Page 175 of With Us

“Sammy owns ‘Ring Around the Tub’. It’s a cleaning business, but it’s really a cover for what he does. If he’s ever caught in the building before or after, it gives him an excuse. Like tonight, he was able to tell the cops they were cleaning, and Susan confirmed her real estate company hired them to do that.”

“What does Gabe have to do with it?”

“All those details are his doing. He’s meticulous.”

“And the rodents?” I fought a shiver.

“A rat. A human one, scum as he may be.” Theo rubbed his jaw, something I noticed he did when he was really pissed. “We have a couple police officers who keep an ear out for us. We don’t ask them to do more, and in exchange we clear away some garbage they can’t touch. After Larson, one of those detectives called Luc because they’d gotten a tip.”

“What kind?”

“Basically, the exact time and location I was supposed to be paying the senator a visit. Only I’d moved the time so I could get back to you.”

That’s almost sweet.

“Not everyone knew that,” he continued, “so the rat gave them the original time. We were careful, but it’s never one hundred percent. If pushed to investigate further, I couldn’t guarantee the cops wouldn’t have found something to tie me or Luc to Larson’s death. Especially since the rat kept calling, threatening to go to the news.”

“So you took that deal to say you were on the other side of the city,” I stated as that piece of the puzzle locked in place.

Theo nodded. “You know how Astaire let Bull come after him, waiting for just the right time to fight back?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing with the rat. Keeping my eyes and ears open, waiting for him to fuck up.” He turned into the driveway.

“What’re you going to do?”

“I’m sure Luc is digging now to see if he can find anything. Otherwise, I toe the line a little closer and wait for the fucker to get impatient.”

“And then?” I asked as he turned off the car.

Shifting toward me, he shook his head. “Don’t ask me questions if you don’t want the answer.”

“And then?” I repeated.

He sighed, rubbing his hand down his face before looking at me. The interior of the car was dark, only the moonlight allowing me to see the fury in his eyes. They blazed with fire and hatred, a promise of wrath.

Even though it wasn’t directed at me, I couldn’t stop my sharp intake of breath.

“And then I use him to set an example,” Theo said, his words a promise. “No one causes you pain.” His nostrils flared, his lip curling in a sneer. “No one fucks with us.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lederhosen Unicorn

Dahlia

“Want to go get Christmas stuff?”

Looking up from my book, I saw Theo push away from his desk and stretch.

On days when I had no plans, which was most of them, I went into Amaric with Theo if he was working from there. Sometimes he used his home office, but usually he was out at meetings all day. Even then, he popped home when he could.

“Wasn’t Thanksgiving just like a week ago?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It’s December.”

“Yeah, the first.”

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