Chapter 17
ARCHER
“You understand why I had to say something, don’t you, Archer?” Cordoza sits somewhere in New York, comfortable in his position as the grand fucking puppet master, the man who controls everyone’s lives and orders a hit—or not—without breaking a sweat.
I escaped from this world. I left the East Coast and quit my whole fucking family almost two decades ago, all so I could live a life far removed from Estefan Cordoza, Timothy Malone the Second, and the entire New York mafia.
I left. I got married. I tried to maintain that separation, especially once Minka came into my life. But here I am anyway, the truest, cruelest example of a man unable to evade his past.
“I’ve done a lot of cleanup since this broke,” he murmurs. “I’ve suppressed the whispers and silenced men who thought they could get loud, but despite Chief Mayet’s autopsy findings and her mostly convincing argument that Anthony Agosti’s death had nothing to do with your family…”
I hunch forward in my truck, my elbows on the steering wheel, and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“We know differently,” he continues. “Chief Mayet claimed your innocence on the matter until she was blue in the face. She insisted you were nowhere near Anthony at the time of his death…”
“Mr. Cordoza—”
“All to assert that no rules had been broken. But she is Malone now, too, Detective. She broke the rules.”
My stomach whirls and aches. It fucking rolls and trembles. “She was not representing the family when she acted, Mr. Cordoza. She is a whole, independent, free-thinking woman, and Agosti was trafficking girls. Children,” I growl. “She had no choice but to act.”
He settles back in his chair, the rumble and groan of the frame sounding through our call.
“I don’t entirely disagree with her actions, Detective, nor did I hold affections for Anthony.
But be that as it may, my job is to maintain peace amongst families in this city, and if word were to spread that a Malone wife killed Agosti, we risk an all-out war. ”
“I sent her away.” I push off the steering wheel and drop my head against the rest behind me.
“The Malones are, temporarily, not united with Mayet, so I suggest you do whatever it is you must do to ensure peace within your city. You’re on the clock, Mr. Cordoza, because I won’t keep her away forever.
” I grit my teeth. Anything to combat the rage bubbling in my gut.
“You have a day left, two at the most, to take care of what needs taking care of. Then I’m bringing her home again. ”
“I’m extremely fond of your doctor, Detective. Have been from the moment we met.”
“Good. Think of that fondness as you go about your business.”
He snarls, rapidly growing impatient with my disrespect. “You’ve been absent a long time, so perhaps you have forgotten your place. I caution you to speak carefully; few men regard me so casually and live to tell the tale.”
Shut up, Archer. Or you’re dead. And after you’re dead, Minka’s dead, too.
“Wise,” he grumbles in response after a moment of silence. “Sending Chief Mayet away was the right thing to do. In the meantime, I’m taking care of things on my end. Soon, I hope we can put all this behind us and move forward as friends.”
Mm. Unlikely.
“I will say, though.” He chuckles, the sound bouncing between us. “I was quite surprised to find out our doctor for the dead is, in fact, a practitioner in more ways than one.”
“I’d rather not discuss it if it’s all the same to you.
” I glance to the right and watch as headlights flicker to life within the Malone driveway, my vantage point fifty yards along the road in the darkness, close enough that I almost get to be with her.
“She took care of a stain on society. He’s dead, and those girls are now safe.
I will never condemn her for the reasons behind her actions. ”
“No condemnation needed. But perhaps a little more discretion in the future. Her actions have caused quite a stir within certain circles. What of the buyers? I’m led to believe you possess a list of those men, and the police department is following them up.”
“My partner and I are no longer primary, considering the girls are not victims of homicide. My involvement in the matter has officially and formally ended. My only concern is with my wife. The sooner you silence those who speak of her, the better off we’ll all be.”
“Of course.” His lips curl into a grin. I don’t fucking see it, but I know it. “And since I would be doing you quite a favor…”
I crush the heel of my palm against my eye socket and swallow my groan. “Then…” I sigh. “I suppose I am indebted to you.”
“Yes,” he hums, entirely too smug. “You are. But we’ll discuss the details at a later date, and of course, we needn’t burden Felix with such things. For now, I’ll let the subject sit. It’s getting late here in New York, so…”
“Mmhm. Pleasure as always, Mr. Cordoza.” I drag the phone from my ear and kill our call before this mess gets way, way fucking worse. Then I start my truck and roll forward, timing my momentum with the car pulling out of the Malone property and turning toward the city.
She came home for a moment. She took me at my word, comforted by the fact I wouldn’t be here, and because she did, my phone now beeps with brand new data from Steve’s monitoring apps.
The old man is resting and, according to Mary, his blood pressure has come down for the first time in days.
Minka needed him, and he needed her.
This, at least, I could give them.