He shook his phone. “Don’t know any more than the basic public record, lass.”
“Okay, but how did you know that he knew something?” I started to turn a glare toward Rhys—and it was a damn doozy—before Nox gave a firm headshake.
“Wasn’t your man, so do me a favor, don’t get him pissed at me. Was just a guess on my part. That kind of secret for that long? It’s a safe bet that one of the three-letter agencies is involved.”
That made sense, even if him casually bringing up my brother had initially thrown me.
“You’d be correct,” I said.
“Is it the Irish they’re looking into?” he wagered, again nailing the bullseye.
“Yes.”
Technically, I wasn’t violating my brother’s trust by sharing any of it. Grayson had given the okay once Rhys had told him that talking with Nox could be mutually beneficial.
Which was why I tacked on, “And he wants to talk to you if you’re open to it sometime.”
“Not here,” Judge said instantly.
I wasn’t sure why he didn’t want an FBI agent at the clubhouse, and I wasn’t asking. If there was more to the Court of Mayhem than MayCo and parties, I didn’t want to know.
“I’ll make arrangements,” Nox said.
“It doesn’t have to be?—
But after passing off his baby to Rhys, he moved toward the exit.
What is with them and infant hot potato?
Without thinking, I shifted to take the little one—partially because I didn’t know how he felt about kids but mostly because it was a baby within reach, and I kind of wanted to hold her.
I didn’t get the chance. He tucked her into his body with ease as he whispered, “Remember, Uncle Rhys is your favorite. Uncle Rhys equals favorite. Got it, kid?”
The baby stretched her arm upward as she slept, and Rhys bumped his tattooed fist to hers to seal the deal.
My ovaries exploded.
Pop. Pop.
Gone.
I’d already assumed having kids was out of the question for me. I worked hard to get where I was, and having a kid would set me back. It was wrong and messed up, but it was the truth. My male colleagues were labeled as amazing fathers when they took off work to attend school functions or whatever. When women tried to do the same, they were told that missing the events was a sacrifice they had to make. That it wasn’t everyone else’s job to cover so she could be a mom. All the usual crap.
If I ever shared how badly I wanted to be a mom, I would no longer be viewed as badass Detective Luna Oscar. People would joke I was only working until I got accepted into the female three-letter agencies—MRS and MOM. It would soften my authority in a way I hadn’t been willing to accept. And since I was usually single or with men I didn’t see an extended future with, it was no hardship to lock that part of me away.
But seeing Rhys holding the baby made that part of my mind rattle. Just a little. Just enough for an image of Rhys holdingourbaby to pop into my mind.
One day in love, and I’m already daydreaming.
Should I grab pencils and a notebook so I can start doodling hearts around our names now, too?
Internally rolling my eyes at myself, I resecured those locks and added a few more for good measure. Because not only were my original points still valid, there was the knowledge that Rhysmight’ve liked the cutie for a little visit, but that didn’t mean he wanted any of his own.
His vasectomy made that pretty cut and dry—pun intended.
Tightening his hold on the baby with one arm, Rhys moved closer and gripped my ass with the other. Hard. He used that tight hold to pull me up onto my toes. “Don’t think you’re getting away with that bullshit.”
“What bullshit?” I asked, playing dumb.
