If nothing, I owe Kenny a raise and a bonus for following my instructions without question. I asked him to light the vehicle on fire before the police could arrive. Magnum undoubtedly left physical evidence of his presence in the vehicle, and I needed to be sure that was erased.
Kenny did a damn thorough job.
“And you’re sure you have no idea who could be responsible?” the detective asks again, bouncing his pen against his notebook.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” I say coolly. “But I have every confidence that you’ll figure it out. It’s a relief to know Boston’s finest is on the case.” I dip my head in a faux show of respect, and cut off the other cop as he opens his mouth. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’ve told you all that I know. I’m very newly married, and I’m sure my wife is going out of her mind, wondering why I haven’t made it home yet. If you have any other questions, give my lawyer a call.” I pull his card from my pocket and hand it over. “Have a good night.” Spinning around, I meander toward the bar staff.
I need to check on my employees and get the fuck home to crawl in bed next to my wife.
Despite my best intentions to locate Vanessa, I’m beat. I shower and sit on the edge of my bed in only a towel. Even getting up to get dressed seems like a lot of work when I’ve slept four hours out of the last forty-eight.
I lie back, slinging my forearm over my eyes. I only intend to rest for a few moments.
The next thing I know, someone climbs on top of me, waking me out of a dead sleep.
“I’m so pissed at you right now,” Vanessa says. “How dare you not let us know that you made it home safely?”
My hands land on her hips as she kneels over me, and I’m still so out of it that I almost ask her to sleep with me for a few more hours.
“Sorry, darling,” I murmur, running my thumbs over the soft material of the T-shirt that she’s clad in. “I hoped to be home for dinner last night. Clearly, that didn’t pan out. What time is it?”
“A little after nine,” she says. “The only reason I knew you made it home was because Ziggy mentioned you cleared the gate at three-thirty this morning.”
“Yes, well, it would have been several hours earlier, but I got trapped in a meeting and then learned Grigoryan retaliated,” I say, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Shit,” she whispers. “Is everyone okay? I mean, was it bad?”
“Not in the grand scheme of things, but I never enjoy having to give my personal information to a detective.” I slide my hands to her lower back, pulling her flat to my chest. “Just let me sleep another half hour, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
She grunts, running her nose over my pec. “Mmm, I hate that you smell so good. It’s relaxing me, and I’m supposed to be mad at you.”
I snort. “Your scent comforts me, too, Vanessa. How is Magnum?”
My nostrils flare, and I get the first real hit of her scent as she shoves her hair behind her ear. She smells heavily of Hawk, and it grates on my instincts. They must have spent quite a lot of time together while I was working.
“He’s okay.” She shrugs. “Hopefully he found something that made getting shot worth it.” I hear her words, but something clicks in my mind.
It’s not like she’s just carrying hints of Hawk’s scent.
It’s as if her entire scent changed.
A low growl rattles from my chest. “Are you and Hawk bonded?”
She jolts, slapping my stomach.
“Yeah, asshole. We are. Now is when you say congratulations.” Vanessa uses her hands on my chest to pushherself up enough to stare straight into my eyes. “I’m open to bonding you too. I want that, even, but I’m warning you, Moretti. Show your ass, and I’ll show you exactly how miserable things can get when your wife is unhappy.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Are you threatening me, darling?”
“I wish I didn’t feel like it was necessary,” she says, holding eye contact. “Just think about it. It’s a good thing, right?” I hate how she squares her shoulders like she’s expecting a fight.
“You know I trust Hawk more than anyone,” I say, and at least that is true. “I’m happy for you.”
Her head tilts, and her eyes narrow.
My hand flattens on her lower back, and I roll us, trapping her under me. “Okay, I’m full of shit. I’m dreadfully jealous, but I’mtryingto be happy for you. Does that count?”
She’s my wife, after all.
