Page 71 of Taming Nikki

“Boss?”

“Yeah. I’ll handle it. Just call Reynolds.”

“On it.”

I could see her from here, laughing with Mikey. Whatever issue the cops were looking to bring me in on, it didn’t involve her, and I didn’t want to ruin her birthday. I moved down the aisle, catching Mikey’s eye when I got close. He frowned, edging past Nicole to meet me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Buzzards. I need to leave for a bit.”

Mikey glanced at Nicole with a grimace. “She ain’t gonna like that.”

“I’m aware. She mentioned sitting in the dugout with her brother. Go find out if it’s an option. If not, we need to bring her home. I don’t like her so out in the open.”

Whether she liked it or not, she was tied to my name now. This could all be a hoax to try and get to her. It’d happened before with an ex. They thought she was special and tried to use her against me. I didn’t really care what happened to her, she had been getting on my nerves anyway, but I couldn’t let them get away with trying to manipulate me. I handled it like I always do before cutting her loose. I wasn’t going to be used like that again, so I never bothered with relationships past one night.

I didn’t want the cops anywhere near Nikki. She had her own business, and I wasn’t bringing the heat on her, so keeping her out of sight until after the wedding was probably better. Mikey spoke to her, his head down. She frowned, glancing at me before giving Mikey a sharp nod. He tossed me a thumbs up and I turned to leave.

“Wait!”

I froze, raising an eyebrow at Nikki’s approach. She stepped up to me, her brow drawn low. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing yet. Might have to go talk to some people. Can you go down with your brother?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s always been an option. It’s how I avoided Enzo when he wouldn’t shut up. Do you need help?”

The question surprised me. I figured she’d do anything to stay behind. She’s been so adamant about her time with her brother. I regarded her. She was crass and demanding, but a lot more helpful than her papa gave her credit for.

“Right now, I just need you to stay out of sight and out of trouble as much as you can. Mikey and Dante will stay with you. I’ll keep you updated as much as I can. Keep your phone on you. If something happens, you’ll need to move fast.” She looked worried, glancing behind her at the game. Her brother was watching us from one of the bases, confusion and suspicion on his face. I touched her arm lightly and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing. Go. Enjoy your birthday. I’ll see you later.”

I’d seen a lot of different versions of Nikki since I met her. Vindictive, angry, violent, passionate, easy going. It bothered me a lot more than it should have to see the lost look in her eyes as she stood in that aisle. She glanced back up at me, a look of determination crossing her face when I jerked my chin toward the field. It was reassuring that I knew she could handle herself. If she had been anyone else, I would’ve pushed the issue and forced her to leave, but Nicole was tough. She hopped over the divider, speaking low to the coach. He nodded once, shooing her into the dugout, and she looked back at me, giving me a two-fingered salute.

Whoever decided today was the day to start trouble for me was going to end up in the bottom of the river.

* * *

“Captain Reynolds, I assure you. My client has nothing to do with it. He’s already given you his alibi.”

We’d been here for hours. I stopped by the house long enough to change into a suit before heading here, which wasted some time, but I never thought we’d be here this long. Some idiots were caught with a large amount of drugs and were trying to pin it on me. Given that they weren’t even on my side of town, they were pulling at straws.

Reynolds was on the payroll, just like a good deal of the cops in my area, but that didn’t mean he could just let me go. He had to at least look like he was doing his job or he’d be replaced. He frowned, eyes on the papers instead of me. I could see the sweat at his temple. He didn’t like questioning me.

“I understand he has an alibi for the drop, but I need reassurance that he’s not the intended buyer or the supplier. You know how this goes, Jeffries. I need more.”

My lawyer was one of the best and even he was getting frustrated at this point. He started to argue again when there was a knock at the door of the interrogation room. A young officer came in with a folder and leaned to whisper in Reynolds’s ear. His eyebrows flew up, and he took the file, flipping through it hurriedly.

“Looks like the proof just came through. You’re free to go.”

Jeffries looked confused, but he knew better than to ask about the file. It would look suspicious. I stood and followed Reynolds out of the precinct. He edged close to me with a pained expression once we stepped outside.

“I apologize, Mr. Vitale. My boss was watching.”

“What was in the file?”

“The guys who were brought in confessed to lying and named their supplier. I don’t know what got them singing, but whatever it was, my officer said they looked pretty worried. Someone out there must be scarier than you.”

He hurried away as my ride pulled up. I shook Jeffries’s hand before dropping into the back seat. Gio sat in the driver’s seat, a dark look on his face.

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