Page 78 of Dirty Legacy

“But now I do and it’s weird.”

“Would it make it worse if you knew I used to steal your underwear?”

Her eyebrows arch in alarm. “Don’t tell me⁠—“

I throw my head back and let out a low belly roar. I haven’t cracked up this hard in a very, very long time, and she slaps my chest, shaking her head, smiling too.

It’s a release, almost as much as fucking her back in the salvage yard. The laughter dies away, but I still have a small smile on my face for the rest of the ride. While we’re here in the car, I can be nothing more than her husband: not the boss, not responsible for a company or a family, but a man with the woman he’s deeply obsessed with.

Normal for once.

I’m still in a good mood when we reach home. Angie heads inside, but my phone buzzes and I pause to take the call. “Everything good?”

“Girls are home safe,” Marcus confirms. “That Nadia’s nice to look at.”

“No.”

“But—“

“I said no.”

“You’re zero fun.” There’s a sound like he’s changing hands. “But hold on, before you hang up. I got something for you.”

“Anything I should be worried about?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. When you told me about the ex-boyfriend and his girl, I did some digging on them. Had my guy break into their apartment, logged into their laptop⁠—“

“That’s above and beyond.”

“We’re at war, brother. Here’s the thing. Our good friend Brad’s bank account was open and there were three money transfers totaling five grand.”

I look out into the darkness, at the men patrolling through the trees. “Someone paid them.”

“Damn right someone paid them. I don’t think that whole business was about blackmailing her at all. I bet the cash was only the first step.”

“Or they got greedy.” I rub the heel of my palm into my eye. “Figure out who sent that money.”

“Already working on it.”

“Good job, Marcus.”

“Now can I get that Nadia girl’s number?”

I hang up.

Whatever joy I felt fades into the evening. The mansion’s doors loom wide. My wife’s waiting for me upstairs. My sister is home safe. My family is protected.

But death’s coming. It always does, and my life is spent holding it at bay for as long as I can.

24

ANGIE

Itake a long, hot shower the next morning to make sure I wash all the blood out. When I emerge smelling fresh and feeling good, I find a black gift box waiting on my pillow, and Connor nowhere in sight. Last night, we slept side by side together, not having sex, but curled against each other like an actual couple.

And it felt nice. Safe, in a weird way. Even though nothing about that man is remotely safe.

I untie a black ribbon, lift the black lid, and find a black glass rectangle looking back at me.