Chapter 2

"What, did your wife die, or your dear old mother?"

Nobody's happy about getting dragged out of sleep in the dead of night.

Their insults were going too far, but when I stopped to think about it, I'd been in the wrong first.

I put on a quick, apologetic face. "I'm really sorry, everyone."

"I just got home myself and found out my relatives dumped their kids here for me to look after without ever asking me."

"I don't know the first thing about taking care of kids, and now I've gone and made them cry."

Only then did everyone notice my front door looked pried open, the apartment a wreck behind me, and two children staring at them with wide eyes.

Their eyes came back to me, and they finally registered that I was still in my suit with my briefcase in hand, like I'd just walked in from work.

That took some of the edge off.

"Listen, buddy."

"I'm not trying to lecture you, but you'd better send those two kids back fast, or you'll be asking for trouble and won't even know it."

"That's right. You work all day, you're only home at night. If you let them go hungry, their parents will come after you."

I knew their advice came from a good place. But these two little terrors weren't a problem I could hand off that easily.

Once the neighbors were gone, I didn't dare keep scowling at the kids, afraid they'd start up again and wake everyone.

What I hadn't counted on was that before they ever showed up at my place, they'd been coached, like their aunt had run them through a training program.

"Then get down and be my horse and let me ride you, and I'll forgive you."

A flat-out threat. Kids this small, and they already knew how to go straight for the throat.

Get on my knees and be their horse? Not a chance.

"You two, don't push your luck."

"I'm tired. I don't have time to play with you."

"Didn't your mom ever teach you to behave at home—"

"Cut the crap. My mom said if anyone won't do what we say, we cry and throw a fit."

I froze cold. Some piece of work, that Charity Finch, raising kids to be like this.

The temper I'd just set down came right back up.

I was so angry I called Charity on the spot.

The phone rang for a good ten minutes before she picked up.

The second it connected, she screamed into the line.

"Who is this?! You want to die?!"

"Calling in the middle of the night and waking people up, you've got no decency."

"Ha. So you do know that calling somebody in the dead of night and dragging them out of sleep is a pretty indecent thing to do."

Hearing the familiar voice, Charity sobered up a little.

"Oh! It's Max."

"Did something happen to my kids?"

I had no patience left for her. My face went hard right there, and I laid into her.

"Oh, now you care whether something happened to your kids?"

"You've got some nerve. You dumped two little kids on me and ran off without even getting the door fixed."

"The lock alone costs three hundred to—"

She caught herself saying the wrong thing and cut it off fast.

"So they didn't run off, did they?"

"Ha. No, they didn't. But my valuables sure did. The two of you stole them."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now that I don't like hearing."

"What do you mean, stole? You're my nephew. What's wrong with elders taking a few things from the younger generation?"

"You're being awfully stingy here."

"Well, since the kids are fine, do me a favor and look after the two of them for a couple of months."

And with that, before I could argue, Charity switched off her phone.