Page 38 of Jael

The leather was noticeably nicer than in Danny’s car, but the rest of the sporty interior was overdone for his own taste.

Christopher looked at him sideways, awaiting the fawning that never came. “You should hear the stereo.”

“I heard it when you were driving up the road.”

Christopher laughed at Danny’s smug look. “Let me guess, you prefer listening to the Carpenters with the bass turned down and a mellow treble?”

“I like to protect my hearing. So where we headed?”

“You’ll see when we get there.” Christopher pressed his foot on the gas, and they took off into traffic. “You should see her when I open her up.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve taken her over two hundred miles per hour.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah,” Christopher said. “I love this car. It gives me what I need, you know? —No, you probably don’t. No offense.”

“None taken.”

“And being behind bars wouldn’t help. That must have taken some of the stuffing out of you. I hope it hasn’t made you too soft.”

“I like to think I’m sharper than ever these days.”

“We’ll see about that now, won’t we?”

“I’m confident I can do the job you need.”

“What if I needed you to kill someone?”

“Is that what this job is?” Danny had considered what he might be asked to do on this job. He still hadn’t decided how he’d handle the more delicate situations if they arose. He wasn’t against backing out if it was what was required.

“No. Gregory said you won’t do it. I was just checking if that still stood.”

“It does. I never killed for him. That’s not my skillset.”

“It doesn’t take skill to kill someone.”

“I won’t do it. If that won’t work for Artus, then you can drop me off right here.”

“It’s unfortunate, but not a dealbreaker. My dad doesn’t like his guys to have lines they won’t cross for him. But if your other skills are substantial, maybe it won’t matter.”

“I guess you’ll be the judge of that. So, this job we’re doing, why didn’t he send someone besides you?”

“Are you kidding? I asked for it. I love this stuff. I wish I could do more. There’s nothing quite like the feel of a man’s nose breaking under your fist to get your blood pumping.” Christopher weaved in and out of traffic. “It helps me focus when I’m stuck in the office. Desk work doesn’t suit me.”

“You play the part well. From what I’ve seen, you fit right in as a businessman. Are you putting that on for the benefit of others?”

“Certainothers. Don’t get me wrong. I was ready to step up and become that man. I’m good for the job. But I won’t deny what’s inside. I’ve got the best of both worlds. And running Heber Industries has other benefits as well.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a lewd smile. “Like Jael. I’ve wanted a piece of that for a while.”

Danny’s hand twitched into a fist, but he flexed it open. Punching the smile off Christopher’s face wouldn’t help anyone right now. “Oh, yeah?”

“The ones you have to work for are always the tastiest. I’m enjoying the chase. It’s a nice change. As you can imagine, women throw themselves at me. I don’t mind a challenge once in a while. And it’s only right that the woman I marry gives me a good run for my money.”

“Yeah.” It was hard for Danny not to say more.

“You must get a bit of that too. You’re not a bad-looking guy. And you might not be rich, but you’ve got that bad-boy look that girls go crazy over.”

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