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“Mmhmm. Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s just something about that damn number.” Jimmy laughed. “I swear, it’s been following me. Just seems fitting.”
“Oh?”
“Like the universe is telling me this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Cold smiled at that, kissing Jimmy’s forehead. “Maybe it is.”
“Yeah?”
“Or maybe you’re just crazy.”
“That too.”
Chapter twenty-two
Jimmy woke up in Cold’s arms, smiling brightly at having his boyfriend curled around him. In all of their time together, this was the first time he hadn’t woken up alone. He took full advantage and snuggled in close to bury his head against the crook of Cold’s shoulder.
“Morning,” Cold mumbled as he peeked open an eye to peer down at Jimmy.
“Good morning,” Jimmy chirped, his hand resting on Cold’s stomach. “How do you feel?”
“Like someone shot me,” Cold replied dryly.
“Want your medicine?” Jimmy glanced at the bottles Dr. Queen had left for him on the bedside table.
“Not yet. I need to think.”
“About last night? Tamerlane and Jules said there’s, uh, a rat?”
“Absolutely there is.” Cold scowled. “Someone has been working very hard to start another war between the Gentlemen and the Luchesis.”
“I noticed Corman wasn’t here last night,” Jimmy said, biting his lower lip.
“Mm.” Cold hummed. “His loyalty is questionable at best. I’ve long suspected he’s up to something, but I need proof.”
“Why? Can’t you just…” Jimmy made a finger gun motion with his hand. “You know, bang bang.”
Cold snorted out a short laugh, though the wince that followed showed he regretted it. “It’s more complicated than that. Corman has a lot of powerful connections in the city, judges and things like that. Very useful things I don’t want to lose if I don’t have to. I must be absolutely sure before I make a move against him.”
“Well, what kind of proof do you need?”
“Something more than my gut. I trust my instincts, and yes, my instincts say it’s Corman. Still, I need concrete evidence. There’s been too much that’s happened now for it to be a coincidence. The police finding Dickie’s body so quickly, the timely return of the Luchesis to the city, the attack at the club, the meeting going bad last night… Corman knows that I suspect him.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because once he saw I wasn’t dead, he ran,” Cold drawled. “Above all else, he’s a coward. He only joined the Gentlemen when he was absolutely sure the Luchesis were going to lose the war. But being a coward doesn’t make him guilty.”
“But why start so much shit? Is he trying to get back with the Luchesis? Join their cause?”
“Possibly,” Cold mused, “but Italians never forget. Corman already betrayed them once. They wouldn’t trust him.”
“Not unless he did something to prove himself.” Jimmy chewed on his lip as conspiracy theories rattled his brain. “Like setting you up to take the fall for Dickie’s murder. Everybody thinks it was you anyway, right? Even your own Gentlemen do. If he figured out where the body was, maybe he’s the one who snitched to the cops so they’d come after you. If he promised the Luchesis he could get you out of the way for them, that would be a hell of a way to prove his loyalty.”
“Look at you, Nancy Drew.”
“Well. It makes sense.”
