Page 113 of The Hardest Hit

“Dinner will be served in five minutes,” said Theo. “I have put the portraits of the old Mr. Deveraux in the wine cellar.”

“Really? With the wine?” asked Evan, feeling pained.

“Not to worry, Mr. Deveraux. I have turned him to the wall, so as not to make vinegar.”

Aiden began to laugh and Dominique nudged him so hard he slipped off the brocade fabric of the couch and fell on the floor.

“Five minutes,” repeated Theo, looking disapprovingly at Aiden, and shut the door.

Eleanor sighed and held the glass of scotch to her forehead. “I do not how I shall cope if Theo starts making jokes. I really don’t.”

“I’m not sure that was a joke,” said Evan. “Well,” he said looking around at his family, “shall we go into dinner?”

“Yes,” said Olivia, smiling up at him, “I’m starved.”

39

Olivia – All Along the Way

“How did it go with Leona?” asked Olivia. Evan grunted and chopped the vegetables faster. “That good?”

“It went fine. I told her that if she had any more clever ideas about blackmail and photographs that I’d burn her to Fetish. She told me to go fuck myself, but in the end, she agreed.”

“You think she’ll stick to it?”

“Yes,” said Evan. “I do. She needs Fetish, and if they found out, they’d blackball her across the city and probably a lot of other places. I also reminded her that I know how she passes all her inside trading tips to Bob Degrossier, which gives me Bob’s nuts in a vice as well as hers. She’s not going to do anything if she wants to keep her money.”

“I can’t get used to the idea that…”

“That what?” he asked looking up.

“Well, that all of you Deverauxes are so… I mean, Aiden’s so goofy, Dominique is so sweet, and Jackson tries to pretend like he’s a grown-up, but he really isn’t. I just can’t get used to the idea that you’re all such…”

“Conniving monsters?” supplied Evan.

“Well, those weren’t the words I was going to use,” said Olivia.

“And that is one of the things I love about you,” said Evan. He put the vegetables in the pot and came around the kitchen island to kiss her and, because it was Naked Tuesday, feel her up.

“Am I safe at second base?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

“You could probably make it to third,” she said. “Assuming you washed your hands after the onion.” He laughed but didn’t take the option. “Hey, speaking of awkward conversations. You’ll never guess who I talked to today.”

“With that as a lead-in, I’m scared to know,” Evan said.

“The district attorney’s office. They no longer need our testimony.”

“What do you mean? I talked to them last month and they were still saying they were going to prosecute!” Evan was looking annoyed in a way that didn’t bode well for Glen.

“They don’t have to. They finally ran his DNA and it came back as a match for four open rape and assault cases. He ended up taking a plea deal and he’s going to prison for like six years.”

“Oh,” said Evan, looking surprised. “That’s good. I didn’t want to have to buy his condo.”

“Were you going to do that?” asked Olivia, surprised.

“Well, I didn’t want to. But I can’t have him around here. It seemed like one of the viable solutions.”

Olivia was about to speak when they heard a knocking at the front door. They stared at each other.