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Piper thought back to calling the man Wade and asking if Vivian and Jay knew that he was a criminal and how he’d laughed. “No, I’ve got nothing. The guy who drugged me came up behind me. He wore a tux like everyone else, and he had on a medical mask. I was loopy from the shot. I couldn’t say anything to anyone about who might have done it. The police have no clues?”

“None that they’re sharing with the public,” Chanti said. “Good thing you weren’t wearing anything they wanted—jewelry-wise.”

“My jewels are fake. They can have them.”

“Where’s Lover Boy? My stomach’s growling. I skipped lunch so I’d be good and hungry.”

Piper blushed at Chanti’s teasing. "He’ll be here. He was talking with Iniquus Command about interviewing for a place on their K9 team.”

Chanti got up and went into Piper’s kitchen looking for a snack. “They’ll give him a job. Look what he did for them, saving Gator from the fire.”

A knock sounded at the door.

“Speak of the devil,” Chanti said. Chanti went to the door to let Ethan in and to take possession of the pizzas.

Ethan’s eyes went straight to Piper. And it was really nice to be his priority. He came over and dropped a kiss on her lips, warm and soft. And she looked forward to Chanti going home and giving them some privacy.

“Close the door, Tango,” Ethan said.

Tango booped the door shut, then trotted over for his greeting from Piper.

“What are they saying at Iniquus?” Chanti asked.

“About last night? Biggest known date rape episode in human history. Biggest single American heist in human history if you’re going by dollar value.”

“Is Iniquus taking the blame?” Piper asked.

“Alabaster is. Iniquus asked to have more resources on hand and more access, and it was declined. Their protectees understood they were responsible for their own decisions. They have insurance, and everyone went home without any lingering medical issues. I think some of them appreciated that they have a harrowing tale to tell.”

“I imagine that’s right,” Piper said. “Once you get to be so rich, all the adventure goes out of life. There’s always someone there to put you in a cotton box and make sure everything goes to plan.”

“Dreadful,” Chanti called from the kitchen, then returned with a roll of paper towels.

“Chanti and I eat our pizza out of the box on paper towels and throw everything away.”

“Works for me,” Ethan said. “This top one is the one infested with double sardines.”

“Thank you,” Chanti said sweetly, pulling it over to her. “Piper said you might be asking Iniquus for a job.”

“Something that will keep me permanently in the area but let me travel on missions. Fingers crossed they’ll give me the green light to apply, then offer me a spot on Cerberus Team Delta.” He lifted a slice to his mouth. “We’ll see.” He shifted his gaze to Piper. “I think it’ll be a good fit. I’m ready to set down roots.”

“We can take a look if you like,” Chanti said and bit into her slice.

“Chanti’s talking about Tarot,” Piper explained. “She’s been playing with the cards since we were kids. She warned me to watch out for car accidents the day of the bridge. And I was on high alert.”

“I’ve only seen tarot done in movies.” Ethan put his slice down and wiped his fingers. “I’ve never tried it.” Ethan leaned back in his chair. “Why not?”

Chanti moved the boxes off the table, wiped her hands on a paper towel, then went to her purse to get her cards.

Piper leaned over. “Have you heard anything more about Gator?”

“He’s taking the day off. But he’s squared away.”

“Stop mooning over each other and wipe off the table, please,” Chanti said, taking her seat.

Ethan got up to clean and dry the surface while Chanti shuffled her cards.

“So what’s your question?” she asked.