In a Badger Way (Honey Badger Chronicles #2) - Shelly Laurenston Page 0,118
didn’t seem to have a problem getting those.”
“They want to move the really dangerous ones. Tiger snakes, death adders, king cobras. Snakes like that.”
Max clapped her hands together. “The black mamba?”
“If you eat another one of those goddamn snakes . . .” Charlie warned, a threatening finger pointing at her from across the restaurant table where they were having dinner.
“Are you sure they just don’t want you to launder their money?” Berg asked, pushing his empty plate away.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re not doing it.”
“We do need the money,” Max reminded Charlie.
“We get tied up with Will, we’re in it for life. I don’t think that’s something any of us want.”
“Why are they being so nice to us?” Stevie wanted to know. “Our whole lives, they completely ignore us and now, all of a sudden, they’re being friendly. It’s weird.”
“Did we ever find out who Dad worked with to get the information he rounded up?” Charlie took a sip of her coffee. “The man can barely deal with his phone. So I doubt he’s become a hacker in his off time.”
“I’ve had some old friends of mine in Germany look into it, but they don’t have anything yet.”
“Why Germany?”
“That’s where my hacker friends are.”
“Oh.”
Max motioned to one of the waitresses and, when she arrived at the table, ordered a slice of chocolate cake.
“Which, to me,” she said once the waitress had left, “totally proves Dad had nothing to do with it. He couldn’t hide his tracks from a puppy.”
“Maybe the family’s being so nice because they’re hoping we’ll lead them to their money,” Stevie suggested.
Charlie chuckled. “The sad thing is, even if we could, Dad’s already lost all that money. You know if he’d come to our house tonight, he would be begging for cash because he’s completely broke. Again.”
More coffee was poured, a few desserts arrived, and they relaxed until Berg glanced at his watch and said, “I think we’d better go.”
Stevie put her head on the table, feeling nothing but shame.
“I’m so sorry about this, you guys,” she told her sisters and friends.
“For what?” Max asked.
“For making you do this.” She brought her head back up. “I’m always asking you guys for stuff.”
Charlie and Max looked at each other, then back at her.
“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked. “You never ask us for anything.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
Stevie raised her eyebrows at Max, but she shook her head. “Nope. The only thing you’ve ever asked me for was to ‘shut the fuck up.’ And that was usually when you were working or on the phone. Other than that . . .”
“So, yeah,” Charlie said, “to save us from paying money we don’t have to repair a house that isn’t ours, I think we can spend some time with a bunch of wild dogs.”
Max agreed. “Besides, how bad could it be?”
Shen snorted next to Stevie and everyone looked at him, except Kyle, who suddenly found something interesting to stare at right outside the restaurant window.
* * *
“Dear God,” Max whispered. “It’s karaoke.”
“With your choice of a full band or playback,” Charlie noted.
Stevie shook her head. “Nope. Nope. Nope.”
She turned to walk out but Charlie grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back.
“This is going to save us six figures,” she reminded her sister.
“But,” Stevie said, almost sobbing, pointing at the stage, “there’s a lion male up there and he’s caterwauling.”
“True.” Max lightly swung her fist. “But he’s putting his all into it.”
“We’re staying,” Charlie ordered. “And we’re just going to suck up the pain the way we always suck up the pain. But first I’m getting a drink.”
Stevie spun around, sensing that Shen and Kyle were standing behind her.
“You knew, didn’t you?” she demanded. “You both knew and you didn’t warn me!”
The pair stared at her a moment before they both started laughing.
“Do you have any idea what torture this is for me?”
Kyle raised his hand. “I do!” He lowered his hand. “Sorry.”
“Oh, my God!” she exploded. “What is that cat singing?”
“Pat Benatar’s ‘Shadows of the Night,’” Jess Ward said, stepping beside Stevie.
Stevie glared at the woman who’d just made the rest of her evening hell. “You didn’t tell me Wild Dog Night involved karaoke.”
“You didn’t ask. Besides, I know you like music.”
“Yes. Music. Not caterwauling.” She pointed at the stage. “That’s caterwauling!”
“Can I speak to you for a second?”
Before Stevie could say no and storm off, Ward had gripped her arm and yanked her into a backroom behind the bar.