Page 115 of Lawbreaker

“You should ask them for a replacement,” Tony pointed out.

“If I did, they’d refer me to anger-management classes. I’m not going,” he said belligerently. “I only threw it twice and I had ample justification.”

“You could mention that.”

“I could,” Hunter said, his dark eyes twinkling. “Except that my boss was the reason I threw it. Both times.” He put the phone away. “I’ll just plug along until it wears out. Maybe by then I can retire and go fishing.”

“Let me know when you retire,” Tony chuckled. “I’ll go with you.”

Hunter raised his cup in a toast.

Later, Tony called Teddy to let him know that he’d been keeping company with the fed.

Odalie, holding hands with him, laughed softly as they walked down the sidewalk in the chilly air. “It’s like being on probation.”

He leaned down and kissed her. “Exactly.”

“I like your friend the marshal.”

“He’s not so bad,” he agreed. “But you can’t mention that I said that around the family. Ever.”

She wrinkled her nose at him and smiled. “I promise,” she said.

“Listen, where are we having Christmas?”

She stopped sipping cappuccino and looked up at him. “Oh, dear.”

“Oh, dear is right.”

She bit her lower lip. “How about Christmas Eve at Connie’s and Christmas Day at my folks’?”

He smiled. “You’re good,” he teased.

She laughed. “But when the babies come along, we have to spend Christmas Day at home.”

“Agreed.” He groaned. “Then we’ll have to split things up again!”

“Don’t rush your fences,” she said softly. “We’ll jump them as we come to them.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

She sighed, looking up at him. “I’ve never been so happy in my whole life,” she said softly.

He traced her lips. “Neither have I.”

“We started out so badly,” she laughed.

“Self-defense on my part,” he told her. “I wanted you the minute I saw you, and I spent the rest of the time telling myself you were my mortal enemy.”

“Because I wanted to sing at the Met.”

He shook his head. “Because I wanted you, even then.”

“And here we are,” she added, her voice soft with emotion.

He smiled slowly. “And here we are.”

He pulled her close and kissed her, right there on the street. She reached up and slid her arms around his neck, and sighed, and smiled. So did he.

A neighborhood kid on a bicycle whistled loudly as he flew by them. But they didn’t notice.

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