Page 74 of Sinful Promise
He doesn’t cope with stress all that well, I’ve come to discover. I’ve run the risk of an investigation by the police for months; it’s a way of life for me at this point. So I take things as they come and set aside the worry I might someday be caught.
But Archer… not so much.
“Why are you here?” he asks the sisters menacingly. “Purely to annoy us, or…?”
Sophia snorts. “I do things because they suitme, Detective. Our visit to Copeland this weekend merely comes with the added bonus of irritating the local police department.”
“So you’re here for the party?” I ask. “Genuinely?”
“Of course. I make a habit of having powerful friends in high places. Not only do I know Copeland City cops, and the chief medical examiner, but I’m now quite friendly with the mayor.” She flashes a smug grin and looks me up and down. “Connections come in handy, much the same way knowing Estefan Cordoza helped the Malone family recently.”
She peers to Archer and purses her lips. “You were less tense there, holding an automatic weapon, than you are here tonight, holding a crystal flute.”
“That’s probably because, in New York,” he grits out, “I thought my wife was safe and far from danger.” Then his lips curl into a feral snarl as he leans closer. “She’s not going to prison for what happened to him, Solomon. So if you wanna work some of those connections, I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“Oh good.” She steps in closer and watches my husband like he walked straight into a trap he had no clue she’d set. “I could maybe work something out to keep her outta prison, if you’ll help me with a little something.”
His eyes narrow to dangerous slits. “What little something?”
“Felix Malone.” Her eyes are like fire, treacherous and quick as a flash in the summer heat. “What are his intentions with the Malone family, now that your father is dead?”
“I don’t—”
“Why didn’t your brother Tim take the helm?”
“Sophia, I—”
“And what does Felix intend to do about the sex trade running from Mexico to New York? Because while I know the Malones usually deal inotherthings, with the Mancinos out and Pastore feeling a little sad lately, I know trade is opening up in the city. And where there’s money to be made, people tend to flock. So I’m trying to ascertain if Felix Malone will take advantage of that gap in the market.”
Archer watches the unassuming woman with slitted eyes.
She’s small. A dancer. Her features are soft, just like her sister’s, and her voice seems… sweet.
“I don’t know Felix’s intentions.” He speaks slowly. Measured, as he studies her. “But whatever he decides to do, it has nothing to do with me. I no longer associate with that family.”
“But you do,” she simpers. “You walked for sixteen years, Archer. But now you have one living next door, two more sleeping on your couch, and the fourth and final… will soon decide the family’s fate.” She brings her champagne up and takes a delicate sip. “Do you think he’ll choose well?”
“What do you intend to do about it?” Archer bites back. He takes a step away and loops his arm around mine to keep me close. “If Felix chooses poorly, what are you gonna do? What the hell do you expectmeto do?”
“Well…” Stepping in and closing the space Archer just took, she runs the tip of her tongue over her teeth, and her palm along the smooth lines of her dress. “Mancino’s dead, and the family no longer exists.” She flashes a wicked grin. “I can do the same for the Malones if they think they can trade young women for money.”
“You’re threatening me?” he balks… quietly. “You’re threatening a cop?”
“Before you were a cop, you were a Malone,” she counters easily. “Still are. You might’ve run once, but you’re back now, so whether you like it or not, you’re involved—and I know entirely too much about you and your wife to sit back and let your family choose wrong.”
“Now you’re threatening my wife?”
Like sentries emerging from the fog, Jay Bishop and Troy Rosa—husbands to the gorgeous women before us—step forward. They wear tailored suits and fiery stares, and protect their wives with the same ferocity Archer protects me. But they do it in silence.
“I don’t work with my family,” Archer growls. “I make no decisions for them.”
“You’re gonna start,” Sophia commands. “You’re gonna put your finger back in that pie, and you’re gonna steer Felix well, because he represents you all now. He’s spending time with Estefan Cordoza this week.” She gestures casually toward her sister. “We like Cordoza. Truly. But he runs that city, which means he knows he’s trading women for money. It means although he may not be the one transporting and taking a direct cut from the sale of girls, he still allows it. Andthat, to me, makes him part of the problem. If Felix leans in the same direction, I’m gonna hold you accountable for his actions.”
Relaxed, she brings her dark eyes to mine and notches down the ire in her smile. “I know you and I agree on a lot of things, Doctor. We don’t operate the same, but we both have blood on our hands. We’re united in our mission of protecting the innocent. So talk to your brother-in-law before I have to.”
My stomach jumps with nerves. Across the room, the live string quartet play, and near them, the bartender in a suit and tails serves fancy drinks. The mayor went all out for his wife’s birthday, but he has no clue that, within his home, stand countless killers who are far from being finished.
“Has Felix started trading women already?” I ask warily.
