Page 74 of Lawbreaker

“Teddy?” Ben asked.

Tony nodded. He drew in a sharp breath. “Well, back to square one and more backup.”

“No problem,” Ben said. “I’ll line up the troops.”

When they were back in the car, Odalie slid closer to Tony. “Can I ask?” she said.

He picked her up and cradled her against him, lounging back on the seat. “I was talking to a fed,” he explained. “If you do that, and you don’t tell the appropriate people, it can bring down unwanted attention on you.”

She just nodded. “But you’re all right, now?” she asked, all eyes.

He smiled slowly, looking into her eyes. “I’m all right.” He bent and kissed the top of her head. “I have to stop by the gallery. You can come with me.”

She smiled, cradled against his jacket. “Okay.”

He smoothed over her long silky blond hair. His heartbeat was audible at her ear, strong and fast. She closed her eyes. “Coffee and dessert was lovely.”

“I like cappuccino.”

“Hmm. Me, too.”

He cuddled her close and sighed as she melted into him. “Hey, Ben, drive around the backstreets for a little while, okay? Give us time to digest lunch.”

“You bet, boss!”

Tony smoothed his big hand over Odalie’s soft hair. “Sleepy?”

She nodded.

He kissed the top of her head again. “Go to sleep. We’re in no hurry.”

She smiled and curled into his body, her cheek against his soft shirt under the jacket, her hand flat on the hard, strong beat of his heart.

Phillip James called Brock Peters into his office and closed the door.

He was fuming. He handed the man an unsealed card. “Look at that!”

It was a sympathy card. Peters would love to have laughed out loud at the sheer brass it took, but he didn’t dare. His boss was bombed out on drugs half the time. You never knew which way he’d jump if he was upset.

“He’s taunting me! You see that? He’s taunting me!”

“You had it sent to the lab yet?”

“Of course I did, you think I’m stupid?” he raged. “No prints, nothing that could lead us back to Garza, but I know it’s him!”

“It’s just a card...”

“It’s a taunt!” He slammed the card down on the desk. “I never should have sent that stupid kid to take on Garza. He didn’t know what he was talking about. You don’t just walk into those places and do business.”

“I guess that kid watched too many old gangster movies.”

“Yes, and now Garza knows it was me behind it!”

“What can he do, huh?” Peters asked. “Listen, boss, what can he do? He thought he had the senator in the clear, but we found out about his daughter, so he’s right back in your pocket. Garza’s got nothing.”

“Everett.” He almost spat the name. “He knows. He sent a photograph he got from God knows where to the senator and asked him to call for an investigation. If I didn’t have something good on the old man...”

“Lucky you did,” Brock replied.