Page 9 of The Sinner’s Touch (Manwhore #2)
“Do you have anywhere you can go for a few days?” Bailey started scribbling down notes.
“I’ve already arranged it.” Kade cracked his knuckles. “I also called my boss and requested assistance. I can’t keep up the pace I was and keep Angel safe.”
“Does it matter if I don’t want your protection?”
“Nope.” Kade flashed her a grin. “You’re my burden to deal with.”
“Burden?” Angel bellowed, all indignant outrage.
Kade watch her cheeks burn a deep cherry red. He knew without looking he could follow it all the way down her neck toward the sensitive patch of skin between her breasts.
“Children, let’s focus.” Bailey attempted to stop the argument before it began, but Kade suppressed a laugh. Bailey was in for it.
“So now I’m a child because I don’t want an overbearing ass trying to dictate what I do?
” She stabbed her finger with each step she took, until Bailey was backed up against the wall, looking a little terrified.
“Who the fuck do you think you are to call me a child? I’ve had a face-to-face confrontation with a serial killer and then come home to find he’s invaded my apartment, all the while having to deal with that bastard over there.
I think I have earned the right to be angry. Don’t you?”
Bailey nodded emphatically. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Then shut the fuck up!” She turned and stormed off toward her bedroom.
“Get some clothes while you’re back there!” The string of curses that followed her up the hallway made Kade laugh out loud. Damn, but he’d missed her.
“Sweet Mary, Mother of God.” Bailey let out a whistle. “Our resident serial killer would return her within the hour.”
“He’ll never get that close.” And if he did, it would be the last thing he ever did.
“So…she’s your wife? I didn’t know you were married.”
He shrugged. “I forgot.”
“How do you forget you’re married?”
“Quite easily when there’s nothing but bad memories attached to it,” he murmured, his eyes landing on a picture of Angel and Peter.
One of the forensic guys yelled for Bailey, and the detective moved out of the living room and down the hall, leaving Kade to peruse Angel’s pictures.
The one of her parents on their wedding day sat in the middle of the small mantel.
The one of her and Peter sat to the left, and he picked it up.
It had been taken in the living room of their parents’ home.
He had so many good memories in that house.
His phone blared out a Linkin Park song, and he fumbled it out of his pocket. “What?”
“You’re a cranky bastard tonight.”
“It’s been a long night, Nikoli.”
“I just wanted to let you know I called Stan, and there will be a set of keys waiting for you at the front desk of the building. It’s the penthouse apartment. The place has excellent security. The only people who don’t have to sign in are the people who live there.”
“What about guests of the renters?”
“We had a policy change last month. Guests have to be cleared ahead of time, and they will still need to sign in and out. I bitched about it when I had to register Lily, but what are you gonna do? I called the building and let them know you and Angel would be staying there and to make sure you had a set of keys. You’ll both need to register before you go up. ”
“Thanks, kid.” There were times it paid to have family with money, and this was definitely one of them.
“You given any more thought to the job I offered you? I know Viktor offered you a position in his company too.”
“No. I haven’t had time, not with this case.”
“Well, think about it. I guarantee you’ll make more money.”
The grin in his little brother’s voice was enough to turn up his own lips. The kid just had a way of making you smile. Cheeky bastard.
“I will, and thanks, Nik. I appreciate it.”
“No worries, man. Lily has some clothes in the place if Angel needs to borrow some. Not sure they’ll fit her, though. She’s taller than Lily, I think.”
“I told her to grab a few things, but thanks for thinking of it.”
“Angel is a friend. I have maybe two friends who are female, excluding Lily. If there’s anything she needs, just ask.”
“You sound like you know her pretty well.”
“Yeah. I stumbled into her bar sophomore year, drunker than I’d ever been.
She refused to serve me, shoved me in the back to sleep it off, and we’ve been friends since.
Not sure why she went to all the trouble for someone she should have just called a cab for, but she means a lot to me. Take care of her, Kade.”
“I will.” Kade knew exactly why she’d gone to so much trouble. All the brothers except Dimitri looked alike. Angel had to have known who he was the moment he stepped into the bar. She’d taken care of him because she knew how much Kade loved his brother.
“Just a heads up, man. There is absolutely no food in the apartment. We don’t keep much there since it’s a weekend place for us and we order in.”
“Duly noted. I have to go, Nik. Bailey is waving at me like a madman.”
“Okay. Tell Angel to shout if she needs anything. I’d be more than happy to hire extra security for her.”
“I might take you up on that.”
He said his goodbyes and hung up. Bailey stood in the hallway, looking exasperated. It had to be something Angel did.
He suppressed a grin, wondering what the hell she’d done now, and decided to relieve the poor detective. Angel could be a handful when her temper flared, and right now it was out of control.
But that was when he had the most fun.