The bitch had no evidence, and that would make it impossible to move against Saint Sadie.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sadie
“The wedding is a month away, Kat. What if you need to get a neckpiece specially made?”
Maisie looked up from velvet settee at the high-end wedding accessories shop. She crossed her legs and arched brows at Kat but turned to me. “Right, Sadie?”
Kat let out an unladylike snort. “A custom necklace? You must be high, Maze, if you think I’m going to waste time I don’t have looking for a piece of custom jewelry.”
“But the neckline of your dress means you’ll need something out of the ordinary.”
Kat shrugged, her smile a little dimmer at the mention of the wedding dress. She still wasn’t happy about it.
“If I don’t find a necklace that looks good with it, then I won’t get a necklace. Happy?”
“No,” Maisie said on a sigh, accepting the glass of champagne from the wedding consultant dressed in stylish black.
“You love Terry, and you can’t wait to marry him, but you’re acting all blah now. Why?”
My daughter’s eyes set on me instead of answering, and I shrugged my shoulders. “If you want me gone, Kat. Say the word.”
“No. I want you here. I’m mad at you, but I still want you here, Ma.”
That was something, I suppose. “Okay,” I said and settled back into the silk-covered chair.
“Okay.” She repeated the word as if it was boosting her confidence.
Then the door to the shop opened, and Kat groaned. “Fucking great.”
The three of us turned to see the redheaded FBI bitch walking inside. Alone.
“What do you want?”
Beck did her best to appear unaffected by Kat’s tone, but she couldn’t hide the physical ticks of stress.
“Not happy to see me, Katherine? I’m crushed.”
“Not yet,” I said with a smile. “But that can be arranged if that’s how you want this to play out.”
It wasn’t wise to threaten an FBI agent, but the fact that she was here alone meant she wasn’t here officially.
Beck turned to me with a slow grin. “Tell Jasper I said thanks for last night.”
I smiled. “Nothing gets my son fired up quite like an ugly fuck.”
Beck sucked in a breath, but before she could unleash her tirade, Kat and Maisie rushed across the room, were in her face.
“Back up, ladies,” was all Beck could manage before they descended on her.
Kat used her height against the smaller agent. “Who the fuck do you think you are, coming in here and talking shit about my brother?” she blared in her face, looming over her with hate blazing in her eyes. “Even if Jas did stick his dick in you, it won’t help you get what you want.”
“Yeah? And what do I want?” Beck’s words were cocky, but I could tell she didn’t really feel them, not when faced with this monstrous side of Kat.
I smiled at the way my girls came to my defense.
Maisie, too, stood close to Beck. “It seems to me like what you want is an ass-whooping.”
Beck laughed. “Are you threatening a federal agent? I thought you were the smart one, Maisie.”
Maisie folded her arms, nostrils flared. “I am smart. Are you here in a law enforcement capacity? Because I’d be curious to know if the FBI handbook allows an agent to fuck her witnesses or possible suspects. Maybe I’ll call my cousin Jameson and find out.”
“Like they would believe you over me.”
Kat took a step closer, and from the way Beck gritted her teeth, she was fighting the urge to take a step back.
“They would believe me, especially when I file harassment charges and have my attorneys let your boss know exactly why you have such a fucking hard-on for Sadie Ashby and her family. Hmm, Maybe I need to send an email? Or would a phone call do?”
I stared in awe of my daughter at that moment. Not just at how she came to my defense, but that spark in her eyes that I’d always thought she lacked. Kat had it in spades, but she suppressed it because I did. I was no one’s idea of effusive or emotional, and Kat took her cues from me. But seeing it now, I knew that if she harnessed that part of her, people would respect her power. They would tremble in fear for what she could and would do to them.
“They won’t just believe me, little Addy. I’m sure they won’t waste any time kicking you off this career-making case.”
Anger flashed in Beck’s eyes. Not only did Kat’s words make me proud, but Beck’s reaction told me exactly what she valued most in this world. Her job.
When the time was right, I would exploit that weakness.
Beck wasn’t one to back down. No, she was a tough bitch, and in another life, I might have actually respected her. She lifted her chin so she could somehow look down her nose at Kat. She tossed a cold smile at her.