Dragging in a deep breath, my stomach flipped and nerves raced through me. This wasn’t exactly standing around as backup with a gun or watching a street corner to see if someone was selling drugs outside of their turf.
As I strolled toward the table, Cooper and Janelle both straightened, noticing me. At first, he flashed a smile, but then he frowned, and I chuckled as a pink blush worked its way up his neck to his face. I didn’t know if he was uncomfortable with me or liked the way I looked—or maybe both. Janelle had a pleasant smile, and I almost felt bad for her as I stopped at the table.
“Hello, you don’t know me, but I know you.” I fought to keep my voice from trembling as I made a snap decision. Instead of handing Cooper the envelope, I passed it off to Janelle.
“Oh, are you in the market for a car, here? Just moved from the States, have you? Word gets around, but we are the best place to go.” She smiled and opened the envelope. “You have your paperwork here....” She pulled out a stack of large glossy photographs in full color, and they spilled across the table as she dropped them. She glanced at me with bugging eyes and her mouth fell open, almost as wide as it had been in some of those pics.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’re not Cooper’s wife.” I smiled at Janelle.
Her face turned a brilliant shade of sun-burn red, and she whipped around to face Cooper. “You told me no one would notice.The club is dark.You flamin’ galah,” she hissed at him.
“I’m guessing he probably said a lot of other things that were lies, too. Maybe like how he was going to be divorced by now?” I blinked at Janelle. “You shouldn’t waste your time with this liar.”
“Please. I just found out my wife is pregnant again,” Cooper said, face going pale.
Janelle gasped, and I wasn’t prepared when she lifted her glass and splashed the water—ice cubes and all—in his face, and by the way he sat there, dripping wet and stunned, I didn’t think he’d been ready, either.
“You know, you’re his business partner, so I’ll tell you this for your own good.” I leaned down closer to her ear. “He pissed off a lot of bad men. You should really sell your half of the business and do something else.”
She blew out a long breath and shot to her feet. “Who will see these?” she asked, gathering the photos. Her eyes got a determined glint as she stared at Cooper. Any hitmen Legend decided to hire to take care of Cooper probably wouldn’t have a job to do soon.
“Media. His wife. You’re blurred in the other photographs, except for your hair.”
“Well, Anita will know it was me,” she said with a sigh. “I should’ve never done this. What was I thinking?”
Cooper hopped up as the gears seemed to start turning in his head again. “Please, this isn’t my fault,” he said, grabbing her hand.
I shoved him down into his seat, and he stared at me while his eyebrows climbed high on his forehead.
“It is,” I said simply. “You took your dick out and waved it around in public.”
He stood up again and his nostrils flared. “You work forthem. You’re destroying my life. How can you live with yourself?”
“You destroyed your own life by taking money from the Italians,” I murmured, leaning closer to him. People at the tables nearby gawked at us with interest.
“You okay there, Cooper?” a man to our right asked, but he was trying to keep from laughing. His eyes practically glowed with amusement. Maybe Cooper wasn’t very well liked.
“No, he’s not okay. He’s about to get divorced, and if we’re lucky, lose his business, because he’s a cheater and a liar.” I flashed a smile at the man, feeling slightly evil but happy as I sashayed my way back to our table. Hero, Danger, Cyclone, and Diedre were all on their feet, and when Diedre gasped, I whirled around, but Danger had already knocked Cooper on his ass. The idiot lay on the deck on his back staring up at the sky, and there was a red mark the size of Danger’s massive fist on his cheek.
“Maybe next time you’ll take Legend seriously,” I said sweetly.
Cooper glared at me, and I was the most powerful person on the planet as I strode out of that restaurant with my head high. In the past I’d always worried people would notice me when I wore heels around town, but today they clacked like gunfire, and I didn’t mind the attention. I even smiled at an old man in a type of cowboy hat I’d noticed that the Australians seemed to enjoy. He tipped it at me, and Diedre and Cyclone laughed as we walked out the front door together.
That evening, I was still on top of the world as I sat out on the balcony with Diedre and Fallon. We’d been sipping mimosas for a while. Diedre and I were still in dresses, but he was in a pair of board shorts because he’d been at the beach—and nothing else. He grinned at us. Diedre was delighted to scope out his abs, and I tried to keep from laughing every time she stared just a few seconds too long.
“What do you call an Irishman who gets drunk on orange juice and champagne?” Fallon asked.
Sighing, I rolled my eyes, but Diedre tittered. “What, darl?”
“I don’t know, but I’m wasted.”
She laughed and shoved his shoulder, and he gave her a warm smile as he pushed a strand of his blond hair behind his ear. Her eyebrows crept up her forehead as she stared at his abs again.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at a small blue plastic box hooked to his waistband.
“Oh.” He sat up straighter. “I’m diabetic. That’s my insulin pump. It’s no big deal, just keeps me alive.”
He shrugged, and Diedre made an impressed sound as she downed more of her drink.
