Page 166 of Dark Endures

The neanderthal part of me wants to shout no and pull her closer to me. The reasonable part steps back, allowing him a dance.

Mindy doesn’t collapse into his body like she does mine.

That will have to be enough for now. I wander over to the bar to see if they have any decent beer.

“Locke, just the man I wanted to talk to.” Filmore steps into my path.

Too bad I never want to talk to you. “What can I do for you?”

“I like that attitude. You’re going to fit so well into this family. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about a business matter. Over the generations, we’ve learned that the only one you can trust is family. I can’t tell you how excited I was to find out you were joining me. Ethan probably won’t be too happy about losing you.”

Ethan will always be my mentor and friend. There’s nothing that could break that bond. But there’s no point in trying to convince you of that.

“My grandson, Joseph, is a brilliant man when it comes to developing weapons. But he lacks one thing: experience.He knows how to handle himself, but he hasn’t ever seen the realities of war like you have. He doesn’t know what it means to be in the thick of battle when you question whether you’ll live or die. That was one experience that I just couldn’t give him.”

How many could you? Because I got the distinct impression Joseph knows how to kill a man.

“I was thinking we could use a man like you in weapon development. You would work side by side with him. Helping to foresee obstacles in design before we hit the manufacturing stage. Of course, the pay will be lucrative. None of my family ever has to worry about money.”

Does he really not understand how much I’m worth?

“If your hesitation is because of that little pet project of yours, the family would like to ensure you have what you need to focus on what’s important. Would a five-million-dollar donation help those sweet children?”

Stay away from my children and my neighborhood. “I’ll think about your offer.” While I figure out what to do to avoid it.

“That’s all I can ask.” Filmore pats me on the back. “We’ll be in touch. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

That feels like less than a subtle threat.

***

“Do your feet hurt as much as mine?” Mindy toes off the heels she’s been wearing all day.

“I didn’t have to wear a torture device.”

“True. But they do make our legs look good.”

You won’t see me, or any other sane man, deny that.

“I could sleep for a week after this.” She yawns.

And that’s what we’ll do as soon as I get you home. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed? Take the bathroom first.” I take a fifth of the time she does, so I usually get it first.

“Okay.” She yawns through the word. “You didn’t tell me you were such a good dancer.”

Another gift from Emilia. “You never asked.”

“I should ask you more questions.” She plucks flowers out of her hair, tossing them on the nightstand as she passes it.

“I look forward to it.” And getting to know everything about you.

In all this time, I haven’t found out what was making you afraid enough that Fea made me hire you. That conversation we’re going to have soon needs to be a big one. But tonight Mindy getting rest is the priority.

“Maddox,” Mindy shouts from the bathroom a little while later. “I need your help.”

Did she pop one of her stitches open? I rush in to find a completely dressed woman with frustration written across her face, staring back at me through the mirror. “What’s wrong?” I don’t see any blood.

“I can’t get the buttons undone. They put these stupid decorative buttons over the corset. I had help getting dressed this morning, but no matter how I twist, I can’t get them undone. And now my ribs are killing me.”

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