Mace’s body went rock-solid.
Oh shit.
“Moving on!” I declared quickly then to Preston, “Say your piece and go.”
Preston looked back at me. “Fine, Stel a, but I advise you not to be here when I say my piece, as you so eloquently put it.”
I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t get a word out.
“Your cracks at Stel a end right fuckin’ now,” Mace growled, Preston’s eyes went to his son and so did mine and I knew Mace pretty wel , I loved him and I hoped to spend the rest of my life with him but that didn’t mean his look wasn’t real y freaking scary.
That said, it was also hot and he was pissed on my behalf so it also felt real y freaking good.
I turned my eyes back to Preston, trying hard not to smirk only to see he had entered a staring contest with Mace.
This went on awhile.
This went on awhile.
Considering father and son clearly had a life edict that included “never say die” I lost patience and snapped,
“Seriously! Let’s get on with this.”
Preston’s eyes slid to me, his jaw got hard then he looked back at Mace.
“I think you know you’re treading on thin ice,” he announced.
“I do?” Mace asked.
“Don’t be stupid, Kai,” Preston whispered. “You never were before, except once and it ended in tragedy, don’t do it again.”
If Mace’s body was rock-solid before, it was marble now but I didn’t real y notice since my vision exploded in sparks of red and I instantly decided I was done. I didn’t know why he was there. I didn’t know why Mace al owed him to come up.
And, at that moment, I also didn’t effing care.
“Get out of my house,” I hissed and Preston looked to me.
“You don’t –” he began.
“Get… the fuck… out… of my house! ” I bit out.
“The receptionist at his place of business dealt drugs,” Preston informed me.
“Get out of my house,” I kind of repeated.
“Her nephew, Kai’s col eague, was in business with her,” Preston went on.
Real y?
Darius?
Yikes.
Oh wel . Past tense. If it didn’t bother Mace (which obviously it didn’t), it didn’t bother me.
And anyway, Darius was cool.
“Get out of my house,” I repeated again.
Preston continued, “His organization was involved in a clandestine operation which culminated in an officer employed by the Denver Police Department discharging a weapon and wounding a man, something that has never been reported to the police.”
Oh dear. That probably wasn’t good and it was probably worse Preston knew about it.
I powered through my worry and again demanded, “Get out of my house.”
“His employer is on retainer with Marcus Sloan, shady dealings with a man who is not shady but entirely criminal, running guns and peddling flesh.”
Yikes again!
Marcus ran guns and peddled flesh?
Whoa.
Preston wasn’t done. “And the wife of one of his co-workers filed fraudulent reports with Child Protective Services in order to place two runaways with a known felon.”
Wel , at least I knew about that one.
I quit repeating myself and just glared at him.
Preston held my glare and stated, “Routinely, a man in Lee Nightingale’s employ performs il egal hacks not only on private accounts but also on local, state and federal government sites.”
I wasn’t a computer person so I thought that was actual y kind of cool.
Obviously I didn’t share that.
Then, softly, he said, “The man you cling to so desperately has taken lives.”
My glare intensified.
I was hardly clinging to Mace desperately. Lovingly, definitely. Supportively, sure. Desperately, no.
“Many of them,” Preston whispered.
He fel silent so I asked, “Are you done?”
“No,” he replied and looked at Mace. “Your play, son, is to speak to Nightingale, tel him to agree to my investment. I obtain control ing interest in Nightingale Investigations, I clean up the cesspool that is your business, take out the trash including Darius Tucker, Vance Crowe, Luke Stark and that hideous receptionist, al of whom, due to their past activities and associations, leave much to be desired.
You’l keep your job because, clearly,” he threw out a hand again, “your woman cannot provide for you if you should need to get back on your feet, which you wil , considering the fact you just gave six thousand dol ars to her family which significantly depleted your reserve. Then Nightingale steps aside and I cal the shots.”
Uh-oh.
I felt my body get tight.
Mace spoke.
“You’re saying you’l leak this information if I don’t do as you say.”