Page 4 of To Kill a Badger (The Honey Badgers Chronicles #6)

Strutting across that stage in the five-thousand-dollar shoes he’d bought her on their shopping spree and diamond earrings and a gold diamond necklace—he didn’t know where she’d gotten any of that from, and he knew better than to ask—she went to the headmaster and accepted her diploma.

As she turned for a picture from the school photographer, moving the tassel on her cap to the other side, Arthur and Lorraine politely clapped.

He’d expected the same from the audience, of course.

Nelle was an immigrant, after all, who looked different from most of the children from this school; had what many considered a British accent but was, in fact, one of the typical Hong Kong accents for those who had studied at the British-run private schools; and her family was wildly rich.

Something his daughter had never hid from anyone.

So a few polite claps from these people was exactly what he and Lorraine had been expecting.

That’s not what they got, though.

The screams, howls, and hysterical cheers from the MacKilligan sisters, the Gonzalez village of family direct from the Philippines, the Lepstein-Jackson clan discreetly inserted into the crowd, the entire basketball team and their families, as well as every male in a thirty-mile radius, rang out, drowning out any polite applause and sanity that Arthur and his wife were trying to invoke.

How wrong he’d been when it came to Nelle Zhao and her innate ability to charm. He would not make that mistake again.

“Are all these people going to be at our house tonight?” Lorraine demanded to know, not even attempting to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

“I don’t—”

“Because we can’t have scorpions and live cobras if these people will be wandering around. You know how they’ll panic. Especially the wolves. All that howling.”

“We should only have regular food at our event. Just in case.”

“Fine.” She stood and pulled out her Blackberry. “I’ll let the servants know.”

He caught her hand before she could walk through the still-cheering crowd and stared at her. He didn’t have to say “thank you” for allowing their child to have this party with these people, because they knew how to read each other without saying a word.

Lorraine gave a short nod before moving down the line toward freedom. He was proud of his wife. She’d handled herself well, considering—

“ Owwwwwww! ”

“Oh, dear!” his wife said to Charlie MacKilligan, “did I accidentally stomp on your giant feet? Ever so sorry.”

Lorraine wasn’t sorry.

“Daddy?” Arthur looked to see his daughter waiting for him a few bleachers down, the cap and gown he’d made her promise she’d at least wear until she got her diploma held in her hand. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.”

He smiled at the child he adored, and she smiled back: a lovely moment shared between father and child.

And that moment lasted until a bouncy She-badger jumped in front of his child and cheered, “Hey, Mr. Zee! Enjoy the show?”

“I did, Max-Tina. It was wonderful. I’m so proud of all of you.”

“It’s just Max, Mr. Zee! So to your house for the party?”

“Yes. All of you can come with me in the limo, if you’d like.”

“Ya! Limo ride!” The She-badger raised her leg and pointed at the Doc Marten boots she’d finally chosen for her graduation day ensemble while the others had purchased designer heels. “And I’m going to take my shoes off this time, Mr. Zee!”

“You! MacKilligan!” Lorraine suddenly yelled from the other side of the bleachers, all of them looking toward her as she pointed a damning finger at Max. “You keep those fucking shoes on, peasant! I won’t have you spreading that fungus all over my perfect home!”

Eyes wide in confusion, Max-Nancy—that was her name, wasn’t it?—looked back at Arthur, but when she heard her baby sister giggle, those wide eyes narrowed in accusation, and the new graduate took off running after the younger girl.

The rest of the team and the eldest MacKilligan ran after them, except his dear Nelle. She didn’t chase anyone. Instead, she held her hand out for him and waited until he reached her.

Arm in arm, father and daughter made their way back to their limo.

“Don’t worry, Daddy.”

“Worry?”

“That I’ll be spending all my life with my teammates.”

“I believe that’s your mother’s worry. Not mine.”

“Well, it won’t happen. All of us are off to different parts of the world to do different things, and my only concern right now is our little family vacation to San Francisco.”

“Ahh, yes. That.”

She stopped, forcing Arthur to stop, as well. “Is there a problem?”

“Well, as you know, my older brother is running this, uh—”

“Vacation.”

“Yes. He’s running our vacation, and he wants your sister handling. . . our vacation’s events. You’ll be backing her up.”

Her expression unchanged, Nelle said, “Tell me you’re joking.

” He simply stared back at her as a response.

He knew that if he was speaking of his eldest daughter, none of this would be a problem.

But this was Nelle’s “other sister.” Only two years apart, they did not get along. “And you’re allowing this?”

“As you know, I am not in charge of this . . . vacation. Your uncle is.”

“Uh-huh.”

She turned to walk away, but Arthur caught her arm and gently forced her to face him.

“Do not throw your sister down the stairs.”

“Of course not.”

“Or tie her up and leave her to die in a closet.”

“Never.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

He took her arm again, and they continued toward the limo.

“And,” he said after a few moments of silence, “I doubt your friends will be out of your life for good.”

“I’m sure I’ll see them during holidays and visits home, but I doubt I’ll be hanging out with them like I have for the last six years. We’re adults now,” she insisted. “We have to get serious. No time for any more insanity.”