“A lifetime, Thea.” He kissed my neck and carried me into the shower.
It was while we cleaned the dishes after breakfast that Damian shared, “It’s over.”
I stopped drying the glass. “Cam has made the arrests?”
“Yeah.”
“How many?”
“Seven.”
“Was Guy…?”
“He couldn’t pin anything on him, but we’ve linked him to all of it. He knew Dobbs, the dirty cops, the man who attacked you in the alley.”
“There’s more.”
“Cam believes Guy is the one who called out the hit on your dad. Your dad must have figured it out that Guy was the common denominator.”
We had already been thinking this, but hearing it spoken out loud was shattering.
“Guy wants something from me, so let’s use me as bait.”
His face went dark, but he looked conflicted.
“That’s the plan, isn’t it?” I asked.
“I don’t fucking like this plan.”
“I’m in.”
“Think about it first. I dragged you here to keep you safe and now we’re asking you to walk right into the middle of it.”
“Guy ordered the hit on my dad and if we can’t flush him out he’ll get away with killing him. That’s not an option.”
He rubbed his hands over his face. “We orchestrate this op, right down to the smallest detail.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t take any chances. I’m not kidding, Thea.”
“I won’t.” I realized then what fueled the spanking from earlier. It wasn’t so much what I did, but what I might do. “I won’t be careless, Damian. I promise.”
He reached for his wallet, pulled something out and handed it to me. It was the first letter I had written to him and the picture of me from Cam’s wallet.
“Do you know how many times I looked at these? Waiting out insurgents, sitting in foxholes…how many missions the thought of you got me through. You have been in my head since the first time I saw that picture. And having that letter…fucking Christ. And now you’re in my bed and my heart and…” He rubbed his head before his hot stare speared me with its intensity. “I fucking hate this plan, making you bait, but I swear to God if you take any unnecessary risks...”
“I won’t. I promise.”
He moved so fast, pulling my body into the cradle of his. “I’m holding you to that, because you own me. Every dark part of me.”
“I thought we were leaving?” Two days after he returned, we were heading back to New York. Mic, who had accepted a job with Damian, and Razor were joining us. Damian had spent most of the day yesterday out of the house while I packed my stuff. Whatever he was up to, he wasn’t quite done.
“We have to make a stop first.” He said as we parked down the street from Janice’s. I was surprised to see Missy.
“Thanks for coming,” Damian said to her as we approached.
“Thank you,” Missy replied then turned to me and surprised me with a hug. “I’m going to miss you. Damian filled me in.”
She surprised me again with that confession. “He did?”
“It’s like a episode of a crime drama.” She took my hands into hers. “Please be careful.”
“I will.”
“I’ll fill everyone else in.”
“I’d really appreciate that, thank you. Can I ask why you’re here?”
“Damian offered me the position of manager for the bar.”
Damian’s absence yesterday was beginning to make sense. “That’s wonderful. But that means...”
As if on cue, Janice was brought out in handcuffs. Unlike the overly confident woman I interviewed for, she had her head down. I had a twinge of pity for her to be so publicly humiliated, but then I thought about Amelia and how she had conned a dying woman. Actions had consequences. She needed to man up to hers.
Damian walked over with a man I didn’t recognize. “Missy, this is James Stiles. He was Amelia’s accountant. He can bring you up to speed on the bar. I’m closing it, you reopen when you’re comfortable. And you’ll need to hire a new bartender. We’ll be back as soon as we take care of the situation at home.”
“Don’t worry. I managed the grain depot for years. It’s the same concept. The bar is in good hands.”
“I know it is.”
“Would you like to go through the books now?” James asked Missy.
“I’ll put on some coffee.” Missy looked back at me. “When you return, I’ll make dinner.”
“We’d love that.”
Damian took my hand and led me to his car. “How did you know she was looking for a new job?”