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“I don’t think he knows anything, Loz.”
I kick the piece of shit in the chest and he coughs blood onto the floor. “You hear anything from Iman and you’ll let me know?”
He sputters some more.
“Pretty sure he can’t hear a fucking thing you said after you burst his eardrums,” Max says with a dark chuckle.
“Hmm.” I look at the two metal kebab skewers on the ground, coated with his blood. This dog turd and his boss are the least of my problems right now, but they disrespected one of our biggest investors at our own casino, and for that they must pay. I crouch down on my heels, grabbing his jaw in my hands and squeeze hard, forcing him to meet my glare. “Tell Iman I want to see him.” I mouth each word carefully so he can read my lips. “Or you both die. Understand me?”
He nods furiously, aware that the fact he’s still breathing is nothing short of a miracle. I’m not usually such a man of mercy, especially these days. I don’t know what the fuck’s gotten into me.
I stand up, brushing the creases from my suit pants and follow Max out of the restaurant.
“You had some kind of epiphany or something, Loz?” Max asks me as we climb into his car.
“Fuck you,” I mutter, making him laugh.
“Hey, I’m happy not having to help dispose of dead bodies every other day.”
“Yeah, well don’t get used to it.” I lean back in my seat, close my eyes, and pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m so fucking agitated. I have no idea why I didn’t kill that stupid fuck in there. I barely slept at all last night. Every damn time I tried to doze off, all I could see were dangerous curves wrapped in orange fabric. Holy mother of fucks, why did she have to come to dinner dressed like that? Not that it was inappropriate, but it was way too distracting.
My cock twitches.
Fuck! I scrunch my eyes tighter, trying to rid my brain of the memory of her in that goddamn dress. And why is her seat at the table directly opposite mine, where I have no choice but to look at her all fucking night? Is it not bad enough that she’s invaded my library? Now she’s invaded my every waking thought. And that ass… so fine it should have its own national holiday.
“I got some information on Deputy Superintendent Hayes,” Max says.
My eyes snap open and I turn to him, thankful for an entirely different kind of distraction.
“Seems he was a beat cop back in Boston when Brad was a rookie. They were partners for a year before Hayes applied for a transfer. He moved to Chicago and rose up the ranks pretty quick.”
“So they’re old partners? Buddies?”
“Not buddies from what I hear. Seems like Hayes’s move was related to some kind of fallout between him and Brad.”
I run a hand over my beard. “You learn what that was about?”
“Not yet.”
“If they’re not buddies, Brad must have something on Hayes.”
“Makes sense.”
I grind my teeth. My jaw ticks. “Find out what it is, Max.”
He doesn’t ask me if I’m going to ask Mia if she knows anything about it, even though I can tell that’s what he’s thinking. But after my reaction at the casino yesterday, he holds his tongue, for which I’m grateful. Mia Stone brings out my protective streak, and I’m not prepared to consider why.
And I’m certainly not ready to have anyone else think about it either.
* * *
My thoughts are stillon Deputy Superintendent Hayes and what Brad Mulcahy might have on him when I walk into the library. Her sweet scent fills my nostrils, and I stop in my tracks. Of course she’s in here. She’s always in here. Fuck. I need space from her. Space to think clearly.
“You okay?” she asks breezily as she continues to pull papers from a brown cardboard box.
I realize I’m still standing in the doorway, probably looking like I forgot what I came in here for. “Yeah.” I stride over to my desk, refusing to glance in her direction with the hope that she’ll take the hint that I’m busy and don’t have time for her endless chattering.
“It’s beautiful out today, right? I know it’s cold, but it’s so bright and fresh. I took a walk in the gardens earlier, and I had no idea—”
