Because she was a greedy bitch.
"She docked their pay. She's selling off your sister's things."
Damian and I were in the kitchen after everyone left. He didn't seem surprised by the news.
"You knew?"
"I suspected. She's been selling off the stock too. She's getting ready to run."
"What the hell was that scene then the other day?"
"She's not one to take things lying down. She thought to intimidate you to get me to back off."
"That didn't work."
His smile was wicked. "No it didn't."
"So what are we going to do?"
His expression changed for just a second or two, the way he studied me left me feeling all gooey inside. "The sheriff should be picking her up soon for felony fraud and theft."
I was sure I looked like a guppy, but I shouldn't have been surprised that Damian was on top of this, that he could multitask. Still it felt good knowing Janice wouldn't be getting away with it.
"So it hasn't just been Cam's stuff you've been working on."
"She went about it underhandedly, but she was the right person to run the place. She knew Amelia, she knew the bar so I sat back and waited to see how it would play out. In the beginning she kept to the status quo, but she got comfortable and cocky. I have a list of every item sold and to whom."
"How's that possible?"
"Mic. I did some recon, discovered he was ex-military and offered him a side job."
"To keep an eye on Janice."
"He was a computer systems specialist, so he's compiled quite a nice dossier on her. She's getting ready to run, but she's not going anywhere." He grinned then said, "I like hearing you say what are we going to do about it."
"We've been a we since we were seventeen."
The light kept flickering, the fluorescent bulb humming as it illuminated Federico at his favorite table, at his favorite restaurant. As was his way, the place was closed so he had the whole restaurant to himself. The man was wearing a bib, a fucking paper bib as he cracked the shells of the crab and slurped the meat into his mouth. Juice dripped down his chin onto that bib, but fucking hell, he was grown man. His security team surrounded him, providing him a false sense of security … a man past his prime but holding on too tightly to the last threads of his glory days. He had finally agreed to talk with Lucien and I, but I should have known the man wouldn't make it easy. He cracked another crab leg and sucked up the meat.
"You've got to have rocks in your heads thinking I'm going to discuss my business with you. That first meeting I gave you as a courtesy. You shouldn't have asked for a second."
I brushed the lint from my pant leg, had to control the urge to slam the fucker's face into his plate. "You didn't tell me anything I didn't already know during that first meeting."
"And I ain't telling you now."
"We know you've got Miguel Dobbs by the short hairs, but there's someone else. We want to know who?"
"I want that bitch over there to come over here and suck my cock. It's nice to want, don't mean you're going to get it."
I glanced over at the woman, all curves and blonde hair. It'd be a cold day in hell before she voluntarily sucked him off.
Lucien reached for his whiskey, the ice rattling in the glass. "Who's your bed partner?"
"Are you hard of hearing? I've already answered that." Federico reached for his wine and drank the entire contents in one swallow before he signaled for his man to refill it.
"There are seven," I said to Lucien.
"Eight, one in the back."
"I like those odds."
Lucien lifted his glass. "Let me just finish this. It's exceptional." He finished off the amber-colored liquid before placing his glass down and looking over at me. "Let's not kill them. I promised my wife I would play nicely with others."
"It's too much work getting rid of bodies anyway."
"What the fuck are you two talking about?" Remnants of crab shot from Federico's mouth when he asked that.
Lucien and I moved at the same time, the element of surprise worked in our favor. Five were down before they knew what was happening. The man standing just at Federico's right took a gunshot to the thigh and dropped. Federico's fat hand went for his gun, but I grabbed the steak knife and pinned his palm to the table as the man bellowed in pain. Lucien disabled the last two thugs before he returned to the table, reached for the decanter of Chianti and poured us each a glass. We both settled back in our chairs.
"My hand, you motherfuckers."
"It's just your hand. You have two," I said before I leaned back in my chair and swirled the Chianti in the glass. "I'll ask again. Who are you working with?"
"Fuck you."
I was out of my chair, yanking the knife from his hand. He howled in pain, but went silent when I pressed the tip to his throat.
"Make no mistake. One swipe and you're a memory. I'm going to ask you one last time who you're working with before I make you a casualty."
His eyes bugged out of his head and I smelled his fear, a scent I was very familiar with as the memories I buried deep itched to break free. I pressed the knife harder against his throat. His voice broke. "Guy Hartnett."
It was only because I had years of discipline that I managed to control my reaction to that. Guy Hartnett was dirty? He was working with Federico? And yet it all made sense, he was the point where it all intersected. Fucking Guy Hartnett. This was going to kill Thea and Cam.
I lowered the knife. Lucien studied me before his eyes moved to Federico. "If you think to retaliate, think again."
"You won't get away with this," Federico hissed.
"We already have. Hartnett contacts you, I want to know," I said blandly as I dropped the knife on the table.
"Why the fuck would I tell you?" Federico hissed.
Lucien moved swiftly, grabbing the older man around the throat and squeezing. "Because deep down you're scared. And you have every reason to be. One of us coming at you, you might survive, the two of us coming at you and you don't stand a chance. You cooperate and we'll leave you out of it, you don't cooperate and we'll bury you. Understood."
Federico's face turned purple from rage, but he nodded his head. The man wasn't as stupid as he looked.
"And those crack houses. You close that shit down or I'll fucking burn them to the ground."
"That's my livelihood."
"Find another livelihood."
Lucien stepped back. "Are we done here?"
I drained the last of the wine from my glass. "Yeah."
On the curb, Lucien looked back at where we'd just come from before he turned his attention on me. "We just made an enemy. I'll put some guys on him and tap his phone. Just in case the man grows a set and tries to strike back."
"Good idea."
"Who's this Hartnett guy?"
"Former partner and best friend of the cop that was killed."
"Shit."
"Yeah, that about sums it up."
I waited until I was back in my office before I called Damian. I didn't even wait for a greeting before I said, "It's Hartnett."
Silence for a beat before Damian said, "Come again?"
"I just had the chat with Federico. It's Hartnett."
"Son of a bitch."
"I'll tell Cam, but I'm guessing you'll want to tell Thea."
"Fucking hell," Damian hissed before he added, "Fucker is going down for this."
"Yeah, he is."
I was scrolling through the channels looking for something to watch, my mind replaying Damian's heroics to little Wynona the other day and the pumpkin that she even brought to school to show the other kids. I was surprised there wasn't a line of first graders at the door looking for him to work his magic on their pumpkins.
Seeing him hunched over that pumpkin-big, badass Damian carving Cinderella's carriage-warmed my heart. And he thought he was evil.
I stopped channel surfing at The Blair Witch Project. Memories bombarded me, pulling a smile because this was the first scary movie that Damian offered himself as my security blanket.
"Hey, Damian." Yes, I screamed that because I was very comfortable and I didn't feel like getting up.
Soundlessly was how the man moved. One minute he wasn't in the doorway and the next he was. He looked around and I swear he reached for his gun even though he wasn't wearing one. After a quick scan he turned those eyes on me and it was very clear what he was thinking … .What the fuck?
"The Blair Witch Project is on. Do you want to watch it with me?"
I saw his slight reaction to my news … he remembered too. He walked into the room, grabbed a blanket from the basket as he passed-my heart melted-then settled next to me just like he had done all those years ago.
I curled up against his body, wasn't at all shy about wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek on his shoulder, draping my legs over his lap. He was wearing me like another blanket. It was perfect. And I knew this was a trigger for him, but there was no downside for me. I either got to snuggle against him or he'd rip off my clothes and have his way with me.
I wasn't watching the movie and I suspected he wasn't either. He then did exactly what I had hoped he would do all those years ago. He shifted us, pulling me under his big body. Our gazes locked.
"Do you know how badly I wanted to do just this that day?"