Page 28 of The Lieutenant

The heavy scowl remained. “Yes, you are quite correct. Some men only think with their dicks.”

“Very true. What are the aprons for?”

He cocked his head, placing his hand on his heart as if he couldn’t breathe. “For cooking?”

“I thought you didn’t have any staff.” Was he suggesting what I thought he was?

“I don’t. Of course other than Lurch.” Winking, his eyes swept over me as I eased the neck over my head. “Trust me. You don’t want him cooking your dinner.”

“O-kay. Then what are you doing? Are you going to cook something, highlight your delightful culinary skills?”

“Not me, kitten. Us. We’re going to cook dinner. Together.”

CHAPTER 9

Havros

My little kitten was hiding something. I’d seen a flash of a memory surfacing unexpectedly that had troubled her for a few minutes. She’d regrouped, but wasn’t the same. Whatever she’d remembered had remained almost an hour and a half later.

I wanted to yank apart her armor, finding the source of her discomfort. This time, it had nothing to do with me. “Are you alright?”

“I think the wine might have gotten to me a little. Jet lag and all.” Her voice was suddenly sheepish, also not like her in the least.

While the flight was almost ten hours, I wasn’t buying it, but I wasn’t ready to call her on any concerns just yet. She was still trying to determine whether I would make her disappear if I didn’t like something she wrote in her article. I was seeing myself entirely differently through her eyes. Truth be told, I wasn’t certain I liked what I was seeing. “You’ll have time to rest before we meet tomorrow.”

“At your office?”

“I’ll pick you up at your hotel. I’ll have you attend a meeting with me. You should get a very strong feel of what my family really does in a week’s time.”

“With a single meeting?”

“They can be… time consuming.” I laughed because almost all my meetings as of late had become arduous. Tomorrow’s was no different. But it would be good information without delving into the very darkness she seemed so terrified of.

“Tell me about Leandro.”

Kara’s question caught me off guard, although I’d anticipated she’d bring up the subject at some point during her interview. It had eventually been all over the news, which had created an outpouring of condolences as well as a few attempts to overthrow our operations.

All had failed.

Blood had been shed.

But months had gone by without another threat. They’d been peaceful weeks, something the entire family had needed.

I thought of demanding she take the topic off the table, but I knew enough about her to realize she’d never let the subject die. She’d continue coming back to it. “Leandro was a bright soul in a sea of darkness.”

While she wasn’t taking physical notes, I had no doubt she’d remember every word of our conversation.

“You continue to drive yourself back to the word darkness. Do you know that?”

“Isn’t that the only thing my world is about?”

“Don’t patronize me. I’ve been to baseball games and recitals with the syndicate leaders I’ve interviewed. I was even invited to a birthday party for one man’s thirteen-year-old daughter. Yes, I’m certain some if not all wanted me to believe they were normal people, but I witnessed the very normalcy every other mother and dad, sister and brother likely share in their lives. I have no doubt you enjoy holidays and birthdays, daily adventures. That’s what life is truly about. The little joys and big deals, the quiet nights and roaring fires. Friends. Family. I’m asking you about yours.”

There was such fire in her eyes, I was enflamed from her words alone. “Leandro was the baby brother. He had an artist’s soul and a mindset of caring about animals and people in need. Hell, as a kid he’d talked about going to work for the Ministry of Civil Protection. Who does that? He was a good soul. My older brother coined it perfectly at his funeral. He was born into the wrong family. He got caught up in a war no one wanted, but one that had been fought on and off for years. He was made an example and trust me, it was a painful one.”

I didn’t expect her to reach out, placing her hand over mine. The sensations were both immediate and overwhelming. After easing the fork onto my plate, I placed my other hand over both of ours.

“Losing someone you care about is life altering. It changes your perception of what you believe in and what you thought you wanted out of life. Just don’t allow his death to condemn the good part of you.”

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