Heartthrob (The Bennett Brothers 3)

This is over. You have my word that Claire is now, and always will remain, safe. There is no more threat. In my eyes, she will forever be the fairy angel who brought hope to my family in a time of despair.

Claire deserves a life of beauty and happiness. I’m counting on you to give that to her.

Stefano

There’s a set of rumbling over my shoulder, and I find Shaw and Nick eyeing the letter.

Without a word, I hand it back to Detective Flores, who scans it quickly, snaps a picture with his phone, and slips it back to me. “We’ll need to talk to Claire.”

“You’re going to have to wait in line.”

“Why don’t we start with you, then.” His shoulders square and eyes narrow, body language screaming disapproval.

“What’s on your mind?” I return his glare.

“We’re not real keen on a hotshot daredevil plowing into our investigation.”

At the term Hotshot, my eyes fly to Shaw, who’s chewing on his lip to hide his grin. Nick’s focused on the ceiling, his own lips curled upward.

“I’m not too keen on playing the politically correct slow boat and living in hell. My fiancée was being held in a compound in South Miami for almost a week with no leads. I played it your way, followed your rules, and sat on my ass until I thought I’d go insane. I took matters into my own hands.”

“This could have had a fatal and tragic turn. We were getting close.”

“Well, good thing an angel of mercy came to help you along.”

“I don’t think you understand the consequences of your actions. This is going to compromise our invest—”

“Stop right there and save your breath. There are no compromises

or consequences. The woman I love is behind this door,” I throw my thumb over my shoulder for emphasis, “and you get to talk to the reporters and tell them she is home safe and unharmed. You can mention you worked with a third party or not. I don’t give a shit and neither does my guy. You get the credit of a happy ending.”

“That’s not how this works,” he argues pompously.

“Hell yes, it is. That’s exactly how it works today. Because if you even try to put my family or me through any bullshit, I’ll personally walk out there to the waiting reporters and steal your glory with Claire by my side. It took a few days for my mind to clear, but when it did, I saw what was happening. You may have been worried about Claire, but you were working with the Florida Bureau to leverage a case on Stefano for his criminal activity. She wasn’t a priority.”

His eyes flame with anger, and the detective at his side mumbles under his breath. I know I’m skating a thin line, but it feels good to finally let loose on the information Shaw discovered a few days ago.

“So you know, that angel of mercy contacted me. He knew your game, queued in three days after she went missing. He doesn’t have to play by bureaucratic rules, and lucky for me, paid attention to the clues. Make your choice. Take the ass-kicking like a man and receive all the credit or force my hand.”

Laser beams fire my way and I gladly return them, hoping he calls my bluff. If I end up in jail for obstructing an investigation, Shaw will have me out in a minute, and Nick will unleash his power on social media. This is not a game they want to play.

My dad, brothers, Mitch, Carl, Logan, and Roy all take my back, the threat hanging in the air. Detective Flores isn’t budging, clearly ready to take me on.

The scent of coconuts waifs through the space, and I twist my head to find Claire in the open doorway. Her wet hair is braided, hanging over her shoulder. She’s wearing athletic shorts and a tank top that I’ve never seen before, and my stomach knots with the knowledge that Stefano bought them. When we get home, everything in that fucking bag is history.

“Sweetie, is everything all right?” Her question is filled with determination, fearlessness, and an undeniable spark, telling me she’s heard everything.

I pull her to my side, dropping my lips to her head. “It’s fine.”

The icy hatred firing my way dissolves, and the air becomes clear. Flores’ mask of defiance falls, and he looks warmly at her. “Nice to see you, Miss. Dixon.”

“I know you need to talk to me, but it’s going to have to wait. I have a lot of necks to hug, cheeks to kiss, and worries to squash, which undoubtedly will lead me to whipping ass because one of these lightweights is bound to go sissy on me.” She points a finger at all the men in the group, earning a few chuckles. “Then I have to once more talk my loving and unbearably protective fiancé off a cliff of madness, ensuring him I’m okay since he’s riled up again. After that, we have to visit a sick young man upstairs, who’s scared out of his mind and heartbroken, and introduce him to his new world-class doctor. Following that sure to be emotional meeting, I’ll have to endure my whole department fawning over me like the hero I’ve proven to be.” She’s ticking off items on her fingers, and every face in the crowd is grinning.

“I can see you are a busy woman, Miss—”

“Oh, I’m not done,” she continues. “This fawning upstairs is sure to bring tears from my boss, who is dry as a desert when it comes to tears, and it will probably set off the weepy wimpsters over here.” This time, she gestures to Bizzy and Grace whose eyes are shining bright with amusement. “If that’s not uncomfortable enough, I’m going to have to face a gaggle of women who slept with the man who took me and deal with their overwrought emotions as well.”

Detective Flores side-eyes the other detective, whose chest is vibrating, and the officer guarding the door, who’s staring ahead with twitching lips.