Page 36 of Morally Gray Daddies

“Unfortunately, I have to turn in my resignation, Chief,” I said, letting my gaze drop, as if I was ashamed. My stomach twisted a little at the playacting, some part of me not wanting to hurt Gio’s feelings. I ruthlessly shoved that part away from me. “And I need to clean out my desk.”

“I see,” the chief said, frowning. His gaze flickered back and forth between us.

I peeked up at him, giving him a plaintive glance before dropping my head down again.

“Ah, Mr. DiNardo, I wonder if I could have a word with you. Privately.”

Hiding my smirk, I glanced over at my desk, speaking up before Gio could answer.

“I’m right over there.” I pointed. “I won’t take long.”

My new husband gave me a considering look, his thoughtful gaze moving between me and the desk I was pointing at. It really was my desk. He wanted to go with me, but at the same time, I could tell he was curious what the chief wanted to say to him… and I would be easily visible.

“Very well,” he said after a long moment. His hand pushed me forward. “Be quick about it, babydoll.”

Something flashed across Chief Barne’s face, but he quickly masked the emotion as he asked Gio how Hailey was doing. That was all I heard as I hurried away, heading for my desk. Opening the drawers, I started to sort through what was work and what was mine—at least, that’s what I wanted it to look like.

The real score was under the false bottom of my drawer, but I had to empty some things out on my desk in order to reach it. One eye on Gio and Chief Barnes, I worked to get the false bottom free so I could reach the pouch of money beneath it. As they spoke, Officer Ward walked up to them as well… Gio turned slightly, so he could keep an eye on both of the other men.

Which was all I needed as his focus was no longer so tightly trained on me.

Crouching down, I pulled the pouch free and tucked it into my purse. As I did so, the most serendipitous piece of luck to hit yet happened, as if the universe was watching out for me. Two coppers came in, dragging a pair of drunks who were doing their best to tear each other’s throats out.

Everyone turned to look—including Gio. Everyone except me. I was watching my husband, and the moment he turned away, I scampered. Fled, even faster than Officer Stump, headed down a side hall and to the nearest exit, my heart in my throat as I went.

I glanced over my shoulder as I went through the door. The sounds of the fight, the drunken shouting, followed me, but no one and nothing else did. Not even Gio.

Telling myself that was a good thing, I pushed the door open and made good my escape.

Gio

Watching the cops try to wrangle two drunken idiots was far more entertaining than it had any right to be. Despite the immediate pile-on, it took several minutes and quite a few bruises before they managed to separate the pair while the chief shouted useless instructions at the lot of them. I noted that Officer Ward, Hailey’s old flame, came away from the encounter with a black eye. He cast me a surly look as our gazes connected, brushing off his uniform and turning away. Sour grapes over losing Hailey, probably, and he would have recognized me and known my connection to Jack.

Though it might not be so much for the loss of Hailey as it had been the hit to his pride. The man had been too much of a coward to stand up to Jack and had lost the girl. That kind of blow tended to linger.

Turning around, I looked to catch Clara’s eye, to see what she’d thought of the fight…

Cazzo! Fuck!

She wasn’t at her desk. There were things piled up atop it, but she was no longer beside it.

My gaze careened around the room, and I turned, looking for her, already knowing I wasn’t going to find her but needing to search, anyway. Just in case.

“Looking for something?”

I turned and scowled at Officer Ward, who smirked at me despite the rapidly darkening skin around his eye. I stared at him, my fist clenching, as the smile faded from his lips. He jerked his chin upward before turning around and walking away. Smart man. I doubted he wanted two black eyes.

The only reason I didn’t indulge was that it would likely slow me down—we might own the precinct, but the cops didn’t like it when one of their own was attacked right in front of them. Especially if Officer Ward had decided to hit back, he would likely have friends who would jump in with him, no matter who I was. I couldn’t take the delay.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my attention back to the room. There was only one hallway that was close to Clara’s desk. Immediately, I headed for it—it was empty, with plenty of closed doors but only one exterior door. My scowl deepened, my hand itching to smack against her ass as I strode down the hallway and out into the sunlight.

It led me to an alley. The sounds of New York filtered through between the buildings and busy streets on either side of the alley… she could have gone in either direction. There was no sign of her. Growling under my breath, I closed my eyes, trying to figure out where she might have gone.

Not back to Mrs. Cunningham’s boarding house, all her things had been moved to the DiNardo house. If she was running, it would be incredibly foolish to return there to get them… and she could always get new things, either with money or by stealing them.

She was a hell of a thief.

I growled under my breath, scrubbing my hands over my face and raking my fingers through my hair as I tried to figure out where my new wife had run to. Bus station? Train station? If Hailey wasn’t married to Jack, she was the first place I would have checked, and the precinct was the second. But Hailey was safe, the note that she’d requested safely tucked in my pocket—no wonder Clara had let me have it—and no one in the precinct was going to help her get away from me.

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