Page 473 of Dark Love

Probably.

Me: Yeah.

Max: My house two hours?

Yippee

Me: I’ll be there

Where I won’t be is in Dahlia’s house eating whatever that bread is that she set to the side to rise.

Why is she typing furiously on her computer? Did she bring work home?

It’s bad enough I lose time with her when she goes to work. There’s no way she’s going to overwork herself at home.

Not happening.

Snakes and Tails

Vex

Not much bothers me. But the snakes lining the wall of Maddox’s office give me the creeps. He’ll never know that. No one will.

Who surrounds themselves with venomous snakes?

“Vex.” Maddox stands up and walks over to me.

The only remnants of the gang Maddox was president of in his youth are these snakes and a painted section of brick wall.

They were my first semi-legit job. It doesn’t really count as fully legal when the job requires you to take care of people.

“Maddox.” I shake his outstretched hand.

“How bad is it?” He walks over to a set of chairs right next to one of the slithering walls.

The worst I’ve seen in years. Possibly ever. “Dyce is in over her head.”

“Is this about the cop thing?”

It’s all too easy to imagine them sliding up my neck instead of the wall. “Yeah.”

“She’s not going to leave it alone. The cop not only threatened her client. He made it personal. I told her to let me take care of it.”

Neither of them is prepared for what’s hiding behind that door. “You both need to step away from it. If you need help hiding the girlfriend, I can arrange that. Dyce needs to pretend this didn’t happen, and you need to put a tail on her.”

Maddox leans back in the chair and stares up at cold-blooded death.

Maybe that’s why I dislike them… they’re competition.

“What exactly is it she needs protection from? A dirty cop I can handle.”

Dyce didn’t loop him in all the way. “She’s protecting you. If I tell you, it could expose you.”

We both know I mean Willow Street, because alone Maddox would wade in the fight with me.

“Tell me anyway.”

“The cop is a trafficking women.”

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