some time doting on her.
“Good. It was art today. Miss Brianna told us she was going to have a baby at Halloween. I played with Karen and Laney.” She worked and jabbered, still going when Bailey and Logic pulled up.
Bailey’s face was a thundercloud, and Logic was drawn, quiet.
Uh-oh. He caught Ellie’s attention. “Hey, kiddo, go get Trav and Doug and get all y’all washed up.”
“Okay!” She bounced off, humming.
“So?” Jericho asked.
“He’s lawyered up. Some biggie-wow from Dallas saying we’re making it up. He said he was at the school to pick up his nephew. He’s a fucking asshole.” Bailey’s hands waved like one of them car dealership blow-up things.
“And a liar.” Logic sighed. “I spoke to the PI, and he said he would double down on the surveillance. Maybe put a tracker in Conor’s truck.”
“Jesus. Can he do that?”
Logic rolled his eyes. “Can Conor stop him?”
“Shit, that’s cool. Crazy, but cool.” Jericho shook his head. “I’m sorry, Bailey. The guy is more than a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”
“Yeah. Well, Dave is coming over tonight. The deputy? So you keep Logic as long as you need to.”
He blinked. “Dave? Deputy Dave?”
Logic hooted. “The one and only. Mr. Penal, staring at the hen house.”
Bailey shot her brother a look. “Like you’re one to be guarding here, Mr. Cock-a-doodle-Goddamn-Doo.”
“Hey, now.” Logic was grinning, though.
Jericho snorted. Siblings. He still found them a mystery, even after dealing with his own kids. “Y’all bring food?”
“Yeah, yeah. I brought three dozen tacos. Figured that would work for all of us.”
“Heck yes.” That was perfect. His kids were mad for tacos.
“Uncle Logic!” Ellie ran to Logic to hug him when they went inside. “Can I call you Uncle Logic? Mr. Logic is weird.”
“Sure, baby girl. How was your day today?”
Jericho managed to hide his groan.
Mostly.
He would distract her with tacos.
“Hey, Uncle Logic.” Had Ellie and Travis discussed this? “Are you still helping with my robot?”
“All I have to do is eat and get my tool kit.”
Tool kit. Because Logic had come to Texas with it. Christ, he hoped that the shit with Conor stopped, but he hoped Logic found a reason to stay.
Forever.
Chapter 16
“Unca Logic, hold you?”
Logic bent down and picked up Mason without a thought, snuggling the baby to him. “How’s it going, baby boy?”
“Cookie?” That was Mason’s answer to… well, pretty much anything.
“Mmm. I like a cookie.” He bounced Mason on the way to the kitchen. A few animal crackers wouldn’t hurt.
“Me too!”
“Cookies?” Where had Amanda popped up from?
“Just a few,” he warned. Lord, their whole family was obsessed with cookies.
“A few what?” Bailey came out with a basket full of laundry.
“Cookies. The kids need a cookie.”
“You’re such a softy.” She gave Mason the eye. “Did you start this?”
“Cookie!” Mason didn’t look particularly repentant.
“Hmmm.” She pretended to look stern. “I guess we’ll all have cookies, huh?”
“Uh-huh. I need a cookie, Sister.” He could play along; he was good at it.
“Animal crackers?” Bailey grabbed the box so she could shake out a handful. “And oatmeal scotchies for us.”
“Oh, I like how you think.” Mason wriggled out of his arms as Bailey’s phone started to ring.
She glanced at it, eyes wide. “It’s Conor.”
“Don’t answer it.”
“No.” She hit the sound button to turn off the ring. “Check outside?”
“I’m on it.” The coast was clear at the front—and the cameras all looked good. “Nothing I can see.” He glanced at Mason and Mandy. “Hey, guys, want to watch SpongeBob?”
“SpongeBob!” There was a cry, and he set them up in the little family room off the kitchen. That way they weren’t alone, but Logic could help Bailey.
He wasn’t back in the kitchen two minutes before the phone rang again. He opened up the recorder on his phone. “Put him on speaker.”
“Okay. Okay.” She swiped and punched speaker. “What do you want?”
“I want you to die, bitch.”
Logic looked up, a dull horror flooding him.
Bailey looked at him, mouthing, “Text Dave.”
He nodded frantically. His fingers flew on the keyboard of Messenger.
“If I can’t have you, no one can! You hear me! I know you’re trying to get my attention!”
It took less than ten seconds to get
He showed Bailey, who was pale but composed. She never said a word. She nodded, though.
“Are you there, bitch? Are you listening?”
She opened her mouth, and Logic shook his head. Don’t do it.
Bailey clamped her lips shut. They just needed to have him make all the threats he could utter. His voice on a recording.
“You wait. I’m