Page 120 of Savage Lover

I hold out the tape. He snatches it out of my hand, clutching it as if it really were one of the gold bars from the bank.

He narrows his eyes at me, saying, “This changes nothing between me and you.”

“Obviously,” I say.

His knuckles are white and he’s almost shaking with anticipation. He can’t help himself from asking me, “What does it show?”

“The shot came from inside the car, not out. Your father wasn’t alone.”

His jaw tightens, like he already suspected that.

“Who?” he says.

“Daniel Brodie,” I reply.

Schultz is perfectly still, eyes wide and unbelieving.

“You know they were partners,” I say.

Now Brodie is the head of the Organized Crime Division—Schultz’s boss. He was toasting Schultz just a couple hours ago, at Frosty’s.

Schultz has been sitting just a couple of desks away from his father’s murderer all this time.

“What you do with that information is up to you,” I tell him. “But I’d be very careful. Internal Affairs is not your friend. Your father trusted them—and look what happened to him.”

I shrug, standing up from Schultz’s chair.

“That’s your business, though. All I care is that you stick to our deal.”

Schultz is still rooted in place, paralyzed by the bomb I’ve dropped on his head.

He doesn’t move at all while I brush past him, heading out through his front door.

27

CAMILLE

Iwait for Vic to wake up, then stumble out to the kitchen where I’ve left his present on the table. I know he’s seen it when I hear his whoop of surprise.

I poke my head out of my room, already grinning.

“You like it?” I say.

I bought him the best damn mixing board money can buy. I promised Nero I wouldn’t use the bank heist money for anything flashy—just my dad’s medical bills, and Vic’s college. But I figured we could get one little luxury without anybody noticing.

“Are you kidding me?” Vic says, his face lit up with joy. “It’s fucking fantastic!”

“Hey, put a quarter in the swear jar,” Dad says, shuffling out of his room. He’s looking not-terrible today, which is an improvement.

“If you enforced that rule with Camille, we’d have a million dollars,” Vic says.

“What? My baby girl?” Dad says, pretending to be shocked.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” I say, innocently.

Vic rolls his eyes at me, turning his attention back to the mixing board. He looks like he wants to kiss it.

“Uh oh,” Dad says. “I think Vic has finally fallen in love.”

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