Ever reluctantly picked up the last one, his mouth turned down into a pout.

"Wait a minute," I looked at Brian. "I'm going to need a shot of whiskey to chase this down."

"Me too," Ever piped up and added miserably, "and a glass of milk...a big fucking glass of milk."

Brian disappeared, only to reappear with another tray containing three more shots and three glasses of milk. Once we gathered the additional shots and milk, Brian said cheerfully, "Cheers, gentlemen."

I tossed the hot sauce down my ...