door closed behind Delilah, her nostrils filled with the powerful scent of blood and death. So thick she began to immediately salivate.
She turned to go, instinctively knowing the American agents from some shady division of the CIA she’d arranged to meet with were dead. She’d had it all set up. Remembering enough of that stupid notebook to fake a copy, she’d planned to hand off the book, get her money, and be gone before they realized it was completely useless. It was such a perfect plan, she’d been mad at herself that she hadn’t thought of it earlier. But before she could get the door open a big She-wolf hand slammed against it, holding it shut.
“Hey, Delilah,” a voice said against her ear.
“Dee-Ann. You come here to kill me?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Heard your sister took the high road. I ain’t got no high road. So listen up, little girl. I already killed your friends. And the only reason you’re still alive is because you’re one of us. But I can end that right quick. And I will if you make me. You can play with these idiots who worship you all you want—but step outside the cult even a little bit, and you’ll never be able to hide from me. Understand?”
“Yeah.” Delilah sighed, unable to keep the boredom and frustration out of her voice.
She wasn’t frightened by this She-wolf, but she knew her well enough to know that Dee-Ann Smith would have no problem killing her, and Delilah wasn’t in the mood to die anytime soon.
One really had to know when to push and when to back off. She prided herself on understanding those things.
And Dee-Ann Smith was not someone anyone with intelligence wanted to push.
So when Smith moved her hand away from that door, Delilah went back out to those who waited for her and let them take her back to the compound, knowing that the only dangerous thing there was herself.
The car door opened and Dee-Ann got inside.
Irene started the car before asking, “All done?”
“Yup.”
“Good. Give her a few years. Let her fade away.” Irene started the car. “Then when the family’s pushed her out of their collective minds . . . wipe her from this planet.”
Dee-Ann nodded at the order from her boss’s wife. “Okey-dokey.”
It had been a really long day and an even longer night. Not bad, but long. Toni carried a sleeping Freddy into his bedroom and carefully placed him on his bed. She untied his little Converse sneakers and pulled them off, placing them on the floor very neatly, the way he liked. Not like Kyle who sent his shoes flying across the room, when he remembered to take them off at all before going to bed.
“Toni?”
She sat on the bed and smiled down at her baby brother. “Mhmm?”
“Are you mad at me? About Delilah?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Are you mad about me taking Miki’s book?”
“No. I’m not mad.”
“Disappointed?”
“Not that either.” Especially with that damn notebook out of their lives and back on its way to Miki Kendrick by way of someone from Uncle Van’s organization. She’d thought Dee-Ann would take care of returning the notebook herself but she’d said she had something else to do. Toni knew better than to ask for further info on that.
“But in future,” she went on to her brother, “let’s avoid taking things from anyone but especially from those we know for a fact can destroy the universe if so inclined.”
Freddy giggled even as his eyes began to close again. “Okay. Will we still have to go back home?”
“To Washington? No. I think we’ll stay the summer now that everything is resolved.”
“Good. I want to see Auntie Irene make my professor at the college cry. She promised she would.”
“And we both know she always keeps her promises.”
“Yes.” He turned over onto his side. “When the summer’s over, Toni, you’ll have to stay here.”
“I will?” she asked, amused. “Why?”
“Because Ricky loves you.”
Toni barely managed to stop making that panicked choking sound that always freaked her mother out and, instead, asked, “And you know that how?”
“He looks at you the way that Daddy looks at Mommy. And if you leave him now, his heart will break. And Mommy said heartbreak is the worst.”
“Oh, is it?”
“It is. And I like Ricky Lee. So you can’t break his heart.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I love you, Toni.”
“I love you, too, Freddy.” She leaned in and kissed her brother’s cheek. “Now get some sleep. Tomorrow we’re all going to FAO Schwartz.”
“The toy store?”
“Yes.”
He turned his head, looking at her over his little shoulder, his eyes glinting like the wild animal he truly was from the light streaming in from the hallway. “Why would we want to do that?”
Toni could only sigh. “Only a Jean-Louis Parker child would ask that particular question about a toy store.”
After another kiss on her brother’s forehead, Toni headed to her own room. She passed her other siblings’ rooms, hearing Kyle and Troy bickering behind one door, Zoe and Zia chatting to each other in some language they’d made up in the last couple of days in another. Little Dennis snored like a rutting rhino in his room while Oriana was gossiping on her damn phone with another dancer about which dance teacher was sleeping with which student. Toni paused at that but then decided it was too late to handle that potential situation well when she was this tired, so she kept moving. Her parents were still downstairs in the living room with Ricky’s mother. She could hear laughter and was relieved that they were all getting along so well.
Cherise and Cooper were watching
Excalibur
in Coop’s room. A film the three of them had watched two million times, she was sure. She briefly thought about joining them but, again, exhaustion won out.
She continued on to her room but stopped in the doorway. Ricky, fully dressed, was asleep on top of the covers, his Tennessee Titans ball cap still on his head, his back resting against the headboard. And she had to admit, nothing had really ever looked so perfect before.
Kicking off her running shoes, Toni crawled onto the bed. By the time she reached Ricky, he’d opened his arms to her. She snuggled up to his chest, resting her cheek against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ricky’s legs were on either side of her, his chin resting on top of her head.
“Ricky Lee?”
“Mhmm?”
“I’m glad you waited for me tonight.”
“Wait for you?” His arms encircled her, held her tight. “Darlin’ . . . where else would I be?”
E
PILOGUE
T
oni looked over all the food on the kitchen table. “Mom, do we really need all this food?”
Her mother stood beside her. “I just don’t know. I was told the most important thing was for the wild dogs to have ample chocolate, so I took care of that. I have a whole picnic table set up outside for that. But when I heard your entire hockey team would be attending, and those lions that are part of the Smith Pack, then I figured we’d need more food. Thankfully, Blayne—”
“Who?”
Her mother bumped Toni with her hip. “Be nice to her! She suggested the caterer,” she said, pointing out the window at the team getting the food tables organized. “They apparently handle shifter weddings and all-lion events, which seems to be some sort of code meaning they could feed anyone.” Her mother clutched her hands together. “I just want everything to be perfect.”
“Are you still sucking up to the dogs, Mom? I mean, they seem to be entrusting you with Johnny now that Donato is interested in him.”
“I’ve always felt you can never suck up enough in some instances. This is one of those instances.”
Jackie reached out, and moved a few of the side dishes around. Then, suddenly, she asked something that she hadn’t before, her gaze still focused on the table in front of her, “Delilah won’t be coming home . . . will she?”
She made it sound like she meant, “Would Delilah be coming home for the party?” But Toni knew what her mother was really asking her. Knew it was hard for her to ask such a thing about her own child. A child she’d given birth to and had loved like she’d loved all her other children. But even so, something had gone wrong. And nothing they did now would change that. They both knew it.
So Toni wasn’t surprised at her mother’s relieved expression when she replied, “No, Mom. She won’t be. But don’t worry, she’s in a good place now.” As good a place as they could hope for anyway. Hey, it wasn’t a prison cell or a shallow grave.
Her mother suddenly hugged her. “I love you, Antonella. I love you more than you will ever understand.”
Toni hugged her mother back. “I love you, too, Mom.”
The doorbell rang and Jackie pulled away. “They’re here,” she announced. “I’ll go let them in.”
“Okay.”
Jackie walked out and that’s when Toni heard, “Pssst. Toni?”
“Dad?”
Her father eased into the room from another doorway. “Where’s your mother?”
“She went to answer the door.”
“We have a problem.”
Toni sighed. “Uh-oh. What now?”
He leaned down and whispered to her, “The Royal Ballet wants your sister.”
“What? She’s only fifteen.”
“Let me rephrase . . .” And that’s when Toni rolled her eyes. She loved her father but . . . oy.
“The Royal Ballet
School
has offered her a spot in order to train her for the Royal Ballet.”
“That makes sense.”
“And then there was the call I got before that—”
“You got another call?”
“From this art school for gifted children in Milan. They want Kyle.”
“Well—”
“And then—”
“There’s more?”
“Well, this one I’ve been kind of keeping to myself.”
“Because that’s a good idea.”
“There’s been so much going on.”
“What is it, Dad?”
“Troy was accepted to Harvard undergrad in their math department.”
“Of course he was.”
“That one I’m not sure what to do about.”
Toni could hear her mother and some of the guests heading this way, so she turned to her father and said, “You’re going to have to let Oriana and Kyle go. Coop can keep an eye on them when he’s doing his European and Russian tour in the fall. Plus, we have lots of contacts in both Milan and London, so no worries there. As for Troy, he’s too young. I think you should look at Aunt Irene’s University for his undergrad. By the time he’s ready to go for his master’s or PhD, he can go to Harvard without a problem. And trust me, they’ll still want him.”
“Okay.” He hugged her, and Toni wondered what the hell was going on.
“I’m so proud of you, baby.”
“Me?” Toni had to laugh at that. “The Royal Ballet didn’t call about me, Dad.”
“But none of that would have been possible for any of the kids without you. Never forget that, Toni. I know I won’t.” He kissed her forehead just as Jackie and a pack of wild dog children walked into the kitchen, heading to the backyard.
“Toni!” the pups cheered.
“Hey, guys! Where’s Johnny?”
“He’s coming,” one of the kids said.
Then another screamed, “There’s chocolate out here!”
They took off running, quickly followed by the adults of the wild dog Pack.
The three Jean-Louis Parkers huddled together until the danger had passed, then they all let out relieved breaths. “Good Lord,” Jackie said. “It’s just chocolate.”
“Yeah, Mom. I probably wouldn’t say that around
them.
”
Ricky moved up behind Toni and put his arm around her waist.
“Where have you been?” she demanded, sounding adorably cranky. He knew why, too . . . it took a lot for a body to manage wild dog pups.
“I had a job with Reece.”
“Everything go all right?”
“Yep. Just fine.” He leaned down and kissed her neck.
“You better stop . . . my Dad is totally watching you.”
“He loves me. He’s just not ready to admit it yet.”
“Yeah. You go on believing that.”
Ricky stepped away from Toni and took her hand. “Come on.”
“Where?”
He didn’t answer, just pulled her inside the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. He closed the door and got right to it.
“I might as well cut to the point here and tell you that I’m in love with you and I want you to be my mate.”
“Are you sure about that? Because you sound awfully pissy about it.”
“I am positive, and I sound pissy because I have no idea how you’re going to respond and that makes me tense.”
“I guess my only concern is that you don’t understand what you’re getting yourself into.”
“You mean having Novikov hanging around? Because as long as he’s picking on Reece, I really don’t care.”
“No. But there’s not just me. There’s my entire family. Even if I stay here—”
“If?”
“Although it’s highly likely that I will stay . . . my family will never be far away. In other words, I don’t come unattached. The Jean-Louis Parkers never do.”
“I’ll put up with yours if you put up with mine.”
“What’s wrong with yours?”
Ricky walked over to the window and motioned Toni over. He pushed the window open and she leaned out. Together they watched Dee-Ann, Sissy Mae, and Ronnie Lee loudly sing “Rocky Top” to Brendon and Mitch Shaw.
“What’s wrong with that . . . other than they are supremely out of tune.”
“The Shaw brothers hate that song. A hate so strong, mind, that it’s almost become a living, breathing thing. Which is why the females are singing it to them.”
“Because the brothers hate it?”
“Yep.”
“That seems cruel.”
“Yep.”
“Yet highly amusing.” She pointed over to Kyle. “See how swollen his head is?”
“You mean that lump?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Yeah. I see it.”
“He got that from Oriana when she physically attacked him with one of her toe shoes.”
“Again?”
“Do you know why?”
Ricky cringed a little. “He called her fat?”
“No. This time he told her she had a man-jaw.”
Ricky laughed. Hard.
“Yeah,” Toni went on, also laughing. “And Oriana didn’t appreciate that, so she hit him with her toe shoe. Actually . . . she
beat
him with her toe shoe, which is vastly different.”
“I don’t know.” Ricky looked back and forth between the two families. “ ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes? ‘Rocky Top’ . . . toe shoes?” He shrugged and looked at her. “I really can’t decide.”
They leaned back in, Toni smiling up at him. “Look, if you think you can handle this level of crazy—”
“Handle it? You’ve met my mother. I’ve been living this all my life.”
“Then I’m in.”
“Better be. Because I am
really
liking that apartment of yours.”
“I’ve noticed you’ve made yourself quite at home.”
“Why should you get all the closet space?”
“Yes. I know you need room for your many Tennessee Titan hats.”
“You don’t have to be jealous of my hats; you know I’ll get you one.”
Chuckling, Toni went up on her toes, looked him in the eye. “I love you, too, Ricky Lee Reed.”
“Good.”
She kissed him and Ricky hugged her tight, pulling her close into his body, returning that kiss.
“Thank you,” she finally said when she pulled back a bit, their arms still around each other.
“For what?”
“For everything. But mostly for your amazing patience.”
“Well”—Ricky shrugged—“it’s like I told ya from the beginning, Antonella . . . if you wait long enough, the entertainment comes to
you
.”