Page 29 of Ten

Wilford eyed him warily as if to say, “Go on.”

“I’m going to make you a deal. You get in this cage without tearing up my arms, and I’ll take you to your mama. You can run wild at my place, and I won’t even complain about the hair or the litter box that your mother intends to put in my guest bathroom.” Ten ripped open theInaba Churutube and wrinkled his nose. “But, if you decide to be a punk and come at me with those murder mittens, I’m calling my friend for one of his special sedatives.”

Wilford yowled and began to lick at the air. The stinky treat lured him across the kitchen. He hopped up onto the counter and meowed louder. He hesitated a few seconds before moving two steps closer. Ten didn’t move. He held still, holding out the lickable treat, and waiting.

Eventually, Wilford’s stomach got the better of him. He licked the fishy treat and then pulled back to glare at Ten. He leaned forward and licked again. Ten squeezed a little more out of the tube, and Wilford gobbled it right up.

Cautiously, Ten reached out and stroked the cat’s head. His fur was unbelievably soft and thick. Wilford tolerated the gentle petting, but he swatted at Ten’s wrist when he wanted more of his treat. There were no claws so Ten let it slide.

He was squeezing out more of the treat when he heard a key in the front door. In an instant, he was moving toward the living room, ready to fight if necessary. When the door swung open, Ten heard Nicky Jackson’s familiar voice shouting at the amateur journalists outside. “Yeah, go back to your mama’s couch and cry! You fat fuck!”

Nicky slammed the door behind him and jolted with surprise upon seeing Ten. “The fuck are you doing here?”

Ten gestured to the suitcases. “I’m getting Nisha’s clothes and her cat.”

Nicky glanced around with narrowed eyes. “Where is that beast?”

“Kitchen.” Ten held up the half-finished tube of seafood-flavored paste. “I’m trying to make friends so I can bribe him into the carrier.”

“Well, good luck,” Nicky said, not making any move toward the kitchen. “That thing is a devil. I keep telling Nisha he needs to be baptized or exorcised.”

“I think he’s territorial and protective of her.”

“Makes two of us.” Nicky frowned in his direction. “Or three.”

Never one to play games, Ten bluntly asked, “Is this going to be a problem?”

“You and my niece? Only if you make it one,” Nicky remarked with a warning look. “I’ll tell you right now. The biggest mistake I ever made was not getting involved with her and Kiki. I should have killed that motherfucker the first time he put hands on her, and I should have driven straight to San Antonio to bring her back as soon as she told me she was pregnant. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“What?”

“Kill Kiki the first time he hit her?” Ten leveled an accusing stare at the older man. “You knew what he was like.”

“I was wrapped up in my own bullshit back then,” Nicky said. “I was fighting for every single square inch of territory I could get. Things got pushed aside, important things. Never again.”

“I’m not here to ask your permission to date her. I know I’m not the sort of man you probably want for her. Fuck, I’m not the sort of man she wanted either. She could date doctors or lawyers, rich guys, or athletes. I know where I rank,” he assured Nicky.

“And I know what you are, Ten,” Nicky replied coldly. “And what you aren’t.”

Their gazes clashed. “I’m just a man trying to find a good woman so I can have the life I want.”

“I’m just an uncle trying to keep my niece from getting murdered by the serial killer she put behind bars.”

“Kostya is with her right now.” Ten was sure that would put Nicky at ease, and it did. “She’s staying with me tonight. I have a few safe houses we can use. Boltholes of my own and a few that have been offered to me. We can stash her and keep her safe until Kiki is apprehended.”

“I don’t want him picked up by the police. I want him dead.”

“So do I.” Flashes of Nisha’s panicked face after she answered Kiki’s call came to mind. “He called her earlier.”

“Kiki?” Nicky was taken aback. “How did he get her number?”

“No idea, but Kostya’s looking into it.”

“There is absolutely no way Kiki did this on his own. The legal wrangling to get him out of that unit? The escape? Having Nisha’s number? Someone is helping him.”

“It’s probably more than one person,” Ten figured. “You’ve been inside. You know how corrupt some of those guards are. They’ll do anything for money.”

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