Page 100 of Royal Desire

He doesn’t greet me. “Crime is up on my watch, and I’m not happy about it. It’s fucking with my stats.”

Ruby butts into the conversation. “That’s my fault. Please don’t talk about me. I’m listening.”

“Oh good. I’ll only have to go over this once,” Dean bites out. “Ansel Reid was pulled over today outside of Chicago.”

I glance at Ruby and some of the tension inside me loosens. “Is he in custody?”

“He is,” Dean confirms. “He was driving a rental issued under a different name. He even tried to use a fake ID, but Chicago PD has spidey senses like the webbed man himself and had reason to believe your ex-client was suspicious. They detained him for running a red light long enough to dig further. Facial recognition to the rescue along with a misdemeanor over a decade ago. Your shady-ass client has been in the system before. And that, my friends-to-lovers, is how good police work is done.”

“That’s great!” Ruby exclaims.

“Wait,” I stop them both. “What about Enzo?”

“I’m a mere mortal, asshole. Give me a break,” Dean bites.

“Sorry.” I grip the wheel as I turn out of town and head home. “I appreciate it. One less person to worry about.”

“I aim to please,” Dean deadpans. “This beats my new gig coming up this summer.”

Ruby pipes in. “You have a new gig? How many more sports leagues can Winslet support?”

“No, I just got out of a meeting with Devon and Felicity. They have something booked for the summer that’s been in the plans since before they opened. I’m not sure how much I can say, but they’re hiring me on the side to work with Eli Pettit for security. They need people on the ground familiar with the town.”

That piques Ruby’s interest. “Why are you so secretive? We’re all best friends. You’re supposed to tell us everything.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” I say. “I don’t give a shit about anything until Enzo Caruso is in prison ... or otherwise incapacitated.”

“Subtle, Payne. Real subtle. I am the police, remember?” Dean mutters.

Ruby doesn’t give up. “Come on, Dean. Give us a hint. Please?”

“Fine. But if you tell your grandma, consider yourself dead to me.” Dean pauses before he gives in. “Coming to a theater near you.”

Ruby gasps. “A movie? They’re going to film a movie at the manor? I work at the manor! This is the best thing ever!”

“Baby, remember that the son of a Mafia boss hates you and is still on the loose,” I remind her.

Ruby shifts in her seat to face me. “I bet his family has already...” She makes the universal sign for slashing her throat. “...taken care of him.”

“I’ve gotta go. I’ve been too busy following up on arson and security meetings and on phone calls with the Chicago PD. I saw your car outside the Combover all day. You’ve turned into a ball and chain.”

Ruby has basically taken over the phone call. “He’s my bodyguard. It’s hot.”

“I’m hanging up before you two freaks hit it while we’re on the phone. Maybe I’ll swing by The Speakeasy this weekend. See you lovebirds around.”

He really does hang up on us.

When we get to my drive, I press the button to open the gate before I reach over to claim Ruby’s hand. “One down, baby. One to go. Then we can sit back and live a long, happy, quiet life.”

She beams and is as radiant as the fucking sun that’s hiding in the clouds. Who needs the sun when I have her in my life? She unbuckles her seatbelt and leans over to press her lips to my cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, Payne, we’re there.”

I pull into the garage, park, and kill the engine before I turn to her. “I hope so, baby. I really hope so.”

Ruby

The Speakeasy is buzzing. Some shows are more electric than others, and tonight is one of them.

This crowd is thriving off of requests, and so are we. Maybe it was Winnie’s good juju that our tip jar runneth over or these people have more money to burn than sense. It started when one person placed a big bill on the piano with a request, Blake looked up the sheet music on his tablet, and I went with it. It started at the beginning of our second set and hasn’t stopped.