Page 38 of Wild Night

“Shocker,” I grunt. “I would calm my shit, but there’s no way that is fucking possible,” I growl.

He doesn’t say anything else immediately. Instead, he walks away from the building and closes the distance between us, stopping directly in front of me. The old man is still in some damn good shape. I respect him too much to lay him out on the fucking ground, but that doesn’t mean I’m not tempted.

I’m really fucking tempted.

“We need a goddamn vice president,” I snap.

His lips twitch into a smirk as his eyes search mine for a moment. “Fucking women,” he mutters. “Clocked that girl the moment that red car pulled in, then watched as she unfolded from said red car in a matching sexy dress. Knew that bitch would turn your head.”

“Do you have a fucking point?” I ask.

He shakes his head. I can’t tell if he’s disappointed or frustrated with me. I don’t ask him because I’m afraid I won’t like the answer. Actually, I know I won’t like the answer. So I stay quiet.

“I do have a point. You need to calm your shit and think about this with a clear head.”

“Do you even know what is going on?” I ask.

There is a moment of silence while his gaze searches mine. When he takes half a step toward me, I’m not sure what he’s going to do. But what happens is something that I don’t imagine at all.

He wraps his arms around me in a hug, his fist slamming against the center of my back a few times before he breaks the hug. Before he steps backward, I feel his mouth against my ear, and that’s when he speaks.

“I know you fell hard for that girl. I know she’s gone. And I know you’re about to lose your fucking shit about it. But be smart, brother. Be fucking better than that shit. There is something brewing, and you don’t need to be messed up in it.”

“What if I want to be?” I ask.

He arches a brow but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he clears his throat and takes a step backward, his gaze searching mine. “You gotta make a decision about her. Is she the one?”

“I have to make that decision right now?” I ask.

“The time is now.”

I snort. “Fuck,” I hiss on a chuckle. “How can I be so goddamn mad yet laugh two seconds later?”

“Because I know you and everyone else here better than they know themselves.”

“So, what now?” I ask.

“Decide.”

Pressing my lips together, I think about ignoring this whole goddamn thing, fucking Lolita or Hazzard, maybe both, then moving on with my life. I don’t do any of that, even though I take a bit longer than I should to think about it before I respond.

“I want Posey,” I state. “But she’s in California, working for some crime syndicate that is a huge cocaine distributor, and has a fake husband.”

Shocker’s eyes widen, then he whistles before I continue. “The club there won’t do shit because they have a treaty of some sort with said syndicate. The husband is undercover and dirty as fuck. And she’s there. No doubt he is, too. And I can’t leave because I have three active cases I need to attempt to focus on.”

“Well, you’re in a goddamn pickle, ain’t you?” Shocker asks.

“That’s the fucking understatement of the goddamn century.”

Shocker snorts. “I got no skin in the game. However, I do know the club out there. Well, at least their fathers,” he says with a chuckle. “Let me help.”

“In California?” I ask.

“In California.”

Silence passes between us. I cannot believe that this man is offering what he is. But then I remember Dakota. He loves her. He would do anything to make her happy. This must be for her.

“Can you take anyone with you?”

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