Hot and Badgered (Honey Badger Chronicles, #1)

by Shelly Laurenston

Berg walked into the room, cell phone in hand, eyes on Charlie. She stood in the middle of Vic and Livy’s living room, staring blankly at the far wall. The three sisters had just returned to the apartment, but he honestly didn’t know what was going on. Stevie rushed in from the kitchen with a glass of what looked like scotch on the rocks in her hand. “Drink this, Charlie. It’ll help.” Charlie’s blank gaze focused on the glass of scotch and she locked on it for several long seconds. Everyone in the room watched her watching the scotch. Berg had remained at Livy’s place because he’d found the sisters a place to stay and needed to take them there. Coop, however, refused to return to his own New York apartment because he wanted to “see what happens next!” His exact words. Dag and Shen were still hanging around because neither had anywhere interesting to go anyway. And Vic and Livy lived here. They all watched Charlie, the room silent. Until she suddenly barked, “I need to bake.” Her sisters quickly moved out of her way and she disappeared into the kitchen. “There’s nothing in there,” Livy called out to Charlie, “that anyone can use to bake.” She glanced at the others. “What? I don’t shop a lot.” “This is bad,” Stevie said softly. “When she starts baking . . .” “So,” Coop guessed, “it was your dad? I’m so sorr—” “Oh, no,” Max cut him off, her arm swinging out toward the big picture windows. “He’s still out there somewhere. Alive. Fucking up our lives.”