Page 8 of The Criminal’s Cure

My entire job is based on my ability to read people. To pick up on their cues. Read between the lines and anticipate their every word and move.

So saying I was a little thrown off when Madison didn’t graciously jump at my offer is an understatement.

Usually, my encounters with women go one of two ways.

They’re either paralyzed with fear of me, or falling all over themselves trying to impress me.

Either way, it’s pretty easy to get them to do whatever the hell I want, but Madison is different.

She has no business getting to me like she does.

With those big doe eyes and hotter-than-sin body, she’s as irritating as she is gorgeous, but it’s her personality that’s got me by the balls.

The wit, the stubbornness, the brilliance.

She’s clearly not my biggest fan, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the challenge.

And besides, sometimes hate sets the stage for some mean sexual tension.

Maybe it’s the emotion of the day getting to me, or maybe I just haven’t gotten laid in a while, but regardless, I’m already thinking things I know I shouldn’t.

Madison Taylor is in my head, and it’s a fucking problem.

I don’t like feeling out of control, so I turn to what I know for a distraction.

“What do we know so far?” Ty is fast asleep on the couch by the time I get back into the living room. Joe and Dante sit next to him, totally entranced by the new Smurfs movie.

At the sound of my voice, they both bolt up in a pathetic attempt to make me think they weren’t slacking off. I gesture to the kitchen, wanting to have this conversation away from Ty.

“Dante has a call in to Chief Howes to see if we can get our hands on some of the evidence. These guys knew exactly what they were doing. It was such a public place that it’s almost impossible for us to investigate ourselves.”

“Isn’t that what I pay Howes for?” I growl. The guy has been on our payroll for the last five years, and his only job is to give me what I need when I need it and keep the force off my ass.

Joe lets out a heavy breath. “I don’t think I need to remind you of all the red tape there is with this.

It was a park in the middle of summer. There were hundreds of witnesses and three people were killed.

Not to mention we don’t have anything concrete to prove that they were targeting you specifically, or if it was completely random. ”

I bite back my laughter. A coincidence? Is he serious? “My kid gets hit on the anniversary of his mother’s death and you’re going to go with coincidence ?”

“We just need to be careful, Roman. Let’s see what Howes comes back with, and will explore other avenues in the meantime.”

“Look into La Eme. See if you can find any local groups they’ve got that we don’t know about. I was on the…” A visceral memory hits me when I think about that phone call with Leo, and my chest tightens with guilt. I was distracted when Ty got hit, and that will haunt me forever.

“What?” Joe looks at me, confused why I trailed off mid-sentence.

“Leo thinks that La Eme carried out the attack on Talia. I was talking to him when the shooting started.”

“If they came after Talia, then I think it’s safe to assume that this was them, too,” Dante says.

“We’re not doing anything based on assumptions,” I remind him. “Get me something I can use.”

Joe doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t have to be.

I’m the one that calls the shots around here.

I know that Joe and the rest of my men are perfectly capable of finding these guys and making them pay with everything they’ve got.

It isn’t about that, though. This is personal, and I want whoever it is for myself.

“Is Madison staying?” Dante asks.

“She’s still thinking about it.”

“For the record, I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Joe quips.

“And I still don’t care.”

Joe chuckles, his eyes trained on me. “She’s a first-year resident with close to zero experience, Roman. The only reason she’s still here is because she’s smoking hot.”

Without hesitation, I pull my gun out and aim it squarely at Joe. “Would you to just get the fuck to work? You’re on my last nerve.”

“Okay, okay.” Joe chuckles, not phased in the slightest. “Let’s go, Dante. I think we’ve had enough gunshot wounds for one day.”

“Maybe,” Dante snickers. “But at least now Roman has a naughty nurse to fix us if he ever does actually shoot.”

“Now!” I bellow, raking my fingers through my hair. Dante and Joe are my best friends, closer to me than my own brother, but I’m not in any mood to joke around. The possibility of losing Ty today was too much, and my nerves are absolutely fried.

Ty wrestles in the other room, and I go to him, Dante and Joe following close behind.

“Hey bud.” I smile. The dark leather creaks as I sit next to him. He already looks better after a little rest and some meds.

“How are you feeling, munchkin?” Joe ruffles Ty’s hair.

“Hungry.” Ty beams, loving all the attention. He seems so much better, and maybe I’ll talk to Maddie about taking out the IV when she comes down. If she comes down.

“That’s my guy.” Joe laughs. “I’ll bring Sarah by to see you tomorrow. Think you might be up for that?”

After Talia died, Joe’s wife became my default babysitter. I don’t like to leave him very often, but when I absolutely have to, she’s about the only person I trust. Plus, Ty adores her and they’ve gotten pretty close over the last few months.

“Good deal.” Joe grins and then turns to me. “I’ll be at the office for the next few hours, but call me if you need anything. Do you want me to have Sarah bring something over for dinner?”

“No, we’ll be fine. Thanks, though. Let me know if you hear from Howes.”

“You’ll be my first call.” Joe raises his hand to his forehead in a sarcastic salute, and the two leave.

“How does a hamburger sound?” I asked Ty.

“And fries?” He raises an eyebrow at me. At six, the kid is already a negotiator and I don’t know if I should be proud or scared.

“I think I can manage that. Why don’t you lay back down and I’ll go make us some?”

“Deal.” Ty snuggles back into the couch and I pull the blanket over him.

I don’t have a lot in my cooking arsenal, but burgers are my specialty.

The last time I made them though was for Talia’s birthday.

Both of our families came over, and despite her and I having a gruesome fight earlier in the day about getting Ty away from the Mafia, we put on brave faces for the party.

The memory stings worse tonight than ever before.

I don’t want to think about it anymore today, so I try to distract myself while I cook. The problem is, the only thing that works is thinking about Madison, and that gets me just as riled up, but for an entirely different reason.

What the hell is taking so long? Any normal person would have jumped at the chance I handed her, but she’s made me wait all afternoon. I should go up there and demand an answer from her, but before I get the chance, I hear something behind me.

“Ahem.” She clears her throat, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes.

“Hey.”

“I’ve thought about it, and I’ll take your deal.

” Her shoulders slump a bit this evening, and she isn’t glaring at me quite as viciously as she was earlier.

The air isn’t friendly, but it isn’t all out combative, so I consider that progress.

We’ve got some work to do if we’re going to have a relationship—professional or otherwise.

“Great,” I say all too quickly.

“But I’ve got some conditions.”

I rub my chin, trying to pinpoint when exactly I let her think that this was a negotiation. Compromise isn’t really in my nature, but I want her to take the job.

“Which are?”

“My work at the hospital has to come first. I’ve worked too hard to slack on it now. I know emergencies usually come up without warning, but that has to be my priority.”

“Sure.” I nod. “I’ll work around your schedule as best I can.” It’s not like I want to keep her cooped up here like some kind of Beauty and the Beast shit. I’ll have to send someone to watch over things when she’s at the hospital, though, just in case.

“And if you’re serious about this, you need to promise me you’ll defer to me for medical care. Especially Ty’s. You’re paying me because I know what I’m doing, and you can’t argue with me every step of the way.”

A protest dies on my lips, because she’s right. I’ll have to get used to taking orders instead of just dishing them out.

“Anything else?”

“Yes, actually. I don’t know what kind of world you live in where abducting someone is okay, but that’s not the way this is going to be.

If I’m staying, I want to come and go as I please.

” She crosses her arms over her chest, and the move pushes her perfect tits up in a punishing way.

It’s better than when she was running around in her running shorts and low cut tank, but she’s got the kind of body that looks good in anything.

I force my gaze up, bracing myself against the counter’s edge.

“Today didn’t play out how I wanted to by any means, but I was desperate and I’m sorry.

You can come and go as you want, but safety is my top priority.

This position is in my most trusted circle of advisers, so security is non-negotiable.

Whether you’re at work, home, or out, I’ll have someone with you.

Most times, you won’t even know they’re there, but this is as much for your protection as it is for ours. ”

Madison’s eyes darken with the potential of what getting involved with my group actually means for her. I hold my hand out to her. “We’ve got a deal?”

“Yes.” She swallows, shaking my hand. A spark surges through my body at the connection, rocking me more than it should. She must feel something, too, because she holds on for a few seconds longer than necessary before pulling away, flustered and on edge.

“Are you hungry?” I ask, attempting to diffuse the awkwardness between us. “I’m making burgers for Ty and I and I can easily throw another on the grill.”

“Ty can’t eat that. He’s been through a lot today, and he needs to be on a liquid diet the next few days.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. The kid is sitting up and…”

Madison’s face sharpens. She doesn’t have to say a word for me to know what she’s thinking.

Defer to her.

“Fine.” I sigh, handing her the plate I made for Ty. “I hope you’re not a vegetarian because someone is going to have to eat all this food. And Ty definitely won’t be happy with his new nurse.”

“ Doctor ,” she corrects. “I’m his new doctor .”

She takes the plate as a taunting smirk flares on her full, pink lips.

“Right. Sorry.” I turn to the freezer for two reasons—to get some fruit out for Ty’s smoothie and to cool myself off before things get too far.

If the doctor keeps looking at me the way she is, we’re going to have some serious issues.