Page 98 of X's and O's

X turned to me. “You rich, Whip? You’re always wearing those suits, but your house is kinda a dump. This is a really bad neighborhood, you know?”

“Only when you’re in it,” I mumbled. “And how rich I am or the sort of house I chose to live in is none of your business.”

Levi twisted in his seat. “What is it you do for work, exactly?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but X cut me off. “And don’t say a lion tamer or a scuba instructor. I know you were lying when you told me that.”

I rolled my eyes and shook the list. “Trying to get the two of you to do any work is like herding cats. Kind of wish I was a lion tamer right now, ’cause that might have actually been helpful in keeping the two of you on task. Maybe we should focus on Paul Jeddersen? He was the last one we killed before we got the first revenge note. Odds are it’s related to his death, right?”

X shrugged. “That dude didn’t have anyone to miss him. No wife or kids or friends. Just his parents, but that photo of them on his bookshelf looked really old. I don’t think anyone has even noticed he’s missing. I had my brother watching the missing persons reports, but his name hasn’t come up.”

I hadn’t realized X’s brother had those sorts of skills. We didn’t talk about our families for a reason, and he’d just slipped up. But I didn’t point it out. Just tucked the information away for future reference. “Well, that’s a good thing, I suppose.”

Levi nodded. “You take the guy’s personal belongings before you disposed of him? His phone, wallet, that sort of thing?”

I shook my head. “We leave all that stuff in the house. Don’t want anything identifiable near a body.”

“Nice. I would have done the same.”

“Aw!” X crowed, making a fucking heart with his hands. “Mommy and Daddy aren’t fighting anymore!”

“Dibs on being Daddy,” I muttered.

Levi snorted on a laugh. “You’d pass out if I called you Daddy.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Feel free to try it out if that’s what you’re into.”

From his reclined position, X tossed the golf ball into the air, then swore when he mistimed the catch and it clonked him square in the forehead. He winced, rubbing it. “That was your fault. You two distracted me with your foreplay.”

This whole meeting was off the goddamn rails, and I was rapidly losing patience. “You know what? I give up. Let’s just go with X’s suggestion.”

His eyes lit up. “We’re going to slash and dash?”

I shrugged. “Why the fuck not?”

All of us were practically twitching though, I wasn’t sure mine was with a desire to kill.

Mine might have had something more to do with the way Levi’s scent was all fucking over my couch and it had been years since I’d been attracted to another guy in any significant way.

Someone knocked on the door, and all three of us froze.

“Do you think they heard us talking about M-U-R-D-E-R?” X asked.

I glared at him, with a “sit and stay” look. “Well, if they didn’t, I hope they can’t fucking spell or they do now! Both of you just shut up until I get rid of whoever this is, okay?”

Levi saluted me and indicated for X to toss him the golf ball.

I winced at the two of them throwing it back and forth. There wasn’t much of value in my house, but I was sure a window would be broken if I left them alone too long. The pinkening bruise on X’s forehead proved the guy had little in the way of hand-eye coordination.

I threw open the door without checking who it was.

And then froze.

Violet smiled at me from the other side of the door. “Hi!”

X and Levi both whipped around like she’d shouted personal invitations at them.

I stepped outside and pulled the door shut so fast Violet stumbled back a step.