Both of our heads snapped up just in time to see Haley busting into the room, James hot on her tail. She looked at me and then to Collin, a slow flush crawled up her neck as she looked back to me.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she stammered.
“I can kiss my woman later, Haley,” Col said with a low chuckle.
James came around her and looked to the ceiling.
“Princess, you cannot just come into interrogation rooms,” he deadpanned, looking at her. I smiled at them. Haley Austen was going to give James Garner a run for his money for the rest of their lives, he might as well get used to that shit now.
“Don’t handcuff my friends,” she snapped, getting in his face. His dark eyes scanned her face for a moment, and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She gasped and then stepped back, her hand on her chest, the other one going through her hair. I looked away, knowing that what James probably said to her wasn’t workplace appropriate.
“I’ll be just a moment, Haley,” he said to her as he came around the table. The door closed as he braced his hands on the metal surface, his dark eyes bouncing back and forth between us.
“I just received a phone call from Emily Tipponi,” he began, focusing on Col. “She said to name my price for bail and to release you immediately.”
“Did she now?” Col drawled leaning back in his seat and spreading his knees, getting comfortable. James’ lips twitched.
“Then we got a call from some kid named Anthony in Boston, who said the same thing.”
“What a coincidence,” my demon deadpanned. The agent sighed and bowed his head. A second later, he rose back up and tossed a file on the table. He nodded down to it. “In that file, you will find an offer. This offer contains your freedom—"
"Freedom always comes with a price, agent.”
“As does everything good in this life, Mr. Stevens. But let me be clear that this offer is only going to be on the table for the next ten minutes.”
“Does Director Wells know?” he asked as I looked at him. His eyes were ice cold again, his walls back up.
“Read the file and find out,” James replied, sliding it to Col. I watched those blue eyes scan both of the pages quickly, and jis jaw jumped once he reached the end.
“I have conditions,” he said finally, sitting back and taking my hand.
James smirked, rising up to fold his arms over his chest. “I’m amused you think you're in a position to be making demands.” The two men stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
“You will agree to these conditions, or you can throw me in a prison cell, Garner,” he said, his voice stern. My heart skipped a beat, and fear pooled into my gut.
“Col—”
“You and I both know that if you let that happen, your kind red head won’t be happy with you,” my demon continued, a slow smirk playing on his lips. “She has a soft spot for me, after all. Not to mention all the underground and inside knowledge I possess about the Romano family and their future plans. I will remain silent until the day I die in that fucking cell, agent. No amount of torture, interrogation tactics, or bribery will convinceme to speak. Do your worst. My offer will remain on the table for the next thirty seconds. You accept my conditions and I’ll sign the contract.”
I looked to Garner, who shot a quick look to me. “What are your conditions, Mr. Stevens?” he finally asked ten seconds later.
Without missing a beat, my lover responded, “Jeremy Jones’ criminal record is to be wiped clean.”
My heart plummeted to the floor, and my stomach rose up in my throat. “Collin,” I breathed, my chest heaving.
James looked to the door and then back to us. “Done. Next?”
A slow smile spread across my demon’s handsome face, showing his white teeth. “All the money in my father’s accounts will be transferred to me.”
“Absol—”
“You want me to work with you? Give you information and help you take down the rings? Then you give me what’s rightfully mine. I will need the funds in order to help you, and I will not be spending a dime of own money to do so,” he explained, his voice hard at the mention of Romano.
“Rightfully yours, huh?” James asked, raising a single brow.
Col tilted his head. “I am his son, after all. The mafia belongs to me. Surely, you've figured that out by now.” He smiled again, teasing the agent.
A heavy sigh left James, and he ran a hand through his hair before dropping it to dig into his pocket. He pulled out a pen and handed it to Collin. “Put it in writing, and I’ll sign it. But you need to hold up your end of the deal.”
