“Cartel. Mikey. Safehouse.”
“Dammit, you can add a few more details, Sebs. It’s not funny.”
“We’re perfectly fine, sugar. This is how it went down. I had a hankerin’ for some of your mom’s delicious pastries, so I brought our little guy to church. After, I had a lovely chat with your uncle and needed a walk to cool off. Outside, the young wanna-be, who was supposed to be on his way back to Detroit, followed me. I’ll give you the condensed version. The Kings and The Sureños are working together. They intend to dispose of our entire mobster branch. Apparently, us included.”
I gasp. “As in Kill? Oh my God. I need to come home.”
“Sweetheart, you’re better off out west. Our boy is safe and warm in an undisclosed location under nanny-guard protection.”
“I’m on my way.” Laptop out, I power up, and as I search for flights, Suds sighs.
“No, sugar. You need to work this case. We can’t afford to have our little mishap blow up in our faces.”
“I knew I should’ve let Uncle Vinny take the heat. If he hadn’t been such a dick, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Look on the bright side. There’s always next time.” He’s right.
Taking a deep breath, I weigh my options. Our son will be safer if his dad isn’t watching out for me, as well. I glance at the clock in the lower right-hand corner of my screen and jump up.
“Shit, I got to go. Dash wants me to meet him for dinner.”
“Wait a damn minute. You and him are going out together?”
“It’s not a date. He’s a client. Don’t tell me you’re jealous, tough guy?” Putting him on speaker, I wash my face.
“Am I bothered by my wife dining with a man who, using her own words, is extremely handsome? Hell yeah.”
“Ah… you are so sweet.” Tossing my travel clothes on the floor, I change into black jeans and a royal blue silk blouse.
“Say it again and there’s nothing but rough sex for you.” His threat causes liquid to pool between my legs.
“Promises, promises. I got to go, now. Take care of Mikey and no going after the bad guys unless you have backup.” Dropping my pants, I clean my lady lips, and as I dig into my purse for makeup, Suds ignores my not-so-subtle hint and refuses to hang up.
“Hey, I’m not the trouble magnet.”
“Babe, all I am going to do is eat breakfast in the morning, talk to the CEO, and fly home. Absolutely nothing can go wrong.”
“Uh-huh. You wear your weapon at all times, y’hear?”
“Oh, ye of little faith…”
“I got plenty, sugar. I truly believe if there’s trouble to be had, you’ll be smack dab in the middle.”
I roll my eyes, grab my key card, and giving one last look in the mirror, depart into the hall. “Bye, honey. Love you. By the way, I hired one of the people on your list, Lanita. She’s going undercover.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Love you too. Call me in the morning.”
Luckily, Dash seems distracted at dinner which allows me to eat. Grateful to not talk with my mouth full, I say goodnight, and go to bed. Even though the clock says eight, my body says eleven, and I fall asleep.
Of course, I wake way too early so change into sweats and work out in the gym. Running on the treadmill, I watch the news. The report attributes more deaths to an influx of new opiates from China. Shit, we need to shut the floodgates, and soon.
Regular fentanyl is bad enough. Super-F, which is what they’re calling it, is scary as hell. When mixed with heroin or coke, it’s an unbelievable high but only the first time. Then, as people try to recreate it, they die.
After a shower and a quick plate of eggs, I meet my client in the lobby. He eyes my black suit, professional makeup, and stylish bun. “Looking good.”
I check him out, too. BS, before Sebastian, I might’ve been interested but my girly parts don’t even twitch. The insurance man may be a fine male specimen, but he could never rock my world. Like a Mona Lisa, or a Van Gogh, I appreciate his beauty but have no desire to touch.
I text my hubby, tell him we’re off, and mentally prepare for a rough day. It’s a twenty-minute drive from our hotel to Redmond and unfortunately, our Uber driver is a wanna-be tour guide, and she talks non-stop the entire way. In case you ever needed to know, the Evergreen Point Bridge is the largest floating span in the world. I could’ve gone my whole life not knowing the pontoons are concrete. Needless to say, I’m relieved when we arrive on the other side, intact.
