Page 18 of Big Bad Wolfe

The kid again shook his head.

Sweat pooled in Zane’s armpits and lower back. The commercials that had promised his deodorant would stand up to ugly commutes, irate bosses, and rigorous gym workouts hadn’t counted on one pint-sized brick wall. “Casey, this test is very important.”

“You hold his nose,” the nurse suggested. “When he opens his mouth, I’ll get the sample. No muss, no fuss.”

Anger boiled through his veins. “No way. Back off.”

“It’s a natural reflex.” She huffed. “We do it all the time. It’s fast, easy and won’t hurt him a bit.”

No wonder the kid was leery. Zane would cancel the test for today before allowing that. But his attorney had said they needed to move fast. Frustrated, he studied the little boy. A direct command, negotiation, and bribery had failed.

Logic.Try logic.“Why won’t you open your mouth?”

“She’ll gak me,” Casey muttered through gritted teeth.

Zane frowned. “Huh?”

“Gak. You know, like the strip test.”

Enlightenment dawned. “Oh, you meangagyou, like astreptest.”

“Yeah. I flunked it before and had to take gross pink medicine for a really long time. A whole year,” he added darkly.

Zane bit back a grin. “A year? That is a pretty long time.”

The child nodded. “Yup.”

“What if I promise, and I never, ever break a promise, that the lady won’t gag you?” Zane lasered “the look” at the tech. “Youwon’t,”he warned.

The woman blinked, gulped. “Uh. No. No, I’ll do my best.”

Casey’s eyes narrowed.

“Tell you what. I’ll go first.” Zane propped his hip on the exam table. “You can watch me, and see how it’s done.”

The kid contemplated him for a full thirty seconds. “‘Kay,” he finally said, “But if she gaks you, I’m not doin’ it.”

The nurse approached Zane and he opened his mouth. Suddenly, a small warm hand slipped into his palm.

“I’ll hold your hand so you’re not scared,” Casey whispered.

At the gentle touch of that tiny, loving hand, the shields Zane had fought an entire lifetime to construct cracked ominously.

Painful breath jammed in his lungs. Thank God the swabbing saved him from a reply … because he couldn’t have spoken if his life depended on it.

After Zane escaped “un-gakked,” Casey submitted to the test.

Zane used the few valuable minutes to piece together his shattered equilibrium.

The tech snapped pictures of Zane and Casey individually and together for the files before dismissing them.

As wrung out as if he’d run a marathon with his leg shackled to an anvil, Zane delivered Casey to the waiting room.

Jillian rose, her face anxious. “That took forever. Was there a problem?”

Did Hulk turn green when he lost his shit? “A slight miscommunication. We worked it out.”

She sighed. “Good. Ice cream time, then.”

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