Page 41 of Bitter Spirits

Clearly, he believed that. Too bad she didn’t, which meant she had to see this through, not only for her own peace of mind but also to make sure the Cordovas didn’t screw over Locke or, eventually, her.

“All Families are like that,” she said, resigned. “It doesn’t matter how big or how small they are. If they see a threat to the status quo, they’ll eliminate it.”

Hell, it was true for her own small family of Des and Cass. If anyone threatened them, Isa wouldn’t hesitate to take them out. Can I really stand in judgment of Locke for feeling the same? Since the answer to that was an uncomfortable no, she decided to guide them back to safer waters. “It doesn’t matter where it came from. What’s important is that it’s out there and it needs to be stopped. Can we agree on that?”

For a moment, it looked as if Locke was going to push the issue, but whatever he saw in her face had him changing his mind. “Yeah, we can agree on that.”

“Okay,” she said, strangely relieved and little bit sad. “We know Angel’s involved somehow, since it’s being dealt at his club.”

“We need to figure out how he got a hold of it.”

“That won’t be easy.” She sank back down onto the couch. “He’s got connections everywhere.”

“We can start with Beto and Healy.”

She looked at him. “I’m not sure either man would just willingly meet with you and answer your questions.”

He headed over to the breakfast bar. “Maybe not me, but I’m sure they’d make time to meet with the Cordova Family representative.” He grabbed his phone and started to type.

A little concerned, she asked, “Who are you texting?”

“Zev.” He finished up his message and set the phone back down on the counter. “After we pick up your car, I’ll need to fill him in on what went down tonight.”

She knew who he was talking about. The tall, dark, intimidating Hunter had been in Wonderland with his girlfriend, Rory Costas, more than once. “Why?”

He leaned back against the bar’s edge and folded his arms. “Because he’s been working the drug angle while I’ve been focused on tracking Isaiah. Now that we know for sure the two are connected, we need to combine our efforts.” He studied her. “What’s on your schedule for tomorrow?”

“Kelly’s meeting with River at eleven. Des and I promised we’d be there. After that, I need to deal with an inventory order that’s coming in at one, and payroll is due by three.” It didn’t take a genius to follow Locke’s thoughts. “I’ll be fine. Des will be with me, and Angel avoids Wonderland.”

“Why?”

Amusement bubbled up. “Because last time he set foot inside, Des sicced a poltergeist on him, so Angel believes the place is cursed.”

“Cursed?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously?”

She gave a shrug. “He’s a superstitious son of a bitch. Plus, it took months for Angel to get rid of the spook, and it cost him quite a few business deals, since he couldn’t seem to get through a meeting without shit happening.” Des was nothing if not inventive when it came to retribution. “Ever since, he steers clear of the bar.”

Locke’s frown indicated he wasn’t as sold on the idea that Angel would stay away simply because of a haunting. “Can you get Des to stay with you until I’m done meeting Zev?”

“No.” She didn’t need a babysitter. “I’m not dragging his ass out of bed after he worked closing for me. Besides, it’s only a couple of hours. I’ll be fine.”

“Isa—”

“No, Locke,” she repeated, firmer this time. “You can drop me off then go meet up with Zev.”

Still unconvinced, he tried again. “That won’t take long. I can make it a phone call.”

She was already shaking her head. “Stop. You go do your thing and let me do mine.” As much as she appreciated his protective streak, she was torn between exasperation and amusement. “Do your meet with Zev. Chances are I’ll be picking up Kelly to take her to River’s office by the time you finish up. Since you obviously can’t come to that meeting, we should just plan on meeting at Wonderland afterward, and you can spend an exciting afternoon watching me do paperwork.”

He continued to look at her with a deep frown. His obvious concern softened her misgivings, and she found she was tired of holding the line. Hell, she was just tired period. Knowing they could continue this argument until the sun came up, she decided to do the unexpected. She got up, crossed over to stand in front of him, and placed her hands over his crossed forearms.

With a gentle squeeze, she repeated softly. “I will be fine.”

His moody gaze drifted over her face, but he finally, reluctantly gave in. “Fine, but you’ll text me when you leave your place and when you get to River’s office, then⁠—”

Without even thinking it through, she leaned down and stopped his words with a kiss. When she pulled back, they were both breathing a little heavier. She stared into the hot, electric blue eyes, unable to escape the swirling mix of heat and hunger that promised all sorts of temptations.

The urge to give in was strong, but somehow, she managed to shuffle back from the edge. “I’ll be fine, but thank you.”