Chapter 16
DAKOTA
“I guess I have to start showing up at you and your new husband’s office when I want to speak to you in person.”
My brother didn’t bother to turn around as I stepped into my office on Wednesday morning.
Nina, my receptionist, wasn’t at her desk when I came from the back of the building.
I smelled coffee so I assumed she was in the kitchen.
I kept a small in-office staff, with only two other employees besides the members of my alpha team, Emily and Nina.
They all knew Cade and wouldn’t hesitate to let him into my office when I wasn’t there.
Well, Emily would’ve definitely had questions about why he was here so early in the morning, but she wouldn’t have let it bother her enough to call and give me a heads up that he was waiting for me.
It had been a few days since the family dinner, and I was feeling better about them all knowing.
All wasn’t totally well though, since my father hadn’t said more than two words to me after his meeting with Fury on Sunday.
And I hadn’t heard from him at all in these past few days.
But I was trying not to worry about that.
I issued an apology, introduced my husband to the family and stayed long enough for Fury to enjoy a huge slice of Mama’s bread pudding with rum sauce.
“It’s too early for dramatics,” I said passing the chair where he sat with his long legs stretched in front of him.
Setting my keys and phone on my desk, I eased the strap to the new Hermes Kelly 25 bag off my shoulder.
It was one of several gifts from Fabian that had been waiting for me Sunday when we returned from dinner.
When I asked what the occasion was he’d said, “Because I love you.” But I knew he was just happy that I’d finally stopped hiding our relationship and that instead of waiting until all my stuff was moved out of my house, I was officially living with him now.
Whatever the reasons, I’d practically melted at his feet that night, then I’d taken my husband into my mouth and sucked him until he was promising to buy me the fuckin’ moon.
That pleasant memory, unfortunately, needed to be pushed aside as I took my seat and finally let my gaze fall on the man who had been my best friend for as long as I could remember.
Cade was effortlessly good looking. One of the few Donovans who had those gray/green eyes which perfectly accented his honey-hued complexion.
Add his black wavy hair and goatee, six-foot-two-inch stature and charming personality when he was in the mood, and women were lining up to get a taste of him.
That is until Shawna stepped onto the scene with her Glock.
Shawna was an agent too and worked with Cade and his profiler team as an analyst. She was perfect for my brother, and I was beyond thrilled that he’d found his person and started a family.
“Nah, I’m not the one being dramatic,” he replied, pulling himself up in the chair so he looked more like he was here for business, rather than lounging in my office like he was about to take a nap. “That’s your ass trying to ghost me.”
Pursing my lips, I shook my head. “How was I trying to ghost you when we text or speak on the phone every day. And I saw you on Sunday.”
“You also made sure we didn’t get a moment alone. You were either chatting with Shawna about whatever y’all always talkin’ and giggling about, playing with Missy Mamas or posted up under Fury like you thought somebody was gonna take that fool in the back and shoot his ass.”
I absolutely adored my niece who he now had the whole family calling by that nickname, but at the mention of shooting Fabian, I arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Oohhh woww.” He chuckled and tilted his head. “Let me find out you’re ready to go to war about this man.”
“You think I wouldn’t?” I asked not feeling a bit of the humor he obviously found in this situation. “How would you feel if I threatened Shawna’s life?”
He sobered a bit, laughter still dancing in his eyes. “You and Shawna are cool. Sometimes you act like you like her more than you do me. So, a threat to her would never leave your lips.”
“But you don’t like Fabian?”
“Dude’s name is Fury. I ain’t calling him no fuckin’ Faayybian.”
“Again with the dramatics,” I snapped. “You’ve worked with him for years, Cade. I know because you talked about him which is part of the reason I felt safe going out with him in the first place.”
“What?”
“That’s right. When Fabian first asked me out, the only information I had on who he was as a person—outside of his street persona—came from you.”
“You act like I was giving you all the stats on that man, like I was trying to set y’all up.”
“No. That’s not what I mean, but whenever you called me for a job that he was on, you never had a bad thing to say about him. You even said you trusted him, that’s why you’d asked him and KC to help you find the man who’d threatened Shawna.”
Now, he scowled. “How was I supposed to know you were listening that closely?”
“I wasn’t, not at the time.” I settled in my chair and rested my elbows on the desk blotter. “I mean, you know I always pay attention to the details when it’s business. And he wasn’t business for me, so I only held on to bits and pieces about him.”
“And those bits and pieces were enough for you to jump into bed with him?”
“That’s not what I did.” He made it seem so trivial. Like there was no way what Fabian and I had could be real. “Why are you acting like this? I was nothing but supportive of you and Shawna.”
“Shawna’s not the head of a criminal organization.”
“No, but her uncle was. And her ex-boyfriend, you know the one who threatened to kill you, he was pretty close to running his own organization.” I knew that wasn’t fair, hating even having to throw it out there.
If Shawna were here, I would’ve held it in because I knew she still felt a little guilty about bringing all that into Cade’s life.
But she wasn’t here and I wasn’t going to allow my brother to act like his choices were somehow better than mine.
“You know what that situation was,” he said tightly.
“And I didn’t judge,” I replied. “I didn’t warn you away from her or interfere in any way. I let you walk your path, why can’t you let me walk mine?”
He stared at me for quiet moments until I felt ready to squirm.
This felt so strange. I was never uncomfortable around Cade.
Not even when he stormed into my room asking if I’d let Delroy Martin finger me in the backseat of his car.
That’s exactly how he’d said it and for a second, I thought I should be embarrassed.
Instead, I busted out laughing because first of all, why in the hell did he think I was about to give him details like that about my date?
He’d ended up being the one uncomfortable when I happily announced that I was still a virgin.
There was noticeably more tension today and I hated that for us.
“I don’t want you getting caught up in his shit.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “You don’t know the type of shit he and his club get into.”
I sat back in my chair. “You mean like beating a man to death in a warehouse? Or no, you must mean like shooting a guy you were supposed to be interrogating in the head just because you felt like he was lying. That’s the shit you’re talking about?”
He frowned. “No. I’m talking about pulling up on your enemy’s family and taking them hostage until you get the money they owe you. Or as a warning, cutting off a finger every day they’re late with a payment. And for the more serious offenders—”
“Spare me,” I said holding up a hand. “Did you forget what I did for a living? How many crime scenes do I visit in a week to clean up all sorts of gruesome shit? Or the private assignments I take? Last week we picked up bodies at Dewey Bateman’s house and Krystal thinks the young girl might have been a trafficking victim.
So don’t sit her and try to scare me about what Fabian does when I’m staring at death and decomposition and all other sorts of shit every day. ”
“Dewey Bateman as in the lieutenant governor’s chief of staff? What do you mean you think the girl was a trafficking victim?”
I opened my mouth then closed it quickly because this wasn’t what we were talking about.
“I … I don’t know, Krystal just got upset when we were cleaning the office and she mentioned the girl was young.
There were marks on her wrists and ankles like she may have been bound, and I think that triggered Krystal. You know her history.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I do. So, if she was affected there might be something to her assertions.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It was one of Ahmet’s jobs.”
Sitting up now, he scratched just above his ear then ran his hand down the back of his head.
“Look, I’m just saying that you working on the outskirts of this world is totally different from being fully ensconced into it.
Fury is a big fuckin’ deal in the underworld, Kodi.
People out here fear him because he’s vicious and unyielding.
Don’t let the designer suits and that big corporation fool you, he’s a dangerous criminal. ”
“I know exactly who he is,” she said. “Do you think I’m an idiot?
I’ve heard all the things you have about him and the Platinum Ryders, even if I haven’t seen it all.
I’ve worked with them for years now, along with some other pretty notorious criminals and I’m still standing.
I’m not running in fear or fainting at the sight of blood. Give me some credit here, Cade.”
“I’m trying to protect you, Kodi.”
“From my husband?” He was really starting to piss me off. All this time I’d been worried about my family being disappointed in me, but now Cade seemed hellbent on letting me down.