Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(109)

“I’m seeing a dermatologist tomorrow,” she answered.

“Tell me about your girl.” Jax went to pour himself a drink.

Perry had hoped to derail the whole girlfriend subject. It hadn’t worked. He needed another angle.

He shouldered back into the chair, which wasn’t at all comfortable. “Tell me about yours?”

Jax laughed. “She’s built like a brick shit house. Tits out to here.” He held out his palms. “And screws like a rabbit. Your turn?”

Perry noticed one of the guards was vampire. He’d bet his front teeth Jax had him checking Perry for any mistruths.

Maybe Jax didn’t trust him all that much after all.

“She’s soft. Pretty. And I like her enough that I don’t talk vulgar about her.”

Jax laughed harder. “She’s got you whipped.” He pretended to snap a whip in the air. “You take after your dad.”

Perry flinched at the insult.

A guy wearing a white apron walked into the room. “Dinner is ready, sir.”

Jax waved for everyone to stand up. “I had my chef prepare something extra special.”

Perry’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. He’d grabbed a breakfast around eleven, yet missed lunch. Even so, with the knot of hate

filling his belly, he didn’t think he could eat.

The dining room table could sit twelve. It looked empty, lonely, with just the four of them there. Jax was presented a wine cork to smell.

Perry had heard they did that in fancy restaurants. This wasn’t a restaurant.

When the chef got to Perry to pour the wine, Perry covered his glass. “Just water.”

Plates of food were set in front of each of them. Perry’s appetite waned even more.

The chef standing to the side of Jax took the cloth napkin off the table in front of his half brother and placed it in his lap. He did the same

for his mom and dad.

He moved to Perry. “Got this.” He tucked it between his legs.

“Enjoy.” Jax waved his hands.

Perry forced himself to eat a few bites of food. But the prime rib practically mooed when pierced by his fork. The mashed potatoes? He liked

mashed potatoes—they were his favorite food. But these had garlic in them? Perhaps he’d gotten his tastes from Burnett, but someone had just

ruined his favorite food.

“You eat like a bird, brother,” Jax said when everyone was finishing up.

“I wasn’t aware we were doing dinner. I grabbed a Big Mac on the way here.” He flinched realizing he’d lied.

The vampire in the corner smiled. “That was a lie.”

Perry set his fork down. “Okay, I was trying to be polite. I actually don’t like my meat bleeding and someone should be shot for adding

garlic to mashed potatoes. And the green beans? I heard that people call these al dente or some crap like that, but I like mine cooked.”

Jax laughed. “I like your sense of humor. But you don’t know shit about fine food.”

“Not my fault.” Perry glanced at his mother. “We didn’t have chefs in foster care.”

Jax laughed again. Perry knew then that the humor, the humor he sometimes hid behind, was going to come in handy.

Now if he could stop imagining how much damage he could do to Jax with the steak knife, he might be okay.

“What’s your excuse, Paul?” he asked Perry’s father.

“Not hungry.”

Perry noted something off with his dad, but that would have to wait.

After dessert—strawberries with some kind of sweet rum-flavored white sauce, which Perry did eat—Jax asked Mom and Dad to leave so he could

… get to know Perry.

“I thought we were going to discuss our next job.” His father looked nervous.

“Not now,” Jax said. “Something’s happening. I got men dropping like flies. Even Chuckie and Mark haven’t gotten back with me.” He

grimaced when he said it.

Perry watched his parents leave, hoping the vampire guard would also retire. No such luck.

Perry turned down Jax’s offer for a beer or whiskey. He had to stay on his game. Thankfully, he’d watched Burnett dodge truths for years when

talking to their vampire foster parents. The trick was to be the one asking more questions, so you weren’t dancing around the truth the whole

time.

Before he could come up with a question, Jax did. “Tell me something, brother. You aren’t staying with mama dearest. Where have you been

hanging your hat?”





Chapter Thirty-two

The question ran laps around Perry’s head. He sought for an acceptable answer. Finally he relied on his humor to give him a few more seconds.

“I don’t wear hats. But if you’re asking where I was, I was at my girlfriend’s place.”

“Where’s that?” Jax sipped his drink.

“A nice place. Not this nice.”

“You avoiding my question?” Suspicion sparked in his eyes.

Keep it honest. “Let’s just say I’m keeping her to myself for right now.”

Jax grinned. “You afraid I might … try something?”

Perry knew what Jax meant, but yeah, he was afraid Jax would try something. “Yeah, I am.”