Page 81 of Big Bad Wolfe

“Man up, cowboy.” Mia poked Dallas in the chest. “If the day ever arrives when you can push something the size of a cantaloupe out of your ass, you’re entitled to all the damned hormonal hell you want.”

The imagesthatconjured up made the blood drain from Zane’s head. “Ouch,” he muttered.

Dallas winced. “Lord have mercy on us all when she goes into labor.”

“Oh!”Mia exclaimed. “Ohmigod,speaking of pregnancy hormones— We have news to share!” She snatched a black-and-white photo from her purse. “I had an ultrasound yesterday afternoon!”

Zane tilted his head, attempting to decipher the blob. “And …”

“Uncle Zane, meet Lucas Tyler McQuade.”

He stared at the photo, dumbfounded. “It’s a boy.”

Moisture puddled in Mia’s eyes as she squeezed her proud husband’s arm. “And his middle name is for Dallas’ sister, Tyler-Anne, who died when she was a teenager.”

“Awww,congratulations,” Jillian breathed. “A precious little boy.”

“Yes,” Mia quavered. “We have a perfect, healthy baby boy on the way.”

Then both women burst into tears.

Dallas cleared his throat. “All righty then. The equipment is in the car. Let’s get started.”

The men turned and fled.

* * *

At the musical’s debut that evening, Zane ended up assisting Jillian behind the scenes. He wrangled props, tweaked minor glitches in the lighting and sound systems, and spent a nerve-wracking fifteen minutes convincing Tala she wasnotgoing to puke from opening-night jitters.

Dallas and Mia had seats of honor in the front row beside Congressman and Mrs. Reynolds, and Reynolds’ assistant, Carson Wentworth, and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Judging by the enthusiastic cheers and applause when the final curtain came down, the play was a rousing success. Pride warmed Zane when the beaming teenage actors lined up onstage for curtain call after curtain call. They’d worked their asses off and done a fantastic job.

He wiped his sweaty brow on his shirt sleeve. He was as beat as if he’d been treading the boards singing and dancing his heart out.

The buzzing audience gathered their belongings and filed from the auditorium and the young actors giddily bounced away.

Mia, Dallas, Lynn and Wade Reynolds, and Wentworth joined Zane and Jillian in the hallway behind the stage. As Jillian made introductions all around, omitting Zane’s profession like he’d asked her to, Zane assessed the Congressman.

Just enough gray sprinkled through his dark, well-cut hair to suggest wise experience. Black suit and white shirt perfectly tailored to a toned, broad-shouldered body and accented by a tasteful red tie. Manicured hands that shook Zane’s and Dallas’ with a confident grip, accompanied by an intellectual brown gaze exuding steady, focused sincerity.

A walking, talking cliché of the typical politician—the entire image meticulously packaged to convey confidence and power, and win your trust.

Zane wasn’t buying any of it.

He turned to shake hands with, and size up, Carson Wentworth. A younger, blond, attempted carbon copy of his boss that inspired nothing but instant animosity. Sharply bladed features, a wiry body vibrating with tension, clammy hands, and narrow blue eyes.

The guy was a ferret.

And the ruthlessness in those sly, glacial eyes warned Zane he’d be extremely dangerous if cornered.

If Reynolds’ affair with Deb had threatened the Congressman’s position of power—and by default, Wentworth’s as well—the ferret would’ve had no compunction about getting rid of her.

Paging Carson Wentworth, go immediately to the top of the suspect list.

The group engaged in perfunctory small talk, ending with the Congressman’s promise to deliver another donation soon, and Lynn and Jillian making arrangements to meet about the impending gala. Jillian still had to shepherd the acting troupe through tomorrow’s matinee and also their evening closing performance before she could fully concentrate on the fundraiser.

The teens’ after-play party would be held tomorrow night at Tala’s house. Jillian had commandeered four other parents and/or guardians to chip in for refreshments and help Tala’s grandma supervise the rambunctious horde, so she and Zane were off the hook for that.

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