He takes me into a meeting room. It’s large, with an oval table in the center, bottles of water gathered in the middle. He leans against the table, lighting another cigarette.
“I’m not running,” I say. “You can get plenty out of me as chief?—”
“Guy, I have little patience for men who negotiate when they have zero fucking power. It’s a waste of your breath and my time. Give me the drive.”
X mumbles a less-than-complimentary response under his breath. Ranger ignores him. I take out the drive and hand it over.
He pockets it without even looking at it.
“How’d you find it?”
“Does it matter?” I bite back.
He smirks. “I suppose not, although?—”
The door bursts open, and I spin to face it. A redhead storms in, face pink with fury, hands balled into fists. She’s in a red dress, a small baby bump evident beneath the silk.
“Ranger, give me your gun.”
Ranger sighs. “Why do you need my gun, little bird?”
She throws her thumb over her shoulder, completely ignoring the rest of us, the pinkness in her cheeks increasing.
“Because if one more person touches my bump without my permission, I want to shoot them in the fucking face.”
Ranger looks unsurprised and bored by the threat. “Killing people at a charity event is a little … uncharitable, don’t you think?”
She pulls a face. “Like anyone here gives a fuck. I’ve donated more than these bloodsuckers ever have, and I didn’t need an evening of caviar and shitty conversation to do it.”
Whoever this woman is, I like her.
She glances at me. “Do you have a gun?”
I shake my head. “No, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?Ma’am?Every man in this building has a fucking death wish!” she screeches and spins on her heel, leaving and slamming the door behind her.
The last few minutes feels totally surreal, and I glance at Ranger. “Wife?”
“Not yet,” he says, a twitch of a smirk on his lips. “Good doing business with you, Chief. We’ll meet next week to discuss the election in detail.”
He heads for the door. “Wait, that’s it? You won’t touch Ella or Gable?”
Pausing, he faces me, tucking one hand into his pocket. “I have no interest in either of them as long as you keep me happy.”
Minutes. It took minutes to destroy a career I’ve spent almost thirty years building.
It doesn’t feel real, like I’m watching this all from the outside.
“Wait,” I say, and Ranger lets out a low growl of impatience. “Do you know who cashed in the hit on Asher Flynn?”
He faces me fully. “The only thing I know is that Gable and Asher Flynn were supposed to be the best. Despite their reluctance to murder innocent people, I hired them, and made sure to tack your little girl’s name on to ensure there were no loose ends.” Fire burns hot in my belly. “They were delaying the hit, I lost my temper, I offered it up to anyone who could deliver. Past that, I don’t give a fuck.”
“Can you find out?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“Already asking me for favors, chief?”
My teeth are close to cracking from the pressure. “It’s important to Ella.”
