“Let’s compromise,” the Dai Lo said. “You conduct your investigation. If you find that one of our men is responsible for harming Amy, you let us take care of it. I promise any punishment we dole out will be far more brutal than anything you come up with.”
“And Amy?” Nico asked.
“Well, she will be returned to us, of course. At least, until she fulfills her promise to teach the others. After that, we agree to release her from any further obligations.”
“So, that’s it? If we find Amy, you promise you’ll let her go after she teaches the others?” Nico asked.
“I would feel more comfortable if there was a time limit on her contract,” Thomas said. “Say, no more than six months?”
Leo’s gaze darted to his father’s. “We can’t make that kind of guarantee.”
“It’s more than fair,” Thomas said to Leo. “And you agree to leave her and her daughter alone.”
“Deal,” the Dai Lo said.
“Fuh chan,” Leo snapped. “You can’t be serious.”
The Dai Lo stood. It was only then Leo noticed how the man dwarfed his son. To say Leo was five-foot-seven was generous. His father was over six feet. Sitting, the man was imposing; standing, he was downright terrifying. Even his son lost his attitude when his father crowded into his space.
“Are you challenging me?” he asked, raising a perfectly manicured brow.
“What? No, of course not, butbàh ba…six months?That’s nothing. That’s…” He trailed off, chest heaving, lips tight.
“Do you think your little operation is worth this level of hassle?” the Dai Lo asked. “I sent you here to prove to me that you could be responsible. To show me that you’re capable of leading. You weren’t supposed to make a home here for yourself. Counterfeit goods? Handbags, no less? The money you bring in is less than one percent of my overall revenue. You’re lucky I haven’t forced you to close down entirely.”
“But that’s… It’s been less than a year,” Leo whined. “You don’t get it. I can’t do everything you expect me to do in just six months. I need her for longer. She’s pivotal to the operation.”
“Then why haven’t you made more of an effort to find her?” his father asked. “Why am I only hearing about her disappearance now?”
Leo shrank under the man’s intense gaze. “I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle things on my own.”
“You clearly can’t,” he fired back. “You will allow them to investigate Jason and Frankie, and if they are involved in her disappearance, you will turn the responsible party over to me for punishment. You will not keep this woman for longer than six months and you will make sure she and her daughter are unharmed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,fuh chan,”Leo muttered.
Thankfully, the meeting adjourned after another round of drinks, with Leo standing sullenly behind his father, eyes glued to Felix, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight him or fuck him. Felix had that effect on a lot of straight men. He confused them. Pretty like a flower, vicious as a snake.
Mal and Nico allowed Jericho and Atticus to drive them the short distance to the apartment. Mal said he was fine to walk, but Nico didn’t want him tiring himself out after such a long day.
They were almost out of the truck when Jericho said, “Be careful looking into these guys. I don’t trust Leo not to tip them off. Use Calliope to get whatever information you need and make sure you keep me in the loop.”
Nico nodded. “We will.”
“Goodnight,” Jericho and Atticus said at the same time.
The two men watched until Mal and Nico were in the building, like they were small children and not two fully grown men. Once in the apartment, they didn’t waste any time. They showered together, scrubbing each other down, hands and kisses only lingering a few times.
It was only once they were in bed, curled up together, that Nico fully relaxed. “That was all so…weirdly civilized, you know?”
Mal nodded. “Maybe that’s just how it is when you get too rich to get taken down. When you’re too powerful for prison, you probably feel like you have less to prove. Or maybe, by then, you’ve built such a reputation for being violent, you no longerhaveto prove yourself?”
“I doubt we’ll ever know,” Nico said with a soft laugh. “Still, something feels off about the whole situation, no?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Mal agreed. “But we’ll figure it out. We always do. I just hope Amy’s still alive. I don’t want to have to tell Casey her mom’s dead.”
“I know, Bunny. I’m sure she’s fine,” Nico said, not sure of anything at all, really.
“That’s tomorrow’s problem,” Mal said with a sigh. “Get some sleep, Fidget.”
