“It was the right thing to do.”
“My father?” He was incredulous. “Are you serious?”
“Lighten up, Doyle,” I taunted, leading him toward the car.
When we got closer, his eyes widened, and he stopped moving like he’d stepped in front of a firing squad. He lifted his hand and gestured wildly.
I snickered because, God, it was just too good.
“The fuck is that?” He asked, clearly horrified.
I spread my arms wide. “That, my friend, is a 1988 Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. In carnation pink.”
“The hell you say!” he roared.
There was no way not to laugh. “You’re gonna look badass driving this, man.”
“The hell I will!”
“It’s either this or the 1966 Dodge Rambler, and at least the Cabriolet will hit eighty.”
“No, no, no, no,” he lamented. “How the hell did this happen?”
“Well, you know how normally one of us runs a diversion upstairs and the other one comes down and picks the best car?”
“Yeah?”
“I had no partner, so you get what you get.”
“So you’re saying this is my fault?”
“You wanna drive?” I said instead of answering.
“Shit.”
He had to drive. He was compelled. He was a control freak, and letting me navigate us around Chicago was never going to be possible.
“There’s no iPod jack in here,” he complained loudly from the interior before I got in.
I was really so glad he was home.
Chapter 16
IAN AND I met Aruna and Janet at Lou Malnati’s over on State because it was close to work and Janet was craving it so bad she told me she was going to die.
When we got there, I saw Janet’s smile quiver just a bit when she saw Ian, but she recovered quickly. Apparently Aruna neglected to tell her Ian was home.
When I hugged her, she burst into tears and clung tight.
“We’ll stay up all night and snuggle on the couch, pet, I promise.”
She squeezed me tighter, burying her face in the side of my neck, and I simply held on and rubbed her back and told her how much I loved and adored her. It was easy to say nice things to my girl since they were all true.
In the booth she did a really sweet thing and reached out for Ian. He took her hand quickly and then kissed it before holding on. She went a little melty right there.
“So where’s Ned?” Ian asked.
Her gaze shifted to the ceiling. “It’s so cute in here, don’t you think?”
Ian glanced at me. I shrugged.
Aruna mouthed “MIA” and pointed at Janet.
“He’s gonna kill me,” I assured her.
“Oh, he will not, and geez, Miro, don’t be so dramatic. Ned just hates that,” she said irritably, letting me know exactly how Ned had sounded when he was talking to her. “I mean, heaven fucking forbid his pregnant wife gets a bit emotional!”
“He’s just learning to navigate the hormones,” Aruna commented. “Liam had a learning curve too.”
Janet passed judgment. “Liam’s a saint. My husband is an ass who cares more about being with his family for the holidays than being with me.”
I sighed deeply as I carded my fingers through my hair. “Tell me he’s not expecting you to show up in Alexandria tonight.”
“He’s not expecting me to show up in Alexandria tonight.” The dazzling smile I got made it even worse.
“He’s gonna murder me.”
“We’re talking about Ned,” Janet said with a contentious sneer.
“You’re not being nice.”
“Like I—”
“Shut up,” Aruna commanded as she read something on her phone.
“That’s not very nice,” I said, trying playfully to swipe it out of her hands.
“Stop—oh my God,” she snapped, her hands shaking as she shoved the phone at Ian. “Did you know?”
I leaned sideways to see what had her all in a twist, and there was Craig Hartley grinning back at me. The words “escaped from federal custody” and “manhunt” were especially noticeable in the headline.
“Yeah, I know,” Ian told her, reaching for her hand and reclaiming Janet’s at the same time. “And I promise you both that it’s gonna be okay.”
Neither woman was looking at me. Ian had them riveted as they each grabbed a hand tight and caught their breath.
“Everything’s fine,” he promised, nodding as he spoke, and after a second, Aruna was nodding too, along with Janet, mirroring Ian. “The office is on it, every law enforcement agency you can think of is involved, and Miro will not get hurt.”
They were bespelled, neither of them could look away.
“I love him, yeah?”
More nodding in agreement.
“You guys know I do.”
And again.
“I couldn’t—I mean, he’s my life, so… what would I do without him?”
My chest hurt with all the honesty. He loved me and he was telling my friends, the people closest to me in the world. I was stunned that he would be so open with them and even more overwhelmed that he didn’t seem to care in the least where we were. For a man who so hated any public display of affection, he was being awfully touchy-feely at the moment.