Page 30 of Hell In A Handbasket
“Sophia!”
“So, I was invited to this wedding in the middle of nowhere, and I didn’t want to drive all this way.”
“The fu?—”
“I knew if I got you out here, I’d get New York, too. And they have a plane.”
“Time to cool this down.” Jay slinks between me and his wife. “Hormones are syncing, and girly moods are escalating.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I fist his shirt and toss him out of the way. “You got me out here for a free ride? You told Felix we were in danger FOR A FREE RIDE?”
“You’re escalating an already tense situation, Chief.” Spence tries next, pressing just a single finger to my arm. It’s a boundary, but without actually manhandling me. In the spirit ofnotescalating shit. “This is why we eat before tempers get out of control.”
“Take your fucking hand off her.” Archer steps between us and wraps his palm around Spencer’s wrist. Firm, but waiting. Holding, without yanking. “Now.”
“There’s no DB, is there, Sophia? None at all.”
“Technically…” She pushes off her stool and comes around to break Archer’s grip on Spencer. She splits them, then stands between. “No. There’s no DB.”
“There will be in a minute!” I dive forward with my fist balled. “I’m gonna destroy you!”
Quick as a flash, Archer sweeps me up and places himself between me and her. “Can’t let you fight, Minnnka. I don’t know how to handle that situation.”
“Let me go!” I try to peel his hands off my torso, folding his fingers back and bending his wrist. “You had a million options, Sophia! A million other choices thatdidn’tinclude pulling Fletch away from his child. Debbie away from the safety of her delivery team. Me away from my office.”
“My name is Christabelle,” Christabelle huffs. “Not Debbie.”
Sophia snorts. “It’s cute how you put the office last, like you think we don’t already know about your unhealthy obsession with work.”
“Cato’s out there getting beat up by a chick! And Micah left Tiia in New York, because he thought he was flying toward danger. All for what?Yourfamily vacation?”
“Why’d you pack an entire arsenal, then?” Felix demands. “Why bring so much firepower?”
“You came for me.” Aubree brushes past Tim and stops beside me. Her shoulder to mine. Her hand on my arm. Jesus, she has this ability to suck the rage right out of my body and replace it with… calm. Then she oh-so-easily parts the sea of men and glares at a sheepish Sophia. “All of this was for me?”
And there goes my peace. “You didn’t!”
“You want my mind reader?” Felix snarls. “She’s ours!”
“If you just let me run some tests, I’ll leave you alone. I have an experimental headset. It won’t even hurt,” Soph explains. “I just wanna see what you see, Emeri. Just for a minute. Then I’m done.”
“I’m gonna kill her!” I dive again, fists first, and swing. “You’re gonna die, Sophia!”
ARCHER
Minka paces. Paces. Paces. Muttering under her breath and flexing her hands. She has an entire argument with herself, grumbling and swearing, gritting her teeth and angrily whipping loose hair off her reddened face. When her pacing takes her to the corner of the building beside the diner, she turns and comes back this way.
And all along, I stand guard, arms folded, shoulders back, and ears pricked for so much as a fucking whisper from Sophia Solomon. Because Minka ain’t ready to make nice yet.
“She fabricated an entire case because I said she couldn’t have Aubree!” She spins and stalks along the sidewalk. “She sent over a case file, Archer! She mobilized half her army, and fucked overallof the Malones. She’s got Debbie stress-eating, and Fletch is about to stress-shout all over Fifi again. Even though they’ve just started being nice to each other.”
“When you’ve walked away the anger, we can break it down and discuss it.”
“I don’t want to walk away the anger! I want to punch her in the freakin’ face.”
“Well…” It’s cute, in a way. Adorable, actually, that she’s ready to destroy the most powerful fucking enemy I’ve ever known. And really, theonlyreason I’m able to call it cute is because Soph’s soldiers aren’t here to fight us.
They’re here to stop Minka from starting a war.
