Page 108 of Devil's Claim

“Well,” Christine mused. “I did have something to do with that. We’re meeting with a couple of the officials at the store later today for a final inspection. Or at least that’s what Genevieve mentioned.”

“Let me guess. You have a bottle of Krug Champagne on ice waiting for the moment.”

“Oh, I assure you Genevieve hired a caterer to provide a few treats.”

For some reason, I bristled. “Genevieve knows what she’s doing. However, I don’t think I need to tell you that some politicians and city officials are corrupt.”

She coughed as if it was a surprise, but I could tell by her eyes she knew exactly what she was doing. “You need to trust me more than you do. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know all about corruption since I had a firsthand seat.”

“Somewhere close to being born yesterday.” I didn’t want to leave her alone. Yes, she’d be in good hands, yet heading to Mexico was the last thing I wanted to do. The timing was bad. The optics in my mind were even worse.

The light touch as she patted her hands against my chest reminded me just how precarious our relationship truly was. “Okay. So you’re an old man. I think you still have a few kickass moves left in you.”

Without hesitation, I smacked her ass, which earned me a yelp. The delight in hearing the sound was just another dig, another reason I didn’t want to get on that plane. “Just remember who you belong to.”

“That’s right.” Her eyes rolled and she backed away as soon as she heard little footsteps. “A man determined to break me.”

The sparring was constant, but the tone entirely different. My little force to be reckoned with was coming into her own. Controlling her would become even more difficult. Not that I wanted to squelch her resistance or her defiance.

At least not completely.

I adored the challenge.

Even if I was a man determined to win every battle.

Maverick came bounding into the room, heading straight for his mother. The real joy in Christine’s eyes was in seeing her son’s bright eyes.

I’d yet to tell her I’d heard from a trusted connection that the Miami police were in search of her location for questioning regarding her son’s disappearance and murder of her former boyfriend. At some point, it was possible I’d need to deal with the situation personally, especially with the thought of heading to New York. For now, I’d keep a watchful eye, but it had become apparent the Miami DA was in the pocket of the Worthington family.

Power within Miami government was wielded in the votes of the people. That didn’t mean there weren’t ways of manipulating the voters. I knew that all too well. In learning the art of limited finesse, the first act had been to unilaterally rein in the Spanish government, members of law enforcement included.

While certain loyalties remained with other cartels and crime syndicates, very few crossed the lines of organized crime to try to annihilate other crime families. That just wasn’t done. Risky to life and property.

But in New York, I wouldn’t need to worry about pissing in someone’s backyard. I’d simply provide a harsh warning to stay the fuck away from my woman.

However, I had mentioned to Genevieve that along with Christine’s married identity, a new look might be necessary if only through this course of action with Fassi.

“Mommy. Look what I colored for you!” Maverick ran into the room so eagerly, jumping up and down as he handed her a picture he’d been working on.

“Oh, my goodness. You are a little artist,” she cooed and couched down, her face beaming. “That is beautiful. Would you like to show Kruz how fantastic you are?”

Maverick nodded excessively. “Dah.”

As soon as he turned toward me, his eyes grew wide. Likely, the kid thought he was looking at a monster.

He was.

I knelt, offering a smile. A few seconds of thinking and he finally lumbered toward me. As he presented the picture to me, Christine was watching intently. “That is incredible.”

He giggled. “Can we go for ice cream later?” I was amazed at his vocabulary. Maybe I didn’t know a lot about children, but I could easily tell the little man was highly intelligent.

“Hey, little guy. We’ll see, but Kruz is leaving on a trip, so it’ll just be you and me.” She rose to her feet, rubbing her hands on her pants. Another flash of nervousness clouded her face.

“Where ya goin’?”

“To a place where the sun never shines. Very ugly.”

“Can I go?”