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She laughed. “It’s always double standards with guys like you.”
“Guys like me fascinate you, baby. If you’re looking for another story, be careful going too deep with the Manzanis.”
“Why?”
“‘Cause you’re treading a line with that family. If you don’t tip Vex over the edge, you’ll get all kinds of the wrong attention from Silvio. You’ve gotta look after yourself.”
“You don’t like Evander,” she said. “Him and Ford were friends once.”
“They ran in the same circles, with the same crew, wouldn’t call ‘em friends. Vex was all about taking what he could get.”
“He hasn’t changed much.”
“You want a story…?”
Intriguing. “Isn’t that why I come to you? You always deliver, Strat.”
“Think about going back in time… Maybe if you don’t stray too close to the present, the Manzanis won’t feel threatened.”
Men like those in the Manzani family didn’t feel threatened; they were too arrogant for that. Until the moment it was too late anyway. Just ask Burl McDade.
“Go on,” she said, never one to refuse information.
“You wanna take a shot at solving a mystery?”
“A mystery?” she asked, buzzing with interest. “Tell me more.”
Something to focus on. Something to sink her teeth into. Something other than memories of her lapse in judgement. She’d walked into Ire’s office ready to demand he back off. Somehow, she’d ended up in his bed. It wouldn’t happen again.
It wouldn’t.
Would it?
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHEN SHE WALKED around the corner onto her street, she expected the Bentley to be parked outside her building and wasn’t disappointed. Daly leaned against the side, arms and ankles crossed, watching her approach.
“Having a good night?” she called to him, swinging her purse at her side.
“You left your phone at work.”
“I have experience slipping the net,” she said, stopping in front of him. “Don’t feel bad.”
When she spun on the spot, intending to go inside, he grabbed her arm to whip her back around. “You think you can screw with us?”
Yanking her arm only tightened his grip. “Take your hands off me,” she hissed.
“He’ll put a choke chain on you so tight, you’ll beg for every breath,” he snarled, bowing to get his face closer to hers. “McDades protect what belongs to them. You belong to us now. You belong to him.”
“Want to bet?”
He exhaled and jerked her aside to open the car’s back door. “Let’s see what Ire says.”
“Who the hell do you think you—”
Daly slung her around, literally throwing her into the backseat. She immediately grabbed for the opposite door handle, but it wouldn’t give. The door slammed behind her. Desperation brought her around fast, but all the tugging and pulling in the world wouldn’t loosen the locks.
The car started moving so fast it pushed her back in the seat.
