Page 5 of Lila

Chapter 4

Luca

It’sbeenaslowday. Normally by this time, we’ve had a dozen calls to rescue some cat from a tree. Never mind that cats don’t need rescuing. The women just use them as an excuse to ogle my firefighters. I suppose I should be thankful they’re not desperate enough to set fires to get a look at my men.

“Chief! Help me win a bet,” Jett says, walking over with two bottles in his hands.

When he hands me one, I check the label and sigh when I see it’s a non-alcoholic beer from Silver Steins Brewery. Popping the top, I take a sip, savoring the taste of hops and the aroma of pine and orange as I buy myself some time before having to deal with whatever nonsense Jett’s up to this time.

“Do I even want to know?” I give him my bestdon’t fuck with melook.

“You do not. Which is precisely why I’m going to win,” his twin, Harkin, smirks as he joins us in the living room.

Even after knowing them for years and meeting their family, I still can’t believe they’re twins. They are complete opposites, and not in the normal twin polarity. Though, they are that, too. While Jett is the flirty playboy, Harkin is reserved, and taciturn. The only things they have in common are their haircut and height. Jett is tall with hair so black in some lights it seems blue, cut short on the sides and long on top. Where Harkin’s hair is a deep red that matches his phoenix feathers.That’sthe biggest difference between the twins. Harkin is a phoenix shifter and Jett is a salamander shifter.

“I don’t know why he would make such an idiotic bet,” Harkin continues. “We all know you’re going straight home after shift ends.”

Scowling, I turn on Jett. “You made a bet aboutme?”

“Not like that, Boss. Jenkins was talking about his bachelor party tonight and Harkin here said there was no way you’d be there. I’m on your side, Boss. I know you wouldn’t miss celebrating our buddy on the night before his big day,” Jett drawls.

“Fuuuck. How did you shitheads let me forget that was today?” Jett’s right. I can’t miss that.

“Well, for one, no one thought you’d actually go. Everyone knows if you have a night off you’re spending it with Grayson,” Harkin scoffs. “And for two, it’s at Vee. The vamp-owned nightclub is definitely not your scene.”

“Are you saying I’m too old for a nightclub?” I arch a brow at him, daring him to answer.

“That’s exactly what he’s saying, Boss,” Jett throws his brother under the bus while managing to get his own foot run over.

Glaring at the dark-eyed twin, I sigh. “You owe me half of your winnings. I gotta call Ann.” Standing, I head down the hall to my office for some privacy as Jett ribs his twin over winning the bet.

The phone rings twice before a harried voice answers. “Luca? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you can’t watch Gray tonight. Lainey is in labor. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

“Shit. Can’t the sitter watch him until you get home? I can’t miss Jenkins’s bachelor party. The guys will never let me live it down. Plus, it’s been one hell of a year for him. He deserves this. Iwantto celebrate with him.”

“If it’s that important to you, you can ask Cara. But don’t get your hopes up. I’m pretty sure she’s ready to quit. I don’t know what that boy is doing when he’s with his sitters, but if I have to hire one more, I may scream.”

“I’ll have a talk with him. Thanks, Ann. Good luck with Lainey.”

“Have fun tonight, Luca. Let loose a little. Maybe get laid. You’ve been too high-strung lately, even for you.”

“You know I don’t-”

“Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t sleep around anymore. But not every sexual encounter ends with an unplanned pregnancy,” she says, laughter in her voice.

“I know that,” I grumble.

“But why risk it, right?” She laughs, throwing my words back at me. I hate when she does that.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, ending the conversation before she takes it further. Her laughter echoes in my head as I end the call. Since when does the mother of a guy’s children encourage them to get laid? That woman is a menace. But she’s not wrong. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to let go a little tonight… Just a little though.

Chapter 5

Lila

Wespendthedaywalking around Silver Springs before heading back to the apartment. When we get into the elevator though, Lav presses the button for floor two.

“Where are we going, now?”

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