Shay chuckled. James just watched, his attention riveted. He might be more of a barbeque man, but cooking was one of the few things besides ass-kicking he actually cared about.
Peyton knelt by the oven. “Timing is everything. The proper amount of heat for the proper amount of time. That subtle transfer of energy and how it transforms all the individual ingredients.” He took a deep breath. “Even the smallest timing mistake, a little too early or a little too late, throws it all off.”
James’ stomach rumbled. “Not telling you to rush your shit, but are we ever gonna eat?”
Lily and Alison nodded their agreement.
“You don’t rush a masterpiece,” Peyton intoned, holding up his hand. “It’s almost ready. Just give me a moment. Almost there. Almost there.” He grinned. “It’s ready.”
He grabbed his pizza paddle and opened the oven, stuck the paddle under the pizza, and carefully lifted it out of the oven. “Behold, the ultimate in pepperoni pizza, using only the finest ingredients. No magic has been used, ladies and gentlemen, only pure skill to bring you this treasure.”
Shay smiled. She’d noticed a slight change in Peyton in the last couple of weeks. She’d worried that he’d spent too much time mourning his scumbag brother, but after the surprise of the first few days, the goofy man seemed more relaxed. He might not be ready or even all that interested in reestablishing contact with the rest of his family, but, much like Shay, he finally seemed ready to move on with the rest of his life.
I know what it’s like to have a death threat constantly hanging over your head. You can’t really live if you think you’re gonna die any day.
James pulled away from her to inspect the pizza, scratching his chin.
“Maybe we can get you doing pizza and not just barbeque,” Shay suggested.
The bounty hunter grunted and shook his head. “I haven’t even mastered barbeque yet. Adding something else would just be annoying.”
Peyton grinned. “Then I shall remain the Pizza King forever.”
Alison smirked. “Your Highness, we peasants are starving.”
“Of course, of course. As a royal, I understand all too well the concept of noblesse oblige. One moment.” He turned.
A fast-moving mass of orange fur charged toward him, yowling. Osiris ran through his legs, and Peyton stumbled. The pizza was jolted into the air. The hacker recovered his footing and spun with the paddle, catching the pizza an inch or two before it hit the ground.
He let out a sigh of relief. “That was too damned close.”
Lily shrugged. “I say we order in. Didn’t you tell me there’s some sort of evil delivery company?”
James frowned. “What evil delivery company?”
Shay laughed. “They’re not evil. They’re just discrete.”
Peyton slowly stood, his gaze locked on the pizza. “The Pizza King doesn’t summon aid from foreign lands. Besides, I still have it, and another one will be ready in just a few minutes.”
“Let’s just eat,” Shay suggested. She smiled as she looked from James to Peyton, Lily, and Alison.
I have a man I love. I have a friend and two girls I care about. Daughters? Maybe. And for the first time in my life, I want to live for someone other than me.
About an hour later, James nodded toward his F-350 in the loading bay. “I need to show Shay something.”
Peyton eyed him. “In the middle of the night?”
“Yeah.” James shrugged. “I’ll swing by later to pick up Alison, or you can drop her back at my place if she wants to go home earlier than that.”
Shay looked at her boyfriend and Peyton, confused about what James had planned. “What about Lily?”
The girl smiled. “I was planning on crashing here tonight anyway.”
James tugged on her arm. “Let’s go. I’ve done some complicated shit, and I don’t want it to be a total waste.”
Shay let him lead her to his truck, still confused. James Brownstone was many things, but he didn’t tend to be mysterious. Mysterious wasn’t simple, and simplicity was his second religion after Catholicism.
Complicated shit, huh?
“Do I need any extra gear?” she asked.
James grunted. “Nah, nothing like that. Just come with me. You’ll like it. Maybe. I don’t know. The podcast said you’ll like it.”
“The podcast?”
Shay shot a shrug at Peyton, Lily, and Alison before getting into the truck.
James hopped inside and started the F350. “Just figured it’d be good to spend some time away from the kids. You’ll see. You should like it.”
“Not gonna tell me what’s up?”
He shook his head. “Trying to give you an ‘experience.’”
Shay laughed. “Oh, this better not end with me having to strangle a man.”
“It shouldn’t.” James frowned. “I hope.” He rubbed his neck.
Shay tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator kept rising. With her most recent experience in high-rise buildings and elevators ending in her shooting several people, she couldn’t help it when her heart sped up.
James obviously wouldn’t lead her to a dangerous situation without telling her to be prepared, but she just couldn’t figure out why he’d take her to the top of a very tall building.
She winced at a sudden thought.
Please don’t tell me that James suddenly wants to take up parkour. That would be…interesting, but this is definitely not the place for a rookie to start.
The bounty hunter’s face remained blank, and he kept his words to a minimum. Whatever he had planned, he was going for maximum surprise.
The elevator dinged, and James stepped out and pointed to the stairwell access. “Got to hit the roof through the stairs.”
Shay’s hands twitched, but it wasn’t as if she were completely unarmed. She did have her loaded 9mm and one of her adamantine knives. If she were dealing with only a small number of enemies, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Her gaze flicked to James’ chest. She wondered if he were bonded to his amulet already.
Okay, okay. Calm down. James isn’t taking me to
