Idrop onto the couch next to Ely, groaning as I roll my shoulders to relieve some of the tension. Torture is fucking exhausting. Fun though.
“Where do we sit on everything?” Daniel asks, fatigue lining his face.
Poor guy. It can’t be easy being my cousin’s partner. Not to mention, their baby cries—a lot. I’m not a pediatrician for a reason.
“All traitors are taken care of, and I’ve collected plenty of information that we can pass along to the Council—or whatever they’re being called.” I sneer at their name. It sounds too much like a fucking after school special. What are they? Some do-good mafia? Ridiculous.
Ely laughs tiredly. “You’re jealous. They’re something new and shiny, and you want to pull it apart to examine how it works.”
I shrug. My cousin knows me well. I can’t help it. I’ve always been…odd. I have a driving need to dissect things. It’s why psychiatry fits me, and why my extracurricular activities keep me sane enough to do my work. Work-life balance is important.
“Speaking of them… We got an interesting phone call.” Daniel frowns, but gestures to Ely, letting her take over. That sums up their relationship, in my opinion. My cousin is too much of a leader to ever be sidelined.
“It appears you garnered some of their interest. Of course, it’s likely Doc was already aware of your reputation as a forensic psychiatrist. Still, he’d like to meet with you and see if you’re willing to work with them. It appears it would be a full-time position.”
Snorting, I shake my head. “There is not enough money they could offer me.”
“It would give us a deeper tie to them,” Ely points out, and I struggle not to roll my eyes at her.
I don’t see the point in developing deeper ties, but I never do. Hell, I don’t even understand why she’d tie herself down to Daniel. Even if she wanted to procreate, there had to be a cleaner way to do it.
“Are you listening to me?” I cringe at Ely’s sharp comment.
“Honestly? No.” Daniel laughs at that, but quiets at my glare. He knows better than to laugh at me or my cousin. I’d hate to give him yet another scar to remind him... “However, if you think it’s important, tell Doc I’ll meet him at my favorite restaurant. Just him. Not his Daddy. And not a bunch of guards. He’d better have a hell of an interesting case for me.”
“There’s no way he’ll leave his guards. For good reason, with what they’ve been going through,” she warns me, before givingme a sly smile. “And you can’t tell me you’re not dying to get a chance to delve into their minds…”
“Nobody likes a know-it-all,” I retort, standing and stretching.
She has a point. They’re a fascinating case, and it’s so much fun picking someone apart. Alas, it can be fucking boring putting them back together again. At least, correctly. I smile at fond memories of past cases that I didn’t need to fix. Criminals sentenced to life, especially.So much fun…
Daniel coughs, drawing my attention from the past. With a pointed stare, he asks, “And your hunting? I know you can’t go long without it.”
I grimace. He’s right. I’d need to find a way to keep doing that to maintain my edge on sanity, and it’s not like they’d help provide the balance like Ely and Daniel do. Some people are lucky to have family who accepts them completely, including a monster like me.
“I’ll figure it out. I won’t put your alliance at risk. Go ahead and make the call.” Nodding, I go to head out. I know Ely will call me with the details of the meeting, and I have things to arrange before then.
“Just so you know, the Martellis are big on wearing suits,” Ely calls after me.
Stuttering to a stop, I turn sharply to stare at her in horror. “No. Nope. No fucking way. People who wear suits are the ones that belong in boxes being lowered into the ground.”
Her laugh warms me momentarily before the usual coldness seeps in. Fuck, it looks like hunting needs to be further up on my task list. I throw my hands in the air and storm out, muttering about suits. There’s no fucking way… If they want me, they’ll have to take me as I am.
And I’m looking forward to telling Doc exactly what my terms will be…
Iexpected this, had prior warning from Carter, but…walking into the front sitting room and being greeted by one of Sinclair’s minions is still jarring.
Rafferty Taylor gives me a small smile, but I can see the apology in his light blue eyes as well. “Thank you for seeing me.”
I gesture to a couch, but he shakes his head. “I'm not stopping long enough, just passing this along.” He holds out a manila envelope, and for a moment, I consider not taking it.
As if that will delay what’s occurring. But…denying it will only hurt those I love in the end. So I reach out and take the envelope, hating the feel of it in my hand.
“This as well.” He passes over a card.
I meet his eyes, confused. “What is this?”
“One of the best divorce lawyers we’ve worked with in the past.” Though his tone is polite, I sense the sass hiding underneath.
