62. Partners
partners
. . .
Davian
We had a funeral for a plant.
… A plant .
I couldn’t believe it.
After discovering what Sadie referred to as Walter’s “child” in his remains, she’d insisted on giving Walter a proper burial back at the shelter. It was a whole thing. I got talked into digging a six-inch grave, Sadie said a few words, Ryan made a mini-headstone, and Gladys sang a song about life being a circle. I could swear Sadie even shed a tear when Vince dumped a shovelful of dirt over Walter’s wilted corpse.
It was safe to say my life had changed a lot in the past two days.
There were a dozen things I should be doing back at the compound, like cleaning up the mess with Ali. Meeting with the other heads to ensure my takeover went smoothly. Making sure my father didn’t do something stupid instead of leaving.
Instead, I was sitting at a patio table in the Happy Tails Haven’s courtyard with a beer in one hand and Sadie curled up on my lap. Twinkling fairy lights hung from the trees, music played through wall speakers, and laughter and stories filled the place. We celebrated Walter’s life and memory—as Sadie said he would’ve wanted.
And there were dogs everywhere.
Everywhere .
Running around, rolling on the grass, and endlessly squeaking all those goddamn toys.
Bear was thrilled to be back with his buddies, and I already knew the one Sadie called Mr. Woofkins would be trouble. The husky ran countless laps around the courtyard and howled at the night sky like a deranged lunatic.
Sadie played fetch with every dog who brought toys over to us. Bear was the biggest repeat visitor, and he made sure to stop for a quick rubdown and kiss from Sadie every time he retrieved something for her.
I would’ve been jealous if she hadn’t been perched on my lap and playing with my hair all night.
It was the type of evening I could get addicted to.
“Hey, buddy,” Sadie cooed when Bear set another stick in her lap. She leaned forward and kissed his snout, and the furry bastard wagged his tail like he’d just won the lottery.
She threw the stick, then rested her head on my shoulder while Bear raced a few other dogs across the yard to chase it down.
“You and Bear seem to be getting along now—working together to save me and everything,” Sadie said as he wrestled with another dog for the stick.
I shrugged. “He’s not so bad.”
Laughter spilled from her lips, soft and infectious. “You two make a good team.”
“Unfortunately for him, I already have a partner.”
Sadie wasn’t speechless often, but there was a noticeable pause before she turned her head to press a sweet kiss to my neck. Her smile curved against my skin, making my arm tighten around her waist.
As the night wore on, the Happy Tails Haven crew proved they were quite the partiers. Vince and Ryan faced off in a riveting beer pong match, a giant game of Jenga turned into a drinking game, and Sadie led the group in drinking songs—despite not having more than a few sips herself.
Everything was going well, until Gladys had one too many drinks and stomped over to us, jabbing her finger in my face.
“Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t like you, Davian Reed,” she stated bluntly, giving me a strong stink eye. Both my brows rose.
“Gladys!” Sadie gaped at her in horror, but everyone else at the table laughed.
“It’s all right.” I rubbed a hand down Sadie’s back, watching Gladys. She’d clearly been holding back earlier, and I was curious to see where this went. “Go on. Say what you want to say.”
Her answering scowl said everything. Apparently, our little joint rescue mission earlier had done nothing to warm Gladys toward me.
“I don’t like the way you look.” She ticked off on one finger. “I don’t like the way you live your life. And I especially don’t like that when you could have any woman in this city, you set your eyes on my friend.”
Gladys paused to hiccup, and Sadie groaned under her breath. “Oh my god, she found the gin. This can’t be happening.”
I rested my hand on Sadie’s waist, amused as Gladys’s lips twisted.
“But I like when my friend is happy,” she continued, ignoring Sadie’s comment. “And I’ve never seen Sadie smile like she did when you got all mushy after sucking her face off against that SUV.”
Sadie slapped both hands over her face. “Gladys, please stop!”
She waved Sadie off, then pointed that boney finger at me and wiggled it threateningly.
“But mark my words, Reed. If you hurt my friend or make her cry, I have my own ways of making you suffer. And I have a network of old broads who’ve read enough crime thrillers to know where to hide the bodies,” Gladys warned, making my brows rise. “They’re also old enough they don’t care whether they spend their last years behind bars instead of a nursing home.”
It was hard not to look at the others to see if they were laughing as I fought to keep a straight face. “Message received.”
She hummed, giving me a quick once-over that said she didn’t like what she saw. “It’s good to know you’re not a complete imbecile.”
I couldn’t hide my amusement at her sudden boldness. “It wasn’t that long ago you were terrified of me.”
“That was before.” She lifted her chin and glanced at Sadie, who was still hiding behind her hands. “You can’t touch me now.”
It took me a second to realize she was right. I wouldn’t hurt Sadie’s friends. The realization was… annoying, but I wasn’t too upset by it. Anyone willing to kill someone on Sadie’s behalf was good in my book.
My lips twitched. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Gladys.”
She only grunted. “We’ll see.”
Gladys sauntered off without another word—heading straight for the liquor bottles.
Sadie groaned, keeping her face covered and burying it in my shoulder. “I’m so sorry about that?—”
“Don’t be.” I trailed my fingers up and down her side. “It’s good to have people who care about you so much.”
She pulled back to gape at me.
“My friend just threatened to murder you, and you’re okay with that?” Her voice rose until it was mostly squeaking, and she waved her hand at my face. “You’re even smiling !”
I leaned closer and lowered my voice to make it seem like I had a secret. “That’s because I’m happy.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, before a smile broke through. “Oh, you’re smooth.”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek that made me want another one.
I was no better than Bear.
Vince strolled over not long after Gladys left, and it was the first opportunity I had to break the news to him. “Seb’s out.”
He stopped in front of our chair. “For good?”
“Dante is handling the details.” I nodded. “I told him to leave town tonight.”
“Good.” He grunted, leaning against the table. “It’s about time, to be honest.”
It was.
Vince glanced at Sadie in my lap, and I caught him doing a double take—which drew my attention back to her, too. Sadie sat with her arms crossed, brows pinched, and a glare focused on Vince. When she raised a brow, he frowned.
“What?” He scowled at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sadie huffed, then deepened her voice in what I could only guess was a poor imitation of my right-hand man. “‘I was so wrong about you, Sadie. You’re not a distraction or a weakness. You’re a broom-wielding, baking goddess who deserves some respect. Please accept my deepest apologies for being such a grumpy, insufferable jerk to you. You deserve better.’”
I had to stifle a snort of laughter, and even Vince was fighting back a smirk when he shared a look with me.
“Well?” Sadie pressed, watching him expectantly.
He sighed.
“I heard you took one of Ali’s men out with a broom,” he finally told her. The following pause lasted for ages, until he added, “That’s pretty badass.”
Sadie pretended to buff her nails against the shoulder of my borrowed jacket. “You should see what I can do with a potted plant.”
My chest rumbled with a laugh, and even Vince grinned.
“I won’t underestimate you again,” he said. “But I won’t sit by and watch you get abducted again, either. I’m going to teach you self-defense, so you don’t have to rely on house plants and cleaning tools. We’ll start tomorrow morning.”
Sadie’s head snapped up, and her mouth opened before closing again. “…Really? You want to teach me how to fight?”
I eyed Vince with the same disbelief. It wasn’t a small thing for him to offer—especially since he’d harbored a grudge against Sadie ever since she nicked his gun.
Vince sniffed and looked over to where Gladys and Ryan were dancing with a pack of dogs. “Well, not if you’re gonna make a big deal out of it.”
“No, no. I wouldn’t dream of making it a big deal.” Sadie beamed at him. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll be there. Thank you.”
Vince nodded curtly and walked off, but he stopped when I called after him.
“Thank you,” I said. Maybe he was atoning for what’d gone down with Seb, or maybe he just knew Sadie wasn’t going anywhere, but I was grateful either way.
He dipped his chin before leaving, and Sadie looked at me, all smiles.
“I get to learn how to beat up grown men,” she said excitedly.
I shook my head with a laugh. “I think Vince’s lessons will focus more on escape maneuvers and how to avoid any fighting.”
Her nose scrunched. “That doesn’t sound as fun.”
“It’s not about fun.” Unable to resist, I tucked a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear. She gravitated closer. “It’s about keeping you safe.”
“Oh.” Sadie chewed on her lip, and I admired the way her cheeks flushed, before she perked up. “Do you think he’ll teach me how to knock down a door? In case I need to escape a locked room, of course.”
I grinned. She wasn’t fooling anyone. “Doors are part of the more advanced training.”
But from the way my right-hand man was acting, she’d won him over. Vince would teach Sadie whatever she asked him to.
And even if Vince’s training crashed and burned, I’d make sure to have plenty of brooms handy for her.
Sadie seemed satisfied with my answer, and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders while watching the dogs play. Her fingers found my hair again, combing through the strands in a slow, soothing rhythm that lulled my eyes closed even as loud music blared through the speakers.
“I’m new to all this, so today has been full of new experiences and surprises,” she said after a minute. “But is it weird the hostage call earlier kinda turned me on?”
That got my attention.
I cracked my eyes open to study her beneath hooded lids. “Go on.”
Leaning closer with a smile, she whispered into my ear, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you said to Zain.”
I raised a brow, pretty certain she wasn’t talking about when I’d promised to tear that kid’s body limb from limb. “Which part?”
“When you called me yours,” she murmured, making my one-handed grip on her waist tighten. I took a pull of beer to mask the slow grin taking over my face, and Sadie cleared her throat as she drew back. Her gaze dropped to my mouth. “Do you want to go make out in the back room of the shelter?”
Like an idiot, I choked on my beer and had to cough into my elbow to recover. It turned my voice hoarse. “Repeat that?”
Sadie wet her lips, and I didn’t stand a chance against the mischievous glint in her gaze. “You heard me.”
She didn’t even need to ask. With the way she was looking at me right now—with laughter and affection dancing in her gorgeous eyes—I’d follow her anywhere.