Page 27 of Wicked Attraction

The heat of anger flared in her blue eyes, but it was the only sign she felt anything. She glared back at me, unbothered by my outburst. “My job is running like it always has, smooth like butter. Bookings are up, restaurant reservations have increased twenty percent from last quarter, and I’ve got three critics coming to check out the restaurants.”

“Good,” I sighed. “That’s really good. You could have just fucking led with that.”

She smiled and shrugged, her eyes sparkling like the mischievous little girl she’d been while the rest of us were fighting off grown men who wanted more than we were willing to give. I didn’t resent her for it, but she might shut the fuck up a little more often if she knew.

Cal was silent, sulking and drinking more than he normally did. I tried to be patient, but dammit, this sullen teenager bullshit was getting old.

“Have you found anything on the Green Zone security footage yet?” Cal’s eyes were focused squarely on his empty plate like he was in a trance. A goddamn trance instead here with the rest of us. “Calvin!”

He startled and looked up, his exhausted gaze landing directly on me.

“Nope. I haven’t found a damn thing yet. It’s the fucking Green Zone. Every other person looks suspicious in dark clothes, hoodies, and hats.”

Kat let out a sharp laugh. “You need to spend more time around real people if you think the citizens of the Green Zone look suspicious, little brother.”

To his credit, Cal didn’t react to Kat’s words. He ignored her. “I’m scrubbing the footage from surrounding businesses, traffic lights, and even social fucking media. I’ll let you know when I have something.”

That shit didn’t make sense. “You have nothing? Are you telling me that after all the work Sadie did to fix this place up, you don’t even have an image of a dark figure setting up to shoot our fucking mother? Unacceptable, Cal. Un-fucking-acceptable.”

He sighed and raked a hand through his already disheveled hair. “The cameras were scrambled along the shooter’s path, so there’s nothing for the seconds it took for him to pass by each business. He was careful about getting too close to Lucky Lopez cameras, so yeah, as of right now, I have jack shit.”

“Less than jack shit,” I clarified. “You need to work faster, or I’ll have to call in Jameson.”

Cal shrugged. “The cops have someone more skilled than me at this type of work? Let them give it their best fucking shot, then. You’ll do what you want anyway.”

“No, Cal, I’ll do what’s right for this family. Period. I always have, and I always will. Unfortunately, some of us don’t have the luxury of sulking all fucking day and night.”

“Sorry the murder of mywifeis causing me some distress. If you were capable of love, you might understand how I feel.”

I smiled, but there was no amusement in it. “And if you hadn’t been such a pussy-whipped asshole, she might still be here with us. Sulk on your own fucking time Cal. This is important.”

“So was Bonnie,” he growled.

“I know,” I sighed. “But Bonnie isn’t here. Sadie is, and we need to find the fucker who shot her as soon as possible. Preferably before the cops do.”

I stared at my baby brother for a long time, wondering if he still had the stomach for the family business. He was one of us by birth, always had been and always would be, but Cal had never been as much into the business as the rest of us. With the loss of Bonnie combined with single fatherhood, I wasn’t sure his heart was in it anymore.

Cal stared at me for a long time before he gave a short nod. “I’ll let you know when I find something.”

“Fine, but this is your primary focus until you find something. Got it?”

“Yeah,” he said with a soft, barely audible sigh.

Just then, the dining room door slid open, and Thomas appeared in his signature three-piece suit that was slightly rumpled, probably from spending another day at the hospital before he put in a late night at Lucky Lopez.

“Get the fuck out,” I growled with more anger than was necessary. “This is a family meeting.”

Thomas stared back at me, his dark gaze unflinching, his shoulders squared, his chest broad. He was a man confident in his own fucking skin, which rubbed me the wrong way right now.

“Oh, fuck off, Jas. I just came back from the hospital with news, but only ifthe familyis interested in what I have to say.” Without missing a beat, the old fuck turned around and walked away.

“Wait,” Kat called out to him, sending an icy glare my way. “Some of us want to know.”

Thomas turned and gave the same crisp nod as was his custom when Sadie needed something. “Earlier today, her heart rate spiked, and her blood pressure plummeted from a clot that formed. The doctors gave her some medicine, and her vitals are stable once again,” he told Kat before turning to me. “But you’re family and you own the fucking hospital, so I guess you already knew.”

I didn’t know, but I would never tell him so. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Her vitals indicate that she might be more awake than we realize, according to the doctors. I’ll be at the hospital if you need me. I’d hate for her to wake up alone.”

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