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I walked to the Nightingale huddle. Malcolm had his back to me. Lee and Hank were at his sides, their backs mostly to me.
As I walked up, I heard Malcolm say, “Hank, I know you use Lee to do the shit that’d get your hands dirty, and Lee, I know you play the game pretty loose. I let you boys play it the way you feel you need to ’cause so far, whatever deal you got goin’ works. But I don’t like what I’m smellin’ and…”
Lee’s head turned and he looked at me out of the corners of his eyes.
“Indy,” he muttered, and I think he said this more to Malcolm than to me.
All the Nightingale men turned to me and whatever was happening stopped.
Great. Whatever. Fine by me.
I walked up to Lee and stopped, though not close enough for his liking because his hand came out and curled around my neck, pulling me into his side. Hank, Dad and Malcolm moved off.
“How’re you doin’, gorgeous?” he asked me.
“I’m losing my patience. This is getting old,” I told him. “How’s your man?”
“No word, I have to get back to the hospital. I see you confiscated the Crossfire.”
“Do you mind?”
“Nope.”
I turned into him and put my hand on his stomach before asking hesitantly, “Your man, he wasn’t doing…something…for me?”
Lee’s hand around my neck twisted and he tugged softly at my hair. “A different assignment, nothin’ to do with you or the diamonds.”
I felt a tremendous relief. I already had Tex’s injury, Ally’s totaled car and everyone else’s worry resting on my shoulders. I didn’t need something else. Then I looked at Lee and realized all that, plus whatever this new thing was, still rested firmly on his.
“You need to go,” I noted.
“Yeah.”
I started to pull away, but his hand dropped. His arm curled around my shoulders and turned me into him, full frontal.
“With Rick out of the way you should be safe, but you need to be careful. Coxy isn’t a threat but he’s a wildcard.”
I nodded.
“I want to come home to you,” he declared.
My breath disappeared. I didn’t suck it in and I didn’t let it out. It just vanished.
I did a mental shake and got myself together.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“Tonight. I’ll phone you when I’m on my way. All you need to get you into the parking garage and condo is on the Crossfire’s key ring. Even after Luke gets out of surgery, I’ve got things to do, but when I come home tonight, I want you to be there.”
I only hesitated a second. “Okay.”
He looked at me for a while. His eyes got soft and he said quietly, “I’m sorry about this morning.”
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“We’ll finish tonight.”
Finally, something to look forward to.
