“Why couldn’t you just tell me?” Jimmy asked, setting his glass aside and hugging himself awkwardly. “Why keep all of this from me?”
“Because I don’t know when and if Mr. Eastwick is wearing a wire,” Cold explained flatly. “The SSPD and his superiors at the FBI cannot know that he is working with me or he will face certain incarceration.”
“You think I’d give it away?” Jimmy was instantly stung.
“I think you would have tried your best, but yes, your honest nature does not make for a very good liar.” Cold poured himself another glass of champagne, sitting back down in one of the patio chairs with a languid sigh. “Now, there is no choice.”
“Well, good!” Jimmy snapped indignantly. “I can prove to you that I can do this! I can help you! Withholding the truth is just as good as lying and I can totally do that.”
“Oh?” Cold arched a skeptical brow.
“Learned it from you,” Jimmy said with a venomously sweet smile.
“Cute,” Cold drawled, clearly not amused. He tilted his head after a long pause and asked carefully, “How did you find out Mr. Eastwick was an agent?”
Jimmy grimaced. “Dario.”
“Dario? Dario Romero?” Cold was surprised, and if Jimmy was really honest, he sounded almost disappointed. “Really?”
“Recognized him from some super obscure sci-fi movie,” Jimmy sighed, wishing he had a more daring explanation. “He did some googling on the internet and found out he was an agent who got big investigating the Luchesis—who, by the way, you invited to the wedding?”
“Yes,” Cold said simply.
“The gangsters who are trying to kill us are coming to our wedding?” Jimmy wanted to scream. “Do you understand how fucked up that sounds?”
“All part of the plan.”
“The plan that you won’t tell me anything about?” Jimmy growled, his hands dropping down to clench into tight fists. “That fucking plan?”
“That would be the one.”
“For fuck’s sake!” Jimmy groaned. “I’m so sick of this! Rod! You’ve been arrested for murder, there are people trying to kill you, and our wedding planner is a fuckin’ fed!”
“I’m telling you everything that I can,” Cold said evenly, but his jaw was getting tight. The rest of his body followed suit, tensing as if to strike. His patience was clearly running thin. “This is only going to work if you trust me—”
“Trust you?” Jimmy snapped. “How can I trust you when you’re lying to me?”
“Everything that I can,” Cold repeated, his voice starting to rise. He stood up from his seat, and he stalked purposely toward Jimmy. “I am giving you everything that I can to keep you informed and as safe as possible. If I must make a choice, your safety trumps satisfying your ego—”
“My fuckin’ ego?” Jimmy balked indignantly. “Your ego is the size of this fuckin’ house!”
“I tried to give you the romantic proposal that you wanted, and you’re too busy trying to outsmart me and interfere in my affairs—”
“Your affairs?” Jimmy didn’t even care that he was yelling now. He stood up to his full height, daring to shout back, “This is our life, Rod! Our life! Our fucking future is at stake here! You’re goddamn right I’m interfering!”
“Jimmy,” Cold hissed, his tone low and dangerous. “That is quite enough.”
“Fuck you!” Jimmy snarled as he got right in Cold’s face. “If this is how it’s always gonna be, then I’m fucking done! I’m fucking done with all of this! The shooting, the lying, the murders, all of it! And most of fuckin’ all, I’m done with you!”
Something broke in Cold, his hands shaking as he grabbed Jimmy by the back of his neck and held him tightly. “Oh, no. We’re not done until I fucking say we are!”
“Fuck you, you stupid stubborn fucking son of a—!” Jimmy was silenced by a fierce kiss, crying out as Cold’s teeth nicked his lip in his haste. He tried to push away, but Cold wouldn’t let go, and Jimmy couldn’t resist his possessive embrace.
Cold was kissing him like he wanted to devour him, squeezing and clawing ferociously. He had torn Jimmy’s shirt, and the way he grabbed Jimmy’s hips made him ache all over with a savage need.
Jimmy kissed back passionately and grabbed a hold of Cold’s jacket, curling his hands into tight fists. He gasped as Cold broke away to roughly bite at his neck, and he helplessly squirmed as he moaned, “God, you are such a bastard! I fuckin’ hate you!”
“Hate me all you want,” Cold grunted in response, savagely dragging his teeth along Jimmy’s jaw and pinning both of his arms behind his back. “You’re not leaving.”
