Page 32 of Four Calling Birds

Lotte looked at me, concern and confusion written on her face. “What happened with Griff?”

Goose and Taz both scoffed, but said nothing, choosing to dramatically avert their eyes to avoid everyone in the room. When I heard the crackle of tires on the driveway outside, I opened the door to greet my prodigal son.

“Christ, I don’t even want to get into it…” I grumbled, as the sport’s car door opened, and out came the man himself, in business casual, but with boots, and a pair of aviators. His hair was thick, dark and parted to the side. Unlike Veder and Goose, his face was clean-shaven, giving him a youthful, serious appearance. I raised my hand, “Griff!”

He nodded, pulling off his sunglasses and hooking it onto his collar.

“The gang’s all here?” Griff said, his eyes falling on the motorcycle, and the van. He nodded, knowing who those occupants were. Then he sheepishly looked around for another vehicle.

I waved him into the house. He’d know soon enough that we had a guest without a mode of transportation.

He went to the trunk of his car, pulled out a bag about the size of a gym bag, but far heavier. He pulled it over his shoulder, shut the trunk and followed me into the house. Sure enough, once he was in view of the table, he looked at the faces and, just like Lotte, quizzically looked at the long-haired Veder, before deciding that itwashim, then giving him the cold shoulder.

His eyes landed on Taz, and he sneered. “Well, shit. I’m surprised to see you with all ten fingers.”

“There’s only one important one.” She raised the middle one and smiled like a maniac.

“Thank God that’s safe,” Griff gave a slight chuckle, as he rolled his eyes. “Or else you’d never be able to express all your complex feelings.”

“Fuck you, Griff,” she said with an adorable smile. “Not all of us have to be such emo bitches all the time.”

“Should we… leave the room?” Goose said, indicating the rest of us, and pointing with his thumbs to the sliding doors that led to the yard. “I feel like these two need some privacy.”

“No!” Taz and Griff said in unison.

“I’d rather get rectal cancer than be alone with this guy.” Her peppy voice and smile were as fake as could be.

“Holy fuck, I should have just gotten you out of here, Lotte,” I rubbed my palm over my forehead. “These guys are just going to kill each other, and we’ll be fighting the Scorpio Network alone.”

“The Scorpio Network?” Griff asked with barely repressed surprise. He looked at my wife, as if trying to decipher how she had made an enemy of them.

“Catch up, ass wipe,” Taz said, pushing the folder across the desk towards him as he walked to the last empty seat.

To her credit, she briefed him in a concise, unfeeling way. As would be expected from an intelligence specialist… except shewasn’tone. She was an engineer because, in her words, she loved to blow shit up.

Griff, for his part, watched Taz speak with unblinking attention. His eyes darted to her mouth, her eyes, her hands. He was manic, trying got take in every detail of her.

“So, Goose? Got a scalpel?” She almost bounced with glee, as she looked at Lotte. “Let’s cut a bitch!”

“Watch it!” I have never wanted to slap a woman so much as I wanted to slap Taz in that moment.

Lotte grabbed my arm, and gave me a small shake of her head. “It’s okay.”

I could see the desperation in her eyes. She was like a mother trying to keep the piece with her bickering children.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Taz. “Jesus, can you at least get the psycho look off your face?”

“No,” Lotte grabbed my forearm, instantly calming me down. “She’s right. And I’m guessing there are no narcotics, except the ones I was already on. I haven’t had any since this morning, and I should stay sharp. So… we should just do it the old-fashioned way and get it over with?”

“Can I do the honors?” Taz asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“No.” Goose said, shaking his head. Ihopehe regretted letting her approach my wife with a knife in the first place. “We both knew you weren’t going to do it.”

“Was to!” Taz protested.

“Nuh-uh,” Griff said, even though he hadn’t been here for the event itself. He was doing it to piss her off, and she fell for it every time.

“Is that a fucking challenge?” she narrowed her eyes and gave him a menacing smile.

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