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“He prefers the name Dagger.” I glanced at her, feeling the menace leaking from me. I wasn’t going to be shutting it down this time. “And you’re full of shit.”
“He’s willing to testify in court to it. Once they nailDagger…” she sneered, “… it’s only a matter of time before your ass is nailed to the wall right alongside his.”
If she thought Dagger would roll over on me, she had another fucking thing coming. “You have a very active imagination.”
Her top lip pulled back from her teeth. “Give it time, Rivera. I will have your ass in jail, then I’ll tear down this house of sin.”
I faced her, letting the mask slip a little more. The monster who lurked there took stock of her. “Listen here, you fucking zealous littlecunt, it’ll be a cold fucking day in hell when that happens. In fact, I can guarantee it will never happen, so stop fucking sniffing around here like the bitch you are and go solve these murders. And here’s a hot fucking tip… I have nothing to do with them. Why would I need to kill drug dealers?”
I sat back, my hands curling into fists on the tops of my thighs. My blood was fucking boiling in my veins.
Cox stood, took one last look at the threesome, then walked away. Before she disappeared from view, she said, “Rivera?”
“What?” I barked.
“Your time will come.”
“Fuck you.”
24
Wren
I lockedup the shop and let out a breath. Today had been hectic, but not as hectic as my thoughts had been. After leaving Bane’s apartment this morning, I’d returned to my place to collect a shirt I’d forgotten to pack with Andy as an escort. He’d checked things out for me, reassuring me the place was as secure as it ever was.
“Ms. Montana.”
I looked around when I heard my name. I glanced at the car pulling up at the curb.
“Andy,” I said with a smile.
“Mr. Rivera wanted me to take you home and to check things out for you.” Opening the rear door of the town car, he invited me to get in.
I hesitated, looking down at my fur-covered shirt. “I’m going to get hair everywhere.”
“I’ll have the interior cleaned after I drop you off.”
With a bob of my head, I slid onto the leather seats and let out a groan of relief—I’d been on my feet all day. The ride back to mine was very short, and I would’ve argued that fact if it weren’t for Bane’s words to me before I left him after our shower.
Andy pulled up the curb and opened the door for me. “Thank you,” I said, staring up at the building.
“Are you ready, Ms. Montana?”
I nodded, and we walked inside. I kept my eyes moving, my senses on high alert. I was still jumpy after last time, but having Andy here helped. I’d even taken my gun with me to work today, something which I’d never done before. I’d found the dogs were unsettled if they could scent the oil and gunpowder.
Andy opened my apartment door, motioning me to stay behind while he did the sweep. A few moments later, he was back. “All clear, Ms. Montana.”
“Please, call me Wren.”
“Wren,” he corrected. “Mr. Rivera has asked that I stay outside on watch tonight. This is my number.” He handed me a card. “Call me if you need me.”
He strode away, his steps confident and commanding, and I retreated back into my apartment. Walking around, I made sure all the windows were locked, finding that the broken catch had been repaired, then triple-checked the front-door locks. Once I was confident nobody was getting in without my knowing about it, I stripped out of my shirt and leggings, kicking my panties off and dumping my bra on top as I walked into the bathroom to start the shower. I shut the door behind me, not willing to let all that amazing steam disappear.
When the water was hot, I stepped inside and let out a groan of relief. Taking my time, I washed my hair, putting in a treatment while I shaved my legs. After I washed everything out, I stood under the spray for what must have been fifteen minutes, letting the spray pound at the muscles of my shoulders and neck.
When I stepped from the shower stall, I wrapped one towel around my head and the other around my body. I took a minute to look at myself in the mirror. For the first time in what felt like forever, I looked moderately well-rested.
I reached for the handle of the door but recoiled when a warning flashed in my brain. Looking down, I tried to figure out why my hand was red and beginning to blister. I looked back to the door, then noticed the smoke creeping in underneath the bottom of it. Snatching the hand towel from the side of the basin, I turned the knob on the bathroom door…
