Page 129 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Nox answered with a simple, “Yeah.”

“Yeah? Which one?”

It was time to change the subject. The fuck if he was telling Crew about Liyah. He’d never hear the end of it. “Any word on the indictments?”

“The AUSA is working on them. Are you still up for busting in some doors… And heads?”

“Always.” Especially after what those fuckers did to Sloane, Sapphire, Mel and Sadie.

They needed more than their heads busted in.

“Okay, I’ll make sure you’re on the list.”

“You on that list?” Nox asked the task force leader.

“I haven’t decided yet. I might leave it for the young-ins.”

“You’re not much older than me, Crewser.”

Crew’s head tipped to the side. “Isn’t your fortieth coming up soon?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna celebrate it?”

Actually, he’d prefer to ignore it. “By doing what?”

Crew shrugged, then got a look that made Nox brace for whatever came next. “I’d say strip club but the fuck if we’re going to The Peach Pit. Mel needs to get hers open soon so we have a decent place to go.”

“Decent? Strip club? Does that go hand-in-hand?”

Crew grinned. “When Mel’s running it, it does.”

That was true. Finn’s woman was a class act. She had treated the dancers she managed well and with respect. Nox had no doubt the club she opened would be successful and not a sleazy dump. Her clientele would be a higher class than the customers now patronizing the Demons-run strip joint.

“There’s always Heaven’s Angels in Shadow Valley,” Crew suggested with a smirk.

“I’ll pass on the strip club.”

“Maybe Jamison’s ol’ lady will bake you a tray of her stuffed cupcakes.”

He didn’t need cupcakes if Liyah was baking him a cake. “I’m good.”

“But I’m not. I want some fucking cupcakes.”

“Then go buy some,” Nox suggested.

“Why, when we can get Jamison to bring us some for free?”

Nox shook his head. “You’re a cheap motherfucker on top of being an asshole.”

Crew’s grin widened. “Oh good. Thought I was slipping there for a second. Thanks for the confirmation.”

“Anytime. If you want, I can put a reminder on my phone to call you a cheap motherfucking asshole once a day. Or do you want to hear it every hour? I can be flexible.”

Crew laughed and whacked him on the back. “What would we do without you, Hard Nox?” He turned and yelled, “Hey, Jamison! We need Bella to make a bunch of cupcakes for Nox’s birthday. He’s going to hit the big 4-0 soon! He said those stuffed Tiramisu cupcakes are his favorite!”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

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