Page 67 of Sinful Promise
“Then I guess I’m done here.” Hugging her folder close, Seraphina moves past Aubree and stops at the glass door before turning back. “I’ll deal with the briefcase—even thoughthat’s not my jobeither—you call the mayor, because he still wants to speak with you, and I’ll deal with Ms. Hewitt. The detectives will go on with their lives, and if I’m really lucky, never come back here.”
Minka scowls. “I’m married to one of those detectives, Fifi.”
“Of course.” A warm blush fills the poor woman’s cheeks as her eyes shyly flitter my way. “My apologies. I just meant—”
“You wanted to get rid of Fletch,” Aubree snickers. “It’s okay. We can all relate sometimes.”
“Hey!” Wounded, he sits on the edge of the couch and looks Sera up and down with a hungry stare. “There’s no need to be mean to me, ladies. It’s not like I tossed you in a cage against your will.”
Furiously blushing, Seraphina swings the door open. But across the floor, the elevator light illuminates, and a second later, the doors slide open to reveal the sweetest three-year-old I know.
“Oh!” Mia bounds off the elevator in a frou-frou skirt and light-up sneakers that flash as she runs. Her hair bounces as she moves, while way back at the elevator, Miss Penny slowly hobbles onto the ninth floor. “Hi, Fifi! I’m Mia!”
Like she does every time she and Seraphina are in the same space, the girl announces who she is, like she thinks the woman would ever—couldever—forget her.
She grabs Seraphina’s jacket sleeve and pulls her down so they’re on the same level.
Before last night, I might’ve felt bad about the way she forces Seraphina to crouch in heels. But today, I know she can handle the stance.
“I like your hair today, Fifi! I wish my hair was long like yours.”
“Oh… well…” Poor, poor Fifi. She swallows and tries her damnedest not to glance this way. “Um… if you brush it twice a day, every single day, it’ll grow faster.”
“Really?” Mia’s sweet eyes widen with excitement. “For real?”
“Yep.” Stiff and shy, the woman pushes up tall and tugs her jacket free of the toddler’s hold. “It helps stimulate growth.”
Losing her battle on looking back toward the office, Fifi’s eyes lock on to Fletch’s for a beat. Then she throws her shoulders back and straightens her spine.
She has an audience, but she sashays into the elevator and disappears behind solid silver doors. And all the while, Fletch smirks.
I intended to ask him what happened after I left last night. But he neither crashed my bed this morning, nor did we have time to sit around and bullshit, since we arrived at the station to find our tire and headlight reports waiting for us.
My head thuds with a million things to focus on all at once—Fentone, Patterson, arsenic, Minka, the vigilante, Cato, Micah… even Felix, who remains hidden and quiet.
Gossiping about Fletch’s sex life just can’t stack up against all the rest.
“Hey there, Moo!”
As soon as Mia charges through the office door, she runs into Aubree’s arms, and giggles when they crash with a thud.
“What are you doing here, huh? It’s work time.”
“Miss Penny was taking me to the park.” She flails in Aubree’s arms and brings a levity to an office otherwise drowning in dead people and stress. “We saw Daddy’s car out front, so I asked to come up for a second.”
Penny stops at the office door and peeks through to Fletch. “She said it’s normally okay. But if you need us to leave—”
“It’s okay.” Pushing off the couch with an exhale that says it’s too low and we’re all getting a little too old, he crosses Minka’s office and catches his daughter when she jumps ship from Aubree to him. “You should call before you come up, okay, baby?” He smacks a kiss to her cheek and crushes the girl in a tight hug. “Miss Penny has a phone, and she knows how to call me. So next time, if you see our cruiser out front, ring me first.”
Because of all the dead people.
Those are the words he doesn’t say out loud.
“But I’m definitely not mad you’re here.” He buries his face against her neck and blows so it makes a silly, farting sound. “You smell like sweat and cookies, baby. What the heck have you been doing?”
“Baking cookies,” she giggles. “And running around at the park.”
He pulls back and studies her perfect, dancing eyes. “But you said you were on your waytothe park.”
