eyes, in the softness of his gaze. “Use that beautiful big brain of yours.”
Redford, as suggested, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. At the end of it, he leaned in to kiss Jed, resting against him for a moment. “You’re right,” he said, nodding. “I can do this.”
“Damn straight.” Jed smirked a little, tugging gently on a strand of Redford’s hair. “I only have the best for my partner.” He softly nudged Redford back toward the dining room. “Now go in there and be amazing.”
“You make it sound like you auditioned for a partner,” Redford huffed, amused.
“Kinda did.” Jed wasn’t good at the big, grand declarations. He’d never been one for genuine emotion. But he met Redford’s eyes steadily, for once not hiding behind a manic grin or a cocky smirk. He just was , he was just Jed, and Redford got to see all of him. The only person who ever really had. “Waited my whole damn life for you, didn’t I?”
Instead of replying right away, Redford just tugged Jed into a tight embrace. “Me too,” he said. “Now are you going to come back out to the table with me? We’re partners, and I want you there.”
Their hands slipped together, just like that, and Redford led the way back out to the table. He sat down with a notepad and a pen, going over numbers and paperwork he’d draft up for the Lewises to sign, contingency fees, and even the damn mileage. He handled it all, grasping Jed’s hand the whole time, and Jed was sure his heart was just going to balloon up and burst for how much pride he felt, how much he adored seeing Redford comfortable in his own skin.
Anthony gave them a plastic container filled with leftover stew. Edwin darted around them, still on two legs but moving every bit like the wolf, seeing them out to their car, making Redford promise he’d come back. Randall was more subdued, but he went out to say good-bye as well, hovering behind Victor, opening his car door for him with a slight, shy smile.
“Thank you for coming,” Randall said. To all of them, but really just to Victor. “It was….” He breathed out a little laugh. “Interesting.”
“It was my pleasure,” Victor replied. He took Randall’s hand in a brief shake. Jed rolled his eyes when he saw Randall’s expression brighten at the contact. How Victor could be that oblivious and still keep breathing, he just didn’t know. Maybe not being able to look into people’s eyes made him miss the most obvious things in the world.
“We’ll call you as soon as we have a location,” Redford promised. “Hopefully tomorrow.”
Jed felt a little like the goddamn Waltons, driving away from the Lewises as the three brothers stood on their porch and watched them go. Any second now, someone was going to say Good night, John-Boy and he’d die of some kind of diabetic coma from all the domesticity.
At least they had a job. And as soon as it was done, they could leave the Little Wolves on the Prairie to their knitting or whatever the fuck and get back to real life.
Chapter 3
Redford
T HE CLUB didn’t look like much from the outside. They were parked on a little-used backstreet, the entrance to the club nothing more than a painted wooden door and glaringly red lights above it reading Murry’s Bar . The cab driver didn’t even seem bothered that they were there. There was no indication at all that the occupants of the bar were anything other than human. Redford didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but this definitely wasn’t it.
Victor had elected to come along for the taxi ride, though he had declined to go in with them. He didn’t seem as impressed with the idea of a club of nonhumans as Redford was. Then again, he probably was more used to things like that. “Remember, if you need an exit strategy, I’ll be in the diner across the road,” Victor said.
“And, what, you’ll come in and nag everyone to death?” Jed snorted.
Redford just squinted at the bar sign. “We shouldn’t be
Redford, as suggested, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. At the end of it, he leaned in to kiss Jed, resting against him for a moment. “You’re right,” he said, nodding. “I can do this.”
“Damn straight.” Jed smirked a little, tugging gently on a strand of Redford’s hair. “I only have the best for my partner.” He softly nudged Redford back toward the dining room. “Now go in there and be amazing.”
“You make it sound like you auditioned for a partner,” Redford huffed, amused.
“Kinda did.” Jed wasn’t good at the big, grand declarations. He’d never been one for genuine emotion. But he met Redford’s eyes steadily, for once not hiding behind a manic grin or a cocky smirk. He just was , he was just Jed, and Redford got to see all of him. The only person who ever really had. “Waited my whole damn life for you, didn’t I?”
Instead of replying right away, Redford just tugged Jed into a tight embrace. “Me too,” he said. “Now are you going to come back out to the table with me? We’re partners, and I want you there.”
Their hands slipped together, just like that, and Redford led the way back out to the table. He sat down with a notepad and a pen, going over numbers and paperwork he’d draft up for the Lewises to sign, contingency fees, and even the damn mileage. He handled it all, grasping Jed’s hand the whole time, and Jed was sure his heart was just going to balloon up and burst for how much pride he felt, how much he adored seeing Redford comfortable in his own skin.
Anthony gave them a plastic container filled with leftover stew. Edwin darted around them, still on two legs but moving every bit like the wolf, seeing them out to their car, making Redford promise he’d come back. Randall was more subdued, but he went out to say good-bye as well, hovering behind Victor, opening his car door for him with a slight, shy smile.
“Thank you for coming,” Randall said. To all of them, but really just to Victor. “It was….” He breathed out a little laugh. “Interesting.”
“It was my pleasure,” Victor replied. He took Randall’s hand in a brief shake. Jed rolled his eyes when he saw Randall’s expression brighten at the contact. How Victor could be that oblivious and still keep breathing, he just didn’t know. Maybe not being able to look into people’s eyes made him miss the most obvious things in the world.
“We’ll call you as soon as we have a location,” Redford promised. “Hopefully tomorrow.”
Jed felt a little like the goddamn Waltons, driving away from the Lewises as the three brothers stood on their porch and watched them go. Any second now, someone was going to say Good night, John-Boy and he’d die of some kind of diabetic coma from all the domesticity.
At least they had a job. And as soon as it was done, they could leave the Little Wolves on the Prairie to their knitting or whatever the fuck and get back to real life.
Chapter 3
Redford
T HE CLUB didn’t look like much from the outside. They were parked on a little-used backstreet, the entrance to the club nothing more than a painted wooden door and glaringly red lights above it reading Murry’s Bar . The cab driver didn’t even seem bothered that they were there. There was no indication at all that the occupants of the bar were anything other than human. Redford didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but this definitely wasn’t it.
Victor had elected to come along for the taxi ride, though he had declined to go in with them. He didn’t seem as impressed with the idea of a club of nonhumans as Redford was. Then again, he probably was more used to things like that. “Remember, if you need an exit strategy, I’ll be in the diner across the road,” Victor said.
“And, what, you’ll come in and nag everyone to death?” Jed snorted.
Redford just squinted at the bar sign. “We shouldn’t be
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