Page 148 of Dancing in the Dark

“Y-y-y-yes sir.”

“If you call Detective Fletcher, or Mayor Lawrence, or… ya know what? If you call anyone with any ties to Copeland City ever again, I’ll visit you while you’re sleeping and test out some of the cool things my daddy taught me back in the day. Understand?”

He bobs his head.

“You have my blessing to sweep that no-good trash bag Miranda London up on your way out of town, since you mole rats are engaged and all that shit, but the same rules apply to her. Albuquerque. Forever. If you come anywhere near anyone in my orbit ever again, I’ll open you both up and braid your intestines together. That wouldn’t be very comfortable, would it?”

He shakes his head with fast, vicious swipes from side to side.

“This whole mess…” I force a long sigh between us. “It’s a bad look, Andy. You’ve accepted over a hundred thousand dollars from the mob in the last two months alone, and we both know the Feds don’t play about this shit. They’ll want to know what you did to earn that money. You’ll be disbarred. They won’t let you keep your fake ass Rolex when you’re in federal prison, and call me a skeptic, but I’m not sure you’ll be top dog once the lights go out and your cellmate likes to fuck. A hole’s a hole to a man facing twenty-five to life. Say yes sir.”

He shakes all over. His jaw trembles. His teeth chatter. “Y-y-yes sir.”

“Excellent.” I clap his shoulder and thrill in the way he twitches and cries out. “I’ll be at your place before midnight. If I ever see you again, I’ll rip your fuckin’ guts out with my bare hands. If Ms. Lewis ever sees you again, I’ll feed your balls straight back to you. If Detective Fletcher or Detective Malone becomes the subject of an investigation you instigated ever again, I’ll peel the skin off your face and stuff it up your urethra. Am I explaining myself clearly, Andy?”

He swings his head up and down.

“Am I confusing you? Have I left any doubt in your mind as to the intentions of this conversation?”

He shakes from left to right.

“I’m glad.” I flash a wide smile and take a step back. “It was horrible formally meeting you, former deputy legal counsel. I hope never to have to suffer through such an inconvenience again. Now go.”

He takes off like a shot, crying and tripping over his own feet in his haste. He rolls his ankle and fishes frantically for the phone in his pocket.

Moving to stand beside me, Stovic merely chuckles low in his throat. “You threatened his momma, Boss? That was kinda low.”

“I would never do such a thing. I’m a nice guy, remember?” Chuckling, I turn to my car and grab the door handle. “I heard your brother’s off duty for the next forty-eight hours. You wanna come for a drive up the hill and shoot a few hoops with him? Could be me and my brothers versus you and yours.”

His eyes narrow to humored slits. “Five against two, Boss?”

“You could have Steve, too. Both of them. The older one might be a little slow these days, but he’s a savage. I see it in his eyes when he thinks no one is paying attention.”

Tugging my door open, I reveal not only my darling Christabelle, but Zora, too, and the spit-bubble smile she’s saved just for me.

“My baby ZoZo is awake! Hi, Zo.” I slide in and close my door. “You missed Daddy, huh? You could tell I was working.” I press a noisy kiss to her chubby cheek and luxuriate in her squealing giggles. Then I look to Christabelle and stretch closer. “Kiss me, Darling. Kiss me like you think we’ll never get the chance to do it again.”

This woman, this fucking goddess, grew tired of my shit a long time ago. But damn, she knew exactly who I was, and married me anyway.

Which means she closes the space between us and kisses me, just like I asked.

“I love you so fucking much.” I fist her hair and hold her near, darting my tongue forward and rewarding myself for my Herculean restraint. The old me would’ve ended Markum’s life and made him pig food. The new me does whatever the fuck he needs to make his family proud. “Now say yes sir.”

She chokes out a laugh and flops back in her seat.

“What? You’re not gonna say it?”

“No.” But she tangles her fingertips in the hair at the nape of my neck. She has the power to make me nothing more than a puppy begging for his ear scratches, and she smiles at me so beautifully, I can’t find even a single scrap of regret for the choices that got us here. “But I love you, too.” Her lips quirk into a deliciously taunting smirk. “So fucking much.”