This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Mannies Incorporated
Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright 2012 by Sean Michael
Cover illustration by BSClay
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-61040-410-5
www.torquerepress.com
All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: December 2012
Printed in the USA
Mannies Incorporated
By Sean Michael
Prologue
Drake rolled in and tossed his keys at the bowl on the coffee table before grabbing himself a beer. The phone started ringing just before he got to his chair, so he grabbed it, grinning when he saw Mindy's name.
"Hey, baby sis."
"Hey, you. How's it going?"
He shrugged. Overtime was beating his ass. He needed to get laid but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. And gas prices were fucking through the roof. "It's going. What's up with you?"
Things had been hard for Mindy, ever since her husband Jerry had been killed in action in Afghanistan, leaving her with three little kids, and a full-time commission in First Cav herself.
"Busy, you know how it goes. I, well, I'm being deployed for twelve months."
What? He sat up, putting his beer on the table. "They're making you leave?"
"I leave April first, home April next year." The tears were right there at the surface of her voice, he could hear them.
"It's April in like three days, honey." Good one, Drake, like she needed to hear that. He got up and started pacing. "Where are they sending you?"
"Kabul. I'm retiring after this one, but… I got the chaplain involved, a Senator. It doesn't matter."
"Okay, Min. It's going to be okay." He had a few weeks of vacation time owed, he could take it. Maybe see if they'd give him a few months off. Something. He would be there for his little sister. "We'll figure it out."
"There's nothing to figure out. Slayde's got it. He's perfectly capable of dealing."
"What, the nanny?"
She could not leave his nieces and nephew with some stranger. No way.
"Yes, Drake. The nanny."
"So you're leaving them with a stranger." He'd quit if he had to.
"He's been with us since Christian was a newborn."
"He's still the nanny."
"Yes, and he loves these kids. Who else am I supposed to get, Drake? Jerry's folks? His dad just had a heart attack, his mom hasn't gotten out of bed since Jerry died. You want me to call dad, Mr. Vodka on my Cheerios for fucking breakfast?" Man, she could yell.
"Obviously not, Minds." He stopped pacing and ran his hands through his hair.
"Okay, then. Quit bitching at me. Jennifer's not even going to remember me."
The baby was going to be two in, what? July?
"Which means she won't remember that you were gone when she's older." Right? He could find her a silver fucking lining if he had to.
"I hope not." The tears really started then. "I'm going to miss Christian's first day of school, Drake."
"You'll get pictures. You'll Skype with them, honey and he'll tell you all about it." He hated it when she cried. He always had. Always.
"I swear, when I die, I'm going to kill Jerry again, for leaving me here."
"Are you kidding? You're going to be so old you won't have the strength." He begged her silently to stop crying.
"Oh, Drake. This sucks, so hard."
"I know, Minds. I'm sorry." He knew she was strong enough to deal with this, he just had to… change the subject or something. "Are you packed?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am. I have everything dealt with."
"It's going to be okay, I promise." He made the promise, knowing he might be lying. It was what she needed to hear, though. "You wait, it'll be next year before you know it."
"I hope so. I miss you, honey, so much."
"I miss you too, sis." She was basically his only family. Her and the rugrats. And she was going to have to leave those babies with some… stranger. He was going to have to do something about that. They should be with family. "I'll throw you a big party when you get back, Mindy."
"You promise? A retirement party?"
"You know it."
"Okay. Okay, I'm sure I'll call about a dozen times before I leave."
"Are you kidding? You've got three days -- you're going to call me a hundred times."
"At least." She stopped, sighed. "Love you."
"Love you too, Minds. Be safe, huh?"
"I'll do my best. I promise." The line went dead.
Drake's beer didn't taste good anymore. He went to the sink and poured it out, tossed the bottle in the recycle bin.
He was gonna have to figure out what to do for Mindy and those babies.
Chapter One
"Uncle Slayde?"
"Yes, Christian?" God, he had a headache.
"The baby colored on the table."
"Well, good thing it washes, huh?" He ruffled Christian's -- not Chris, his name was not Chris, thank you very much -- hair and headed into the kitchen. Maggie sat her booster seat coloring away while Jenny busily ate her blue crayon. It was a good thing they were non-toxic, too. "Out of your mouth, Jenny girl. Maggie, on the paper, not the table. Christian, do you want to color, too?"
"Coloring's for girls."
"It is? Nonsense. Art is amazing. Your other options at the moment are reading at the table, clay, or practicing your writing. I need to clean up the kitchen and start lunch."
Then they were all taking a nap so Slayde could sit for five minutes and go through all the mail, the bills. Good thing he loved Mindy and her kids, or he'd run screaming into the night.
A racket sounded outside. Maybe a motorcycle. After it stopped, there was a knock at the door.
"Christian, can you please keep an eye on your sisters? I need to answer the
