Page 42 of A Taste For Trouble

“Don’t yell at me, Dominic,” she said coldly. “I was at my own house, and that is not a crime. How did you know about the sniper?”

“Logan spotted him up the tree and warned me he was aiming at a window. Again, it didn’t take a genius to deduce that you were standing there, giving him a clear shot at you. And you still haven’t explained why you lied to me. You could have told me what you were doing.”

“And would you still have allowed me to do it?”

“Of course, not,” I replied immediately.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you where I was going,” she said, with a shrug.

“You almost got killed, Rose,” I roared loud enough to rattle the windowpanes.

Sweetpea and Scary Mary scattered in fear, but Rose merely crossed her arms across her chest and glared up at me with no sign of remorse.

“I’m sick of waiting for Joe to show up, Dom. My life is in limbo right now, and I hate it. I want to find the damned drugs, give them back to the people who own them, and get on with my life. Is that too much to ask?”

“We’re doing our best to find Joe Cheney. And I’ve learned that you cannot negotiate with the cartel. You either do what they tell you to do, or you fight back with equal force.”

“What choice do we have left now?”

“We’re fighting back now, Rose. They just shot at you, even though we’ve made it clear to them that you’re my girlfriend and I’m now going to show them a world of pain,” I vowed.

They could have left Rose out of this, but they hadn’t, and now they were going to face the consequences of their folly.

“What can you do?” she asked worriedly.

The Carlisle Foundation was the biggest contributor to the Maplewood Police Department’s funds. And it was time to call in some favours.

“Got the Police Commissioner on the line for you, boss,” said Trevor, coming into the room with a phone.

“MacNeil, nice to hear from you, man. Yes, we’re both fine, thank you for asking. Well, you know how it is. We just saw a man in a tree, who escaped before my guys could catch up with him. I’m going to need your help finding him, my friend. If I’m correct, it’s someone on the payroll of the Luigi cartel.”

I narrated all that had happened since Rose broke up with Joe Cheney, and that’s all it took to get him on our team.

“I’ll send an officer over immediately to take down a formal report, Dominic. We’ll get your guy soon. Both of them, in fact,” he promised.

After I ended the call, Rose walked over to me and stood staring up at me hesitantly. I opened my arms and she flew into them. I held her tightly, shuddering at the thought of having almost lost her forever today. If I hadn’t shoved her out of the way just in time… If my sudden appearance hadn’t thrown the sniper off his game…so many ifs.

She kissed my gunshot wound softly and then pulled my head down to her and kissed me deeply.

“I’m really sorry I lied about where I was going,” she whispered against my lips. “I was just trying to help. It’s my house. I thought I could find the hidden stash, even if your team couldn’t. I didn’t know the cartel really meant to kill me.”

“There’s no reasoning with people like them, babe. Still, they will soon learn what happens when you mess with the wrong man. Logan’s team is digging up confidential informants willing to rat on them for various reasons. Soon, they will see their supply chains getting hit by cops, and their dealers and parties getting raided far too often. Maplewood PD is going to partner with the DEA to come down hard on the drug scene in and around us. We aren’t going to let the cartels take over our town.”

There was a knock at the door, and we turned as one. Rose gasped in surprise when she saw my mother standing in the doorway, her sharp gaze taking in the fact that her goddaughter was wrapped up in my arms.

CHAPTER 21

ROSE

Iwas suddenly nervous because I had never given a thought to how my relationship with Dom would affect my relationship with Anthea.

Sure, she loved me like a daughter, but did she think I was good enough for her son? I hadn’t thought about that, and as she stood staring at us, I realised that maybe I should have.

Thankfully, Anthea gave us a delighted grin and held her arms out to me.

“He’s finally seen the light,” she exclaimed, and I ran into her arms.

She hugged me tightly and cast a sharp eye all over me.