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MaryBeth looked stunned and guilty. “Well, sh—crap. Sorry, kid.”
“It’s okay,” Elijah said. “My aunt cusses all the time, but my dad’s not supposed to know. I’ve learned all the words. I’m just not allowed to say them.”
Val chuckled. “Good to know. And now that you’ve admitted your badassitude, we’ll work on silliness. Every kid needs some silliness.”
“My friend back in New York was silly sometimes. His whole family was. They had a Tater-Tots fight at dinner one night when I was staying over.”
“You didn’t join in?” MaryBeth asked.
“No!” Elijah said, sounding horrified at the notion. “Which ended up good for me because Jeff had to clean up all the Tater Tots afterward and I didn’t have to help.”
Val laughed. “Smart.”
Jessica nudged him. “Next time we come we are totally bringing Tater Tots.”
Elijah giggled. “You are not.”
They continued to talk about food fights, and Val was grateful to her friends for keeping Elijah’s mind occupied. A smart boy like him would already be thinking of all the ways this could have ended much worse. Val prepared herself for a restless night. That would be when Elijah would need the most support. This she knew from experience. Nights were the worst.
She was fiercely glad Jess and MaryBeth had brought her dog. Czar would be exactly what Elijah needed.
Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 6:35 P.M.
“You okay?” André asked as he and Kaj walked toward the rolled-up quilt.
A pair of feet were visible at one end. It’s a body. Just as he’d feared.
“No,” Kaj snapped. “Not in the least.”
André grimaced. “Sorry. Stupid question. I meant are you all right physically?”
“Yes. We didn’t leave the house. Val blocked the front door and sent her hellhound to chase the bastards.”
“Hellhound?”
“Czar. You’ll need to see for yourself. The dog defies description. He’s enormous.”
André chuckled. “At least that gave them a little fright.”
“I sure as hell hope so,” Kaj muttered. “Assholes.” Then something occurred to him. “Bold assholes. They just dropped off that bundle like they knew no one would challenge them.”
André slowed to a stop and stared at him. “Meaning?”
“Meaning it was like they knew there wasn’t anyone on guard outside the house. Who knew I’d refused police protection?”
André frowned. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
“Thank you,” he said, mollified a little. At least André was taking this seriously. Which Kaj had known he would. André was a good man. A good cop. “Sorry I snapped.”
“Your son has been threatened and your property breached. I’d be on edge, too.”
“Thanks.” Kaj braced himself. “Now let’s see who they left me.”
A uniformed officer and a detective in a suit stood over the quilt-wrapped body.
“I called for an ambulance to take the body away,” the detective said.
