Page 38 of Pretty Poison

“Maybe he can find some freelance work to cover expenses while he creates his own magic,” Felix suggested.

“That’s the goal,” Jonah said.

Rocky smiled as the solution came to him. “I know a guy.”

Felix snorted, and Jonah turned his obsidian gaze to Rocky. “Who?”

“Me,” he replied. “Our cyber caseload continues to rise, and I prefer fieldwork to feeling like I’m chained to my desk. I never thought I’d see the day when cyber cases exceed cheating spouses, but nowadays, a lot of the cheating is occurring over the internet.”

“Is emotional cheating grounds for divorce?” Felix asked.

Rocky quirked a brow. “How would you feel if you caught Jude jerking off in a video chat with some dude he met online? Would you feel like he was being unfaithful to you?”

Felix’s nostrils flared and he bared his teeth a little. “Yes.”

“I don’t know about the legal ramifications of virtual affairs because I’m not a lawyer. Maybe it won’t justify alimony payments or trigger a clause in their prenup, but it sure speaks to a person’s character.”

Felix whipped out his phone and began typing.

“What are you doing?” Rocky asked.

“I’m making sure Jude knows I will not tolerate him jacking off with some stranger online.” Unfortunately for Felix, Renee arrived with their food.

“You tell him, honey.” She waited for the guys to inspect their plates to make sure everything was okay before leaving them alone to eat.

“Those peacocks finally came around to liking him,” Felix said, typing even faster. “I’ll sic them on Jude’s nuts so fast he won’t even know what hit him.”

Rocky reached across the table and snagged Felix’s phone from his hand.

“Hey,” Felix said. “I wasn’t finished typing my message.”

“There’s no message to send,” Rocky said as he deleted every stupid letter. “I’m very sorry I used your relationship to illustrate my point. My intention wasn’t to start a fight over something Jude hasn’t even done.” Rocky returned the phone to Felix but jerked it back just as his friend reached for it. “Promise me you won’t send a stupid text when I’m not around to save you from yourself. That man is crazy about you.”

Felix smirked. “This reaction is a far cry from the one in the nightclub. Remember when you punched him in the mouth for breaking my heart?”

“That was before I knew how much Jude loves you,” Rocky replied. “Don’t fuck this up.”

Felix took a deep breath, then nodded. “Thanks, Major.”

“You’re welcome, Fee.”

His two best friends dug into their food. Rocky snagged a piece of this and a chunk of that off their plates every few minutes because it looked scrumptious, and he wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. Karen had explained to him that keeping his hands busy would help to distract his brain. He was pretty sure she hadn’t meant stuffing his face.

Daisy returned to their table once Renee had cleared their empty plates. She shooed Felix over and sat beside him. “I’ve been thinking about our Marla a lot lately, and I want to do something for her. She’s touched so many lives, and I want her to know it before—” Daisy shook her head, unable to finish. She didn’t need to. They all felt time slipping away from them.

Rocky, Jonah, and Felix all reached for her hands at the same time.

“We all took a solemn vow not to mourn her while she was still alive, right?” Daisy asked them.

“Yes,” the guys agreed.

“We didn’t say anything about not celebrating her life and all the fabulous ways she’s made us better people,” Daisy said.

Rocky smiled. “I like the way you think.”

“Me too,” Felix agreed.

“Yeah,” Jonah added, his voice thick with emotion.