Page 49 of Queen's Ransom

“And we won’t be seen as attacking you through your former soldier.”

Dimitri extended a hand. “A truce.”

Hawes shook his hand. “A reservation.”

The older man smiled, not hiding his fondness. “Call it what you will.” He drew back his hand and bowed politely as he passed Celia. “Ms. Perri.” He exchanged a few hushed words with Remy by the door, then exited, Remy closing the door behind him.

Hawes had already moved to his next target, roughly pulling down the gag from Lenny’s mouth.

“I’m sorry.” Lenny coughed, his pleading eyes darting all around, then back to her. “Cee, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

Hawes grabbed his chin and wrenched his face back to him. “You don’t get to talk to her.” His tone was no longer even. It was cold, hard, all the iciness Celia could never put her finger on crystalized into a sharp, deadly dagger. “Not after the shit you pulled.”

“Who are you?” Lenny stuttered.

“You’re as clueless as Dex, aren’t you?”

“This is his fault.” Lenny squirmed in his chair, in Hawes’s hold, trying and failing to free himself. “He told me the shop would be empty that time a day.”

“You thought you were shooting up an empty shop?” Celia said.

“Yes! Dex owed me and Frank money. Adrian said he wanted to get in good with Frank, and so did I. He said this would be a good way to do it. I didn’t know he was Russian mob. I swear.”

“Now you’ve got a bigger problem,” Hawes said.

Lenny’s voice shook as he whispered, “Who are you?”

Bending, Hawes got right in Lenny’s face. “They call me the Prince of Killers.”

Celia dug her teeth into her bottom lip, holding back her gasp. She reminded herself of the kindness Hawes had shown her outside on the mezzanine, over the past week, over the past six months. Reminded herself of all the good he’d brought to her brother’s life, how he’d brought Chris home to them. Told herself he was not only the icy killer he displayed for Lenny.

“And you could have gotten my sister-in-law and my sister killed. You still might.” He lifted a hand, right at the level of his hairline. “So that puts you near the top of my shit list. That’s not a good place to be, Lenny.”

The stench of urine tainted the air and a stain spread across the crotch and down the leg of Lenny’s cargo pants.

Hawes didn’t flinch. Didn’t give up a single intimidating inch. “You’re going to tell me what I need to know, starting with a list of everywhere you and Adrian have been together recently.”

“And with Dex,” Celia nodded.

“And with Dex,” Hawes amended, and when Lenny tried again to shirk back, stuttering and protesting, Hawes roared in his face. “Now, Lenny!”

Celia wouldn’t have been surprised if Lenny shit his pants right then too. But at least he began to spit out the list of places among his snotting and crying. Over the comm, Holt repeated back each location, followed by rapid-fire typing.

“That’s it,” Lenny said after he’d given them a half dozen locations. “That’s all I know.” He tried and failed to wipe his nose on his shoulder, unable to shake loose Hawes’s hold. “Do I get to go now?”

“Brax in five,” Holt said.

Celia bit her lip again, this time in amusement, at Lenny getting his due, fucking finally, and because she was that damn impressed with her extended family. Hawes hadn’t had to tell Holt what to do next. The three of them, four counting Chris, read each other’s moves so seamlessly. On Friday it had made her head spin; now it was a comfort, a security blanket against the chill that was obviously the other side of their business.

Hawes released Lenny, straightened, and stepped back. “’Fraid not Lenny. The chief of police will be here to arrest you shortly.”

“But I cooperated!”

Hawes roughly yanked up the gag, muffling Lenny once more. “You shot at my sister-in-law and my sister. You attacked my family. Be grateful you’re walking out of here alive.”

Hawes headed for the door, paying no attention to Lenny’s garbled pleas, as if he weren’t there at all. Celia followed his lead, leaving another part of her past behind.

Remy spoke briefly to the man standing outside the door, then caught up to where Celia stood waiting with Hawes. “You sure you still want your brother to marry him?” she asked as she draped an arm over Celia’s shoulders.

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