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Chapter 1

Tim

"What's on your agenda today?" Denise asks me as I look out her kitchento the backyard

Turning to faceout a cup of coffee toward ht I'd take Sam over to the Audobon Zoo spend the day there"

"He'll love it," she says, leaning her hip against the counter and sipping at her own coffee "I thought we'd go out for dinner tonight I should be home around six"

"Sounds like a plan," I say with a saround the backyard with Denise's golden retriever, Scout Even though theis closed, I can hear his excited, five-year-old giggle as Scout whines at him to throw the ball in his hand

Denise co out the"That boy needs a dog"

"Easy for you to say living here in the 'burbs of New Orleans," I tell her with a wry grin "They don't work so well in an apartment in Brooklyn"

"Maybe a little dog," she muses "One of those ones you can put in your backpack or so"

"Don't you even dare suggest that in front of Sa her shoulder with my own "I'll never hear the end of it"

Laughing, Denise pours the rest of her coffee down the drain and sets the cup in the sink She leans over and gives ot your back, little brother"

My ar her a kiss back on her te us"

"My pleasure, babe," she says as she pulls away and grabs her purse from the kitchen table "You and Saht?"

"That I do," I say as I turn away frolass door, which leads onto the back patio Opening it up, I call out, "Saet some breakfast"

As is typical of a boy in the nores me I watch for a few moments as he throws the ball and Scout bounds after it Sahs, and calls, "Co me the ball"

S to ain, "Sam inside now"

His head swivels my way, and it never fails to aelic--with every passing ot his reen eyes, a co hiets older

Sa towardthe large gap where one of his baby teeth fell out just a week ago on the top The one beside it is loose, and he takes great pleasure in showing hter for the New York Fire Department, I've seen so me out completely

"Aunt Denise," Sam says as he pushes past me and barrels into the kitchen "Can we take Scout home with us after our vacation?"

Denise shoots me a look that says, I told you so, but then leans over to rub the top of Sam's head "Sorry, baby But I'd be too lonely without Scout He has to stay here with me"

Sam's mouth turns doard in extrerin His eyes light up brightly with an idea, and he turns to o back ho?"

Denise starts laughing as she heads toward the front door Calling over her shoulder, she says, "See you tonight at six You two have fun today"

I reach into the cabinet and pull out a bohich I place on the table "Sit," I tell Sam as I point to the chair

"So, can we, Dad?" he asks again as he plops down I busythat as nore him

Sa to avoid this conversation, and he continues chattering as I pour hi would be so cool I want one just like Scout, except we couldn't naer or Pete or maybe even Sweet Foxy Brown"

I roll my eyes, because out of the , buddy You knoe don't have room in my apartment, and besides ould take care of it when you were staying with your mom?"

"I'd take the dog with me to Mom's when it was my time to stay with her," he says, completely nonplussed

"Yeah if you think I', just wait until you try to ask your mom for one I can tell you, without a doubt, that she'll say no"

"She'll say yes," he says confidently, and then shovels a huge scoop of cereal in his mouth

While he's chewing, I take the opportunity to lean in, kiss him on the head, and say, "Sorry, little ht now Not with you splitting time between me and Mom's, and I only have an apartment"

Saet the food sed so he can argue with me I take the opportunity to escape "Finish your cereal, and then get dressed I'o take a quick shower"

His brows slanting angrily inward, Sah, I head back toward the guest bedroo a bed This is the second year in a row that we've coe of the free room with my sister and the variety of attractions available in NOLA Denise has been in New Orleans for the last six years, having followed a man down here, who turned out to be of the asshole variety He left to go back to New York, butsis loved it down here and decided to make this her new home

Denise is all the fa died in a train derail from our home city of Brooklyn down to New Orleans to visit Denise Since then, it's just see to do to coether

Just as I start to reach into my suitcase for some clean clothes, my cell phone buzzes with a text I slip it out of my pocket and tap the Text icon

How is vacation? Things are boring here without you

I s like a text from h thick and thin together since starting together at the NYFD, and he's about the closest thing I have to a brother D

oesn't matter that his skin is white and ht

I' you plenty occupied, I text back

Yeah setting fire between the sheets, he immediately replies

I snicker, because that's true enough Flynn and Rowan can barely keep their hands off each other I start to text back a witty, if not crude, reply when I hear Sa from the backyard

"D-a-a-a-d-d-y!"

Fear and adrenaline surge through nize pain and terror in Sam's voice The phone drops frodown the hall, I fly into the kitchen, scralass door open

Sa one hand to his chest Tears are pouring down his face Scout trots behind hiolden retrievers can

I sprint toward hi ? What happened?"

Sucking in a deep breath, which stutters through his tears, he wails, "I was chasing after Scout, and I tripped and fell My hand hurts real bad"

"It's okay, buddy," I say soothingly,to calm now that I can see he's basically okay "Let me take a look"

Carefully, I pull his hand away froh ht hand is swelling badly, and I suspect he ht have a fracture

With one hand, I cup hi hi to be okay, Sa inside your hand, and I' to have to take you to the hospital"

"It hurts," Sammy says with a sniffle

Standing up froround, I commiserate as I take him by the shoulder and lead him back toward the house "I know, buddy But they'll make it feel all better at the hospital I promise"