He huffs a laugh. “Yeah, it was.”
I take in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. Blue shifts closer, and I run my hand down his back.
I look over at Dan again. He’s staring out the window—blue skies fill the glass. “I am sorry about Consuela. She might change her mind,” I say.
Dan’s jaw tightens. “Maybe,” he says, his voice hiding something.
“What?” I ask. He shakes his head. “Come on, Dan. I told you stuff.”
He smiles, turning back to me. “Yeah, that you’re going full poly on me.”
“Whatever,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I’m not labeling myself. I’m just being honest.”
“I get that, I do.”
“That’s all Consuela is doing too. I know she loves you. She risked everything to be with you.”
“Well, she isn’t anymore.”
“Maybe she just needs time.”
“What she needs is me.” Dan says it with such finality I almost believe him.
“That’s on her, though.”
“I know.” Dan’s voice is harsh. “You know I know that.”
“Good…so you’re not going full stalker on her.”
“She keeps a paper diary.” Dan says the word paper as if it’s his arch-nemesis.
“Smart girl.”
“Yeah…she is. I think she’s taking a job in Senator Jackson’s office.”
“Senator Eunice Jackson?” My mind runs around gathering the information I have stored about her. A Californian, liberal but tough. There was talk of her running for President…same as Consuela’s ex, Richard Chiles. They are both on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
When I asked Robert to help me pass legislation legalizing sex work, we went to Richard. The bill is being researched now. Robert calls it my wedding gift. I call it justice.
Turned out Richard, Consuela’s ex and Robert’s “man,” was a complete asshole. I know, shocker. He was involved in the kidnapping of Consuela’s niece—as a way to protect Robert.
That’s the thing about my husband. He is so powerful that people are willing to do anything to protect him. If he falls, so do they…
Wait.
My mind trips over itself trying to sort through the thoughts all rushing at once.
Robert Maxim’s power protects him.
He protects powerful people.
If we’re all trapped in some kind of complex web, Robert is the fucking spider. Shit. I’m in love with the problem.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A balmy breeze pulls strands of hair free from my ponytail and lazily brushes them around my face as I watch the small aircraft land. Merl is onboard, and I can’t wait to see him.
We’ve been on the island for one day. It’s the most substantial element of a tiny Pacific archipelago, owned by Joyful Justice—the vigilante network Merl helped found and I now help run—and used as our operations base.
The airstrip runs across some of the only flat landscape. The rest of the island is dominated by a mountain: an extinct volcano a paranoid billionaire turned into a hotel-style bunker residence in preparation for the end of the world. He died before his envisioned apocalypse and Joyful Justice bought the island.
Before doing so, we brought in a team of volcanologists for an unusual kind of home inspection. After a careful investigation, they assured us that the volcano was no longer active, though they could not make similar promises about some of the surrounding islands. That uncertainty probably worked to our benefit, scaring away other potential buyers.
The irony that a billionaire built our hideaway prepping for an ending, and we got it for a song, with plans for a new beginning, doesn’t escape me entirely.
Merl appears at the top of the steps, framed by the arched doorway of the private plane. Wearing a black suit, thin tie, and dark sunglasses, his long tight curls tied in a man bun, and flanked by his Doberman Pinschers, the man cuts one hell of a figure. Wind whips along the runway, flapping his suit jacket and exposing the shimmering black satin lining.
When I wave, a grin takes over his face, exposing the gap between his front teeth. Merl jogs down the stairs, his three dogs trailing behind him. He moves like the martial arts master he is, fluid and graceful.
We embrace. The scent of him fills my senses, the warmth of him settles my nerves, and the strength of him lends me a little of his confidence. “Thanks for coming,” I say.
Merl leans back, looking down at me. My smiling face reflects in his sunglasses. I’m rounder and softer than I’ve ever been. More vulnerable than I could ever imagine.
“I’m always here for you. You know that, Sydney.”
I smile and nod, ducking my head to hide the stinging behind my eyes. Damn pregnancy hormones turning me into a freaking fountain of emotion over here.
