Page 117 of Hey, Daddy

“Went home after multiple assurances that I was okay,” she replied. “I got her checking the mail and writing reviews.”

I blew out a relieved breath.

“Okay, so now that you’re awake,” I heard Shasha say. “I’d love to give you the full update. Hope you’re truly awake, because this one is a doozy.”

I sat up, my heavy-booted feet hitting the floor. “Hit me.”

“We’ll start with Eddison. He’s dead.” Shasha ticked off a finger. “Julia is alive but very paralyzed, with about a ten percent chance of ever feeling movement in her legs again.” He grinned then, quite manically. “And your daughter kicked ol’ Rich so hard in the balls that he had to have one of them removed. The other is touch and go.”

My brows rose. “And after he’s released from the hospital for his testicular problem, he’s going to be arrested. In fact, he’s technically already under arrest. Oh, and Julia’s awake and aware enough to give an entire accounting on what happened. She’s corroborated everything that you told the detectives. She even admitted to killing your dog on purpose.”

“Wow,” I said.

Nastya’s hand squeezed mine, and I looked to her. “Haze.”

I moved closer until her face was close to mine before saying, “Yeah, Mama?”

“I’m tired of being in the news.”

I snorted. “Me and you both, Mama. Me and you both.”

Cooking together is not romantic. Get out of my way.

—Nastya to Haze

HAZE

Four years later

“Whatcha got?” Shasha asked me.

I glanced at the papers on my console and said, “New district attorney in town has a hard-on for suave looking men that are more attractive than her. She’s put three people away in the last month for bullshit yet lets a man that raped his kid walk away with a slap on his wrist.”

“Is that right?” Shasha drawled.

This was how it went for us now.

I kept Shasha’s nose clean using my authority, and he took care of assholes that needed to stop breathing air, that the government wouldn’t take care of the ‘right’ way.

It was a great symbiotic relationship that Shasha and I had going for the last four years, and I imagined it would continue until I retired.

“Noted,” Shasha said. “Are y’all coming to dinner tonight?”

I looked at my watch. “Waiting on Desi to get home from class, then we’ll be there.”

“Okay, see you.” He hung up without saying goodbye, just like always.

I had just enough time to take a breath of air before my wife was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“If you were in a room full of women, would you choose me?” She batted her eyelashes at me.

And, because I was who I was, I didn’t answer like she likely would’ve expected me to.

“Why am I in the room?” I asked instead of “of course.”

She frowned. “I don’t know. Why are you in the room?”

I leveled her with a look, then returned my eyes to the road.

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