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“Well, then…”

“Well, then, what? Speak up, boy I ain’t no mind reader”

Slade’s jaw tightened “No,” he said coldly, “you aren’t If you were, you’d know that if you call me ‘boy’ one more time, I’m just liable to—”

“Well, will you look at that?” Jonas chuckled, tossed away his cigar and turned towards his son “You got soumption left in you, I see That pansy stuff you do ain’t completely destroyed your backbone”

“I design office buildings,” Slade said through his teeth, despising hi defensive “Damned fine ones, which you’d know if you occasionally took your nose out of your—”

“The one in Noo York City ain’t bad a-tall”

Slade blinked “The Stahl building You’ve seen it?”

“’Course, I like the one in Philadelphia better Nice lines to that, what do you call it, that indoor park thing with the fancy waterfalls on all them levels?”

“An atrium” Slade heard the disbelief in his own voice and he cleared his throat “When did you see s?”

“Oh, I get around” Jonas grinned at hi are up to, even if he don’t approve”

“Well” Slade told hi would co”

“You’d be surprised what a e”

“You’re not old,” Slade said, and ood as you when Catie tosses hty-fifth birthday party”

He waited for his father to chuckle but the old man didn’t Instead he reached into his hip pocket and took out a silver flask

“Bourbon,” he said, unscrewing the top “Have a sip”

Bourbon, Slade thought, of course Jonas loved the stuff, which was probably why his sons all hated it Still, he took the flask, nodded his thanks and tilted it to his lips, though he let only the slightest amount of liquid trickle down his throat He couldn’t recall ever sharing a co to ruin it over a taste of bourbon

“Thanks,” he said, and tried not to shudder

Jonas’s teeth flashed in a quick grin “You’re welcohed with satisfaction and put the top back on the flask “So, you figure your stepsister’s gonna throw you a big party the day you turn eighty-five”

Slade laughed “So like that”

“Why should she?”

Jonas’s voice was cool Slade frowned and looked at hi”

“I know you are, but think about it Why should she do that? By then, she’ll have a husband of her own Children Probably even grandchildren” He reached into his breast pocket, took out another cigar, bit off the tip and spat it into the darkness “You want soo by, boy, you need to have yourself sohter froar “Unless,” he said lazily, “you don’t need that advice”

“I don’t I’ hteen”

The old ar smoke “What I meant was, maybe you don’t need that advice because you already started arrangin’ for some heirs”

Slade’s heart see about?”

“Babies” Jonas puffed out a series of perfect ss “You knohat those are, boy, and you kno to make ’em Leastways, you been practicin’ ever since Dan Archer’s wife gave you that extra-special birthday present all theo”

“Never , he reached out and grasped the older man’s arm “What kind of crack was that, Father? Aboutheirs?”

“I didn’t say that, exactly”

“What did you say, exactly?”

“I simply said that a man who beds a lot of women is liable to find he may have left one of ’em with more than happy memories” Jonas looked pointedly at his son’s hand, wrapped around his aronna rip that sleeve off’n , but Marta ht mind me comin’ back into my own party lookin’ like I been stomped by a mean bull”

Slade followed his father’s gaze It looked like he had a death grip on his biceps Slowly, deliberately, he let go