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“Of course,” Timeo says. His fingers fly over a tablet and something that looks like facial recognition scans across the screen.
“Hello? I asked a question,” I push. I grab another cookie and chomp on it angrily. It doesn’t help.
Sergio frowns at me and Timeo is concentrating on the screen.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Ricco snaps.
“No, we will not,” I insist. “The food was one thing, Ricco, but this is like next level shit. When did you have those installed?”
He narrows his eyes again in a way that tells me if we were alone, I’d be yanked across his lap. I swallow and hold his gaze.
“That’s my shop,” I explain. “You can’t just install video cameras.”
“I can and I did,” he says. “I did it when we became a thing. You know who I am, Dani. What you don’t really know is what’s at stake here.”
“That’s abundantly clear,” I say, wiping crumbs from my lips and pouring myself another shot. “Because I’m telling you now, I was not prepared for the full Men in Black routine just because someone walked into my studio looking for you. He could’ve been anyone.” I throw my hands up in the air.
“And yet the first thing you did was check to see if your daughter was okay.”
I stare at him.
“You’ve been spying on me,” I say, my voice wobbly.
“Not spying on you,” he says on a growl. “I’ve been watching to make sure you were safe when I wasn’t there.”
“Kids, kids, wait to argue in a room where you can fuck it all out later, okay?” Timeo says, pointing to the screen. “I got who it was.”
I blush at the “fuck it all out” comment but have bigger things to worry about right now.
“Well, do tell,” Ricco says, clearly still pissed. “Jack Sullivan, Boston police.”
“Interesting,” Sergio says, stroking the scruff on his chin. “Very interesting. What the hell did he want with you?”
“I don’t know,” I say. Under my breath, I continue, “Maybe check the security footage you have on him.”
Timeo chuckles, Sergio ignores me, and Ricco shakes his head. He lifts his phone and mine vibrates with a text.
You think I won’t turn you over my knee right here and now? Try me.
Before I can respond to his Neanderthal-ism, there’s a tentative knock on the door.
“It’s me, Eden.”
“Come in,” Sergio says. A lovely, wholesome-looking blonde woman steps into the room.
“Hi,” she says brightly, looking directly at me. “Quinn said you were heading in, and we haven’t met yet.” She sticks her hand out to me. “I’m Eden. Sergio’s wife.”
I manage to keep my temper calm long enough to be polite. “Nice to meet you, Eden.”
“Did you like the cookies?”
Ricco’s teeth snap together, obviously unamused by our chatter at a time like this.
“They were delicious.”
“I’m so glad. I need to get back to the kitchen but first have to chat with Sergio.” She walks over to Sergio and speaks to him in a low voice. As she talks, Sergio rests his hand on the small of her back and listens attentively. Something about her earnest expression and the tender look of attention he gives her makes my throat clog.
“Okay, so why would someone be looking for you?” I ask Ricco, and I think it’s a very reasonable question. “Furthermore, why wouldn’t they come in here? It’s a more obvious place to find you.”
Timeo snorts. “The cops aren’t allowed in here. It’s the one place that’s safe from their prying eyes.”
Ricco shoots him a look that tells him to shut the fuck up.
“It’s too kinky for them,” Timeo says, flipping merrily through more footage. “Wait, what the fuck is this?”
Ricco’s immediately on alert. “What? Jesus, Timeo.”
He scans out, touches the screen, then zooms back in. The recording shows the officer checking his phone a few times, speaking into it, then, further in the footage, subtle nodding between him and someone else .
“Who’s he talking to?” Ricco asks, his eyes narrowed on the screen.
“I don’t know,” Timeo says, but I’m not sure I believe him. “I need more time. Let me dig into this some more then get back to you.” He’s lying, though, and I can tell that it’s likely because I’m in the damn room.
“In three to five business days?” I mutter.
Timeo rolls his eyes at me and chuckles. A muscle ticks in Ricco’s jaw. Sergio, however, takes two cookies off the plate and snorts.
“Good. I like you, Dani. Welcome to the club.”
“Speaking of the club,” Ricco says, standing and stretching as he reaches for my hand. “Dani and I have some catching up to do. Timeo, let me know what you find later.”
“Will do,” Timeo says, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he intently stares at the screen.
My hand’s tight in Ricco’s grip.
I’m curious what “some catching up to do” might mean.
We walk through the club hand in hand. This time, I sort of want to yank my hand out of his, but I don’t.
