Page 51 of Sinful Sorrow

“Nathan Booth and Fletch’s baby-momma making a mess.”

“Yeah, well… more of that. But it was a wake-up call for him, and I doubt she’ll get the same access again.” Maybe. I sigh. Fuck knows, he’s had wake-up calls about her in the past, too. “I’m watching the situation. But I need that cleaner here this morning.”

“Already on the way. You need anything else? You expecting to kill anyone? Because that requires a different kind of cleaner and they’re not as cheap to get.”

“You having money issues?” I watch as Fletch leads Mia into her room. Probably to get her shoes on. Or to grab her bag for school. “You need a loan, Felix? Now that you got two more mouths to feed in your house.”

He laughs. “First of all, those two extra mouths eat less, combined, than Cato ever has. So we’re still in the black. And no, business is good. Especially now that we have Ms. Hale over here finding literal fucking buried treasure. Since she’s employed by me, whatever she finds belongs to me. And since she’s probably gonna marry Micah someday and take his name, who owns what is hardly worth picking apart. Mayet change her name to Malone yet?”

“Nope. And she’s not gonna.”

He tsks, shaking his head from side to side. “How embarrassing for you.”

“Boss?” Another voice rolls from inside Felix’s car. “We’re here.”

“Alright. I gotta go. But it was a pleasure, Detective. Wanna get dinner tonight?”

“No.” I pull the phone from my ear and kill our call, and moving into the kitchen to quietly close some doors, I attempt to right the room a little before Mia and Fletch walk back through. Then I swipe to my banking app and transfer just enough to make my partner cranky. But flush. Not so much he’ll kill me for it. But any amount is bound to piss him off, so I type in enough to make him comfortable until payday.

“We’re gonna drive you to school, McStinkerson.” Cato carries the girl and her red bear into the living room and looks around. He’s subtle about it. But he approves of the re-situated couch. The slightly tidier kitchen. “Then after school, when Uncle Cato finishes with his classes too, I reckon we head to Tim’s bar and talk trash about his menu.”

Mia cackles, bouncing in his arms and looking a thousand directions at once. “You like to make Uncle Tim mad. Aren’t you scared?”

“Should I be scared? He’s a pussycat beneath flannel shirts. He doesn’t scare me at all.”

“He’s silly.” She kicks her feet to be put down. Then she skips my way and looks up at me with dancing eyes. “Daddy said he’ll be out in just one sec, then we can go to school.”

“He’s probably brushing his teeth, huh?” I crouch to get on her level and poke the nose of her bear. “This is new, huh?”

“Ms. Fifi brought it to me.” She strangles the bear and crushes it in a hug that would have a lesser bear losing its head. “I didn’t get to talk to her when she bringed it. But Daddy gave it to me and said it was from her. Isn’t that nice?”

“Sure is! She didn’t bring me a gift last night. So I guess you must’ve been extra good to deserve it.”

“Yeah. Or she really likes me. Because she does my hair. And sometimes,” she leans closer, widening her eyes, “sometimes, like one time, she even let me do her hair.”

“Wow!” I match her energy and tap the end of her nose. “I don’t think Fifi lets very many people touch her hair. Which means you must be extra special. I might see her today at work.” I bring my hand up, holding my chin in that way people do when they’re thinking. “If I do, should I tell her you showed me the bear and love it?”

“Yes please!” She turns at the sound of her dad’s footsteps in the hall. But then she looks back at me, grinning like she doesn’t see the chaos surrounding her. “Please tell her! Then maybe tell her to come to Uncle Tim’s for dinner, too.” She lowers her voice, almost like she’s telling a secret, “I know she doesn’t like to eat meat. And hotdogs on sticks are made of dogs. So she doesn’t like that.”

I choke out a small, silent laugh. “Made of dogs?”

“Yeah, like… not actual dogs. Hotdogs are a different kind of meat, not from real puppies or anything. But Ms. Fifi doesn’t like any kind of meat from any kind of animal. But I know she loooooves sweet potato fries. So I can eat my hotdog on a stick, and she can eat her fries, and then we can still eat together.”

“Ya know what? That sounds perfect to me.” I grab her chin between my finger and thumb, and dragging her close, I plop a kiss on her cheek. “You and Ms. Fifi make a great team. You eat the meat stuff, she eats the salads and vegetables. One plate, two beautiful ladies.”

Fletch stops a few feet from us and clears his throat, and though he looks down, fixing his belt and shrugging into his holster, he eyes me from under his lashes. Shut the fuck up about Fifi. “It’s time to go, Ms. Mia. You ready to wow Ms. Harmon with how smart you are—again?”

“I’m the smartest in the whole class!” Mia beams under the adoring gaze of three grown ass men. “Daddy said so.”

“Daddy was right.” Winking, I push up to stand and meet my friend’s reserved gaze. “Okay if we leave the place unlocked? It’ll only be for a few minutes till a cleaning crew gets here. Then they’ll lock up on their way out.”

“No need for a cleaner.” He checks his guns—one, then two—and avoids looking my way. “I’ll take care of this when I get home tonight.”

“It’s already dealt with. They’re on their way.”

“Arch. I can’t pay for?—”

“Like I said,” I drop my hands to my hips and force a grin, “already taken care of. And since we’re on the topic, and you’re already defensive and cranky, I’ll also tell you that the money you spent on that other thing has been refunded. Should already be in your bank, with interest.”

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