Page 46 of Daddy's Little Spy

“No, of course not. I just…” Whatever protests she might have had died on a sigh. “Of course not. Whatever you think is best, Benito.”

He couldn’t help but wince at the use of his full name. Hopefully, once all the dust had settled, she’d find a way to forgive his deception.

The sound of a car approaching silenced them, putting them all on alert. Instinctively stepping in front of Amara, Benny watched the sleek black vehicle roll to stop several feet away before the lone figure emerged.

“Rinaldi,” a low, gravelly voice greeted them.

“What is he doing here?” Amara hissed.

“I don’t know.” Emilio managed to keep his voice quiet and calm despite the nerves Benny could hear twining around every syllable.

From the corner of his eye, Benny saw a tall, slender figure slipping from one shadow to the next and he swore under his breath.

Praying Diana would have the sense to stay hidden, Benny refocused on the man in front of him. If there had ever been a part of Detective Bartholomew Franks that was a good cop, it had long since been buried under layers of corruption and greed. “What are you doing here, Franks?”

“You’ve been holding out on me.” Franks’s slimy, almost whiny voice scraped against Benny’s already raw nerves. “I want a bigger cut, Rinaldi. This shipment is worth twice what you told me.”

“You’ll get what you agreed to.” Emilio’s cold, clipped tones carried easily across the empty space between them. “And not a penny more.”

The pale glow of the street lights glinted off the barrel of the gun Franks leveled at Emilio’s chest. Behind them, Amara let out a quiet growl, a wolf reacting to a threat against her mate. Even in the dark, Benny could see the flash of teeth when Franks grinned. “That’s too bad.”

“We are not renegotiating right now, Detective.” It was a fight to keep his voice calm and even, when everything inside of him was a riot of emotions.

“Oh, I think you are.” An unmistakable click echoed in the darkness, and fear skated up Benny’s spine.

“Put the gun down, Franks.”

Goddammit. How had he missed her slipping out of her hiding space? “Diana. Get out of here.” Benito managed to not scream the demand at her, despite the fury now boiling in his veins.

“Not without you.”

He ignored the thrill her words gave him. “That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Her gaze flicked over to him, but the gun in her hand didn’t move. “Yeah, well, you can’t do anything about it if I let this scummy asshole shoot you, now can you?”

Beads of sweat had popped out along Franks’ hairline, glimmering faintly in the moonlight. “Detective Clarke. What are you doing?”

“It’s Mrs. Rinaldi now. And I’m protecting my family.” Taking a step closer, she leveled the barrel of the gun at the other detective’s head. “Now. Drop the goddamn weapon, Franks, before I drop you.”

The sound of another car approaching pulled Diana’s attention away long enough for him to move. Trusting his instinct and praying he wasn’t wrong, Benny dropped a shoulder and charged at Franks. Pain lanced through him when he connected with shockingly hard muscle beneath the layers of fat Franks had packed on over the years.

Shouts and screams filled the night as he wrestled with the larger man. They rolled, hands grasping and clawing in a desperate bid for control.

And then he was pinned, the gun pressing into his stomach. And the last thing he heard before Franks pulled the trigger was Diana screaming his name.

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