Sighing, I fixed my dress and then cracked the door. Joe stood on the other side of it, and when he realized I’d opened it, he said, “Ed around? I was hoping she knew where Pepper Nash was. I’m here to talk to her.” He showed me his badge.
I stepped out, shutting the door behind me. “It’s me, Joe.”
“Shit.” He looked me over from head to toe. “Ava?”
“Yeah.”
“You look…you don’t fucking look the same, that’s all I know. Is that why you left? You had plastic surgery or some shit?”
Even though I could tell by his eyes that this “new” me was a pleasant surprise, it kind of ate at me for a second. I didn’t really think Joe was commenting on my physical appearance as much as what had changed with me internally. He just didn’t know it.
In that moment, I felt it. It was like all the nasty stuff I’d been carrying around before I left for Italy had been purged. There must have been a lot of it.
“No,” I said. “I just decided to take somemetime.”
The door opened from behind me, and Joe’s eyes widened when Nazzareno set his hand on my shoulder. Then Joe’s eyes went behind both of us and my knees felt weak.
Joe gave a chin nod. “Ed.”
I turned some and saw Edna sitting on her desk, her legs covering the opening at the bottom. She was breathing heavy.
She’d probably drug Parker over to her desk and hid him underneath it while Nazzareno walked to the door. He was probably so focused on me, he didn’t even notice her do it. Or he didn’t fucking care. Not his rules in this place.
“Evening, Joseph,” Edna said, her voice even.
Joe’s eyes narrowed against Nazzareno’s as the two men stared at each other. It would be an insult not to introduce my husband to this man, but I didn’t want to say his last name, or Joe would know who had killed Kirill Balabanov. I had to say something, though.
“Nazzareno,” I whispered. “This is Detective Joe. Detective Joe, this is my husband.” I took a deep breath. “Nazzareno.”
I thought Detective Joe was going to pass out. I had to restrain myself from reaching out to steady him. His face turned ghostly white, and his eyes were wide and full of earnest shock.
“You’re married.” His voice reflected his eyes.
I nodded and lifted my left hand. “Recently. I got married in Copenhagen, though we met in Italy.”
He shook his head, like he was trying to shake off the surprise, like a dog does water. I was actually thankful he wasn’t firing on all cylinders. It gave me an advantage. Joe was a good cop and an even better detective.
“Well, I would congratulate you, but I think all the congratulations goes to this guy.” He chucked his chin at Nazzareno. “He’s done the impossible.”
“Tamed me.” I rolled my eyes.
“No.” Joe grinned. “Made you happy.”
It was a subtle shift, but one I still felt underneath my feet before it settled. Nazzareno relaxed some.
“You mind if we talk?” Joe’s nose scrunched up. “What’s that smell?”
I was pretty sure it was everything Parker had lost when he died.
“Edna,” I leaned closer and whispered. “She had some bad takeout.”
“Yeah, let’s definitely take this to your office,” Joe said.
Nazzareno closed the door behind us, and we took the lead while Joe trailed behind us to the office. He took a seat in front of my desk, I took the one behind it, and Nazzareno took a seat directly behind him on the sofa I used to crash on.
Even though Nazzareno had relaxed some at Joe’s comment, his eyes were hard on the back of Joe’s head, and it sent an uneasy feeling through me. Joe could be blunt, sometimes a little flirty, and I didn’t want Nazzareno to have any issue with him. I liked Joe. He was a good guy. Hopefully he’d cut the flirtatious out since I was married. I knew Joe respected that. And from the look in his eyes, he had mad respect for Nazzareno, who had done what no man thought he could ever do.
Set me in a cage with the door open.
