“I’m also on it,” Ren told me. “This shit needs to get shut down. You see your brother, Ally, you tell him he needs to find the source before me. Are you with me, babe?”

I had a feeling I was, though I thought it might be prudent to get particulars.

“Maybe we can discuss this tonight over dinner,” I suggested.

Vance was in the store and my eyes were aimed down Broadway, where I spotted a black Porsche approaching.

Luke.

“I’m not in the mood to cook,” Ren replied. “I’ll pick up Chinese.”

“That works for me. But I can also pick it up,” I offered.

“That works for me,” Ren agreed. “You know what I like.”

I was feeling weird, freaked, something was gnawing at my gut, but still, Ren pointing out I knew his Chinese preference still made my insides warm.

“Yeah, I know what you like, honey,” I murmured.

“Gotta go. Shit to do,” Ren stated.

“Okay, but just an FYI, I got fired today so we have time to talk tonight.”

This got me nothing.

So I called, “Zano?”

“You were fired?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“From Brother’s?” he requested further details.

“Well, Indy’s not going to fire me,” I noted.

“Babe, your apartment just blew up,” he reminded me.

“Zano, that isn’t something I’ll forget.”

“There’s eyes on you. New Mexican lunatics after you. We don’t know the fallout from your activities in the mountains. Your apartment is rubble. And you tellin’ me you just lost your job is an FYI?”

“It isn’t like I don’t have another one,” I told him.

Or two.

“Fuck, does anything shake you?” he asked.

“Not really,” I answered.

A beat of silence before he shared, “Right now, I don’t know what to do with that.”

“Admire it?” I suggested.

It was then his voice went sweet.

“Baby, I do admire it. And that is no lie. It’s one of the many things I love about you. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep sharp, and nothing keeps you sharper than you bein’ smart enough to be freaked.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t freaked,” I told him. “I just said nothing shakes me.”

“We’ll get into the nuances of what the f**k is the difference between those two things over Chinese,” Ren said, and although a long sentence, the whole of it sounded like it was uttered on a sigh. “Now, I gotta go.”

“Okay, but I want your promise that you’ll enumerate the other many things you love about me over Chinese,” I said.

“Only if you return the favor,” he replied.

Instantly, don’t ask me why, I launched in.

“Your hair. Your eyes. Your body on the whole, incidentally. Though, if pressed, I could pinpoint a top ten of your anatomy. The way you wear a suit. Actually, the way you dress in its entirety. The way you cook. The way you make sure to cook enough for me. You having tater tots for breakfast. Your voice normally, but more when it gets sweet. The things you do to me in bed. The fact my nighties are appreciated. The fact you’re a maximum contact sleeper. Your ability to give perfect presents. You’ve only given me one, but it was the most perfect present I ever received. You’re taller than me. You think I’m funny. You admire me being unshakable. You love your family. You say I love tough and stubborn, and I like that you think that of me. You pay attention. And you never gave up on me.” I took in a deep breath and asked, “Did I mention the suits?”

Ren said nothing.

“Zano?”

More nothing.

Just in case I hadn’t given him enough, I informed him, “That wasn’t exhaustive list. You said you had to go. Those were just the highlights.”

“Shut up, baby.”

My entire body went still at his tone. It was one I’d never heard. One that slid through me, and if I thought he’d made me feel warm with his sweet, that tone, even using it to say those words, gave me a new kind of warm. The kind of warm that settled in and made you feel found and safe and loved in a way you knew you would never lose any of those things.

Not ever.

For the rest of your life.

“Ren,” I whispered.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve a whispered Ren, honey, but you can explain that to me later, too. Call me when you’re headin’ home and I’ll do what I can to wrap shit up and get there when you do.”

“’Kay,” I replied just as a shadow blocked out the sun, and I looked up to see Hank standing there, scowling at me.

Another unhappy member of the Hot Bunch, but one that was in my space.

Shit.

“I have to go,” I said to Ren.

“Later, babe.’

“’Bye, Zano.”

I did not take it as a good sign that Hank’s jaw got tight when I said Ren’s name.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and held my brother’s eyes.

“What?” I asked when he said nothing.

“You think it’s a good idea, you standin’ out here on the sidewalk?”

I pointed across the street where Santo had eyes on me and a hand to his mouth, working his teeth with a toothpick.

“Fuck, Zano put his goon squad on you?” Hank asked, studying Santo with a look on his face that stated what I’d previously thought of Santo and Lucky, and that was that he wasn’t quite certain if they were idiots or brilliant at playing them.

“Apparently,” I answered.

Hank’s eyes tipped down to me. “How ‘bout you do your brother a favor and get your ass inside?”

“I’ll do you that favor, but only because you asked,” I answered magnanimously.

Hank looked to the sky.

I sashayed to the door.

I was caught just inside when Hank’s fingers curled around my bicep to stop me. But before I stopped, I saw that not only had Vance and Luke joined the party, Hector and Marcus were there as well.

No one looked happy.

Except Tod and Shirleen. And it appeared Roxie was fighting a smile. And I couldn’t tell because I had her profile, but it looked like Ava was giggling behind her hand.

I wondered what they’d think if they knew they were “coming soon.”

This thought exited my head when my brother said into my ear. “Dad wants a family meeting.”

This was not a surprise. When Ren and I made it official, I didn’t figure Dad would delay.