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I scowl. “You just had to throw my words in my face?”
“I’m sorry if my honesty offends you,” she mocks, parroting my word.
“Stop copying me!”
“Stop copying me!”
I roll my eyes. “I’m going now. Love you.”
“Love you too. Let me know how the heart-to-heart goes.” She disconnects.
Annoyed, I run my hands over my face. Simone’s right. Maceo and I need to have a crucial confrontation. The sooner, the better.
* * *
Rhythmic sounds of the waves rushing upon the shore wake me from my slumber. The cool breeze makes me shiver, so I inch closer to Maceo’s body—I swear the man is a human furnace. The more I back up against him, the colder I get.
With a frown, I glance over my shoulder. Maceo’s not in bed.
“Maceo,” I mutter. Grabbing my phone on the nightstand, I check the time. It’s the middle of the night, and I doubt Maceo even came to bed. I don’t need to guess what he’s up to.
With a huff, I roll out of bed and go in search of my husband. I slip out of our room, padding barefoot to the living room. There I find him pacing the length of the villa with his cell at his ear, whispering in hush tones.
It’s like lightning is coursing through my veins, stoking my anger.
His back is to me, and I stalk silently toward him, ready to slap his cell out of his hand.
“I’m not ready to cross Denver off the list. It’s too fucking big to do one sweep and call it good,” he says in frustration, running his free hand through his thick, black hair. “No, man, I don’t believe he was feeding you a line of bullshit. The prick was on death’s door and was playing his last card to save his sorry ass. He wouldn’t have lied only for us to find out and finish what we started.”
Maceo turns around mid-pace, coming face to face with me. He screams, completely caught off guard. “Aaaahhh!”
His phone slips from his ear, and he quickly juggles it between both of his hands before getting a hold of it, clutching it to his chest. “Jesus! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Pixie.”
It’s not an easy feat to sneak up on a man trained to always be on alert. I don’t expect to get the opportunity again. If I wasn’t flaming pissed, I’d laugh.
I fold my arms across my swollen chest—fuck, they hurt—and narrow my eyes. “What’s the excuse for taking the call this time? Punk experiment with the pheromone oil again and get arrested for another naked run to freedom.”
Maceo licks his lips nervously and quickly lifts the phone to his ear. “Got to go, bro. Yeah, keep me updated.” Maceo ends the call, looking sheepish. “Pixie—”
“Save it. What the hell is going on back home that’s so goddamn important you can’t join your wife in bed? Do I have a reason to be concerned?”
Maceo gently places his hands on my shoulders. “There’s nothing you need to worry about, Josephine.”
I step back, yanking myself free of his hands. “Bullshit!”
“It’s being dealt with. There’s no immediate threat. All we’re doing is being proactive,” Maceo says, trying hard to brush it under the rug.
“If it’s not an immediate threat, why are you involved? Why doesn’t Gauge take the lead on this? We’re on our fucking honeymoon, Maceo!”
His jaw ticks. “Because I’m Prez. This is my job. My club, my crew, my responsibility. I’m sorry I’m dealing with this shit while we’re on our honeymoon, but I promise you, I’m only leading this operation because it’s important.”
“Why? Why is it important, Maceo? Do you realize how stressed I’ve been the past week because I know something’s happened? You’re not protecting me by keeping me in the dark. All you’re doing is leaving me blind and helpless. Please, tell me,” I beg, tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
Maceo steps forward and cups my face. “It’s nothing, baby. Please, don’t worry about it.”
“If it’snothing,then you can tell me. If you don’t tell me, then I know it’s something, and you’re hiding it from me.”
Maceo drops his hands, shaking his head with agitation. “No.”
