“What’s up, unc?” he answered on the third ring.
“I need a favour, kid.”
I heard a female giggle, then a pained groaned from my nephew. “I’m kind of busy, unc. Can this wait?”
I shook my head as a grin crept its way onto my face.
“It’s about Georgie.”
I heard Jax instantly hush who was giggling.
“Is she okay?” he asked, his focus fully on our conversation and not the girl he was with.
“She is,” I said then growled, “but she is threatening to wear just her bra to school.”
“She is threatenin’ to what?” Jax all but roared. “Is she there with ye’?”
“She is.”
“Put ‘er on the phone,” he demanded. “Now.”
He was Kane’s kid; there was no doubt about it. I tapped my phone on Georgie’s shoulder and held it out to her when she turned to me. She looked at the phone for a moment, and I saw her tough girl act begin to crack. She covered up her near slip, took the phone, and pressed it to her ear.
“What do ye’ want, Jax?” she asked, though her tone wasn’t as stern as before.
I looked at Bronagh when Jax’s voice bellowed through the receiver of my phone. She grinned, and I shook my head. She was enjoying this just as much as I was.
“No!” Georgie suddenly bellowed. “If ye’ do that, I’ll make sure Daisy Mars never looks at ye’ again.” She gasped at Jax’s response. “Ye’ wouldn’t dare.”
“I would,” I heard Jax threaten.
“Go ahead then,” Georgie angrily spat and hung up on Jax before turning and tossing my phone back to me.
“Can ye’ both leave, please?” she asked. “I want to be on me own.”
I opened my mouth to ignore her and continue our discussion, but when a soft hand touched my elbow, I turned my attention from my daughter to my wife.
“Come on,” Bronagh said. “Leave ‘er be.”
I had to be tugged out of the room and down the stairs.
“Georgie will be down in a few minutes,” Bronagh said to Alex and Joey who were in the sitting room with Axel and Beau keeping them company. Beau, whose focus was on Joey, didn’t even notice that his mother spoke. He was too focused on his sister’s friend, and it made me snort.
Twenty minutes after our argument, Georgie, who was correctly dressed, left with her friends and went to the community centre when Alannah pulled up outside to collect them. Bronagh took Axel with her when she went shopping, and Beau accompanied me to the boys’ soccer game. We didn’t get home until after four p.m. After soccer, I took the boys to lunch, then to see the new Marvel movie. When I stepped foot into my house, it sounded like World War III had erupted.
Jax was in the house, and he and Georgie were knee-deep in an argument in the kitchen. I pushed passed my kids and jogged into the room. My wife was leaned against the sink, pinching the bridge of her nose. I looked at my firstborn nephew and my firstborn child, who were glaring daggers at each other. When my nephew caught sight of me, a deadly grin spread across his face.
“Uncle Nico,” Jax said, turning his attention back to his cousin. “Georgie has a boyfriend … and he’s a Collins!”
Those were the words that I knew deep in my soul would finally be the reason I ended up in prison.
Annnnndddd another one bites the dust. I had so much fun writing ALANNAH, but was also freaked out when I came to the end of it because it means I’m one book closer to the Slater Brothers series ending … until the two spin off series that they’ll all feature in begin, of course. I have my team of helpers that made this novella a reality and without them, I’d just have a bunch of jumbled misspelled words.
Editing4Indies—Jenny, thank you for all the hard work you do on my manuscripts to make them reading ready.
Nicola Rhead—Thank you for always being on call to proofread.
JT Formatting—Jules, thank you for always making the interior of my books look pretty.
Mark Gottlieb—Thank you for being a fantastic agent.
Mayhem Cover Creations—LJ, thank you so much for yet another beautiful cover.
Thank you to every single one of my readers for your ongoing support, I love your love for the Slater family <3
L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who juggles her time between her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humour and Irish accent as much as her books.
Casey’s first book, DOMINIC, was independently published in 2014 and became an instant success on Amazon. She is both traditionally and independently published and is represented by Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group.
To read more about this author,
visit her website at www.lacaseyauthor.com
ALSO BY L.A. CASEY
Slater Brothers series:
DOMINIC
BRONAGH
ALEC
KEELA
KANE
AIDEEN
RYDER
BRANNA
DAMIEN
Maji series
OUT OF THE ASHES
Standalone novels
FROZEN
UNTIL HARRY