Chapter 6

“I’m new to this,” he’d wanted to yell. But he’d held his tongue. Better to err on the side of silence than blurt out anymore kindle for the roaring fire of humiliating foolishness that he’d managed to get going.

“One more thing,” Amelia had said, setting both palms on her desk and forcing him to catch and hold her gaze. “Just a formality, of course; I doubt I even have to bother with it. But I’m going to, because that’s what I do.”

He’d stared in silence, watching something dark settle into the eyes of the woman that had, for the most part, seemed like the kind of sweet thing one would run into at the grocery store.

“You’d best be remembering that is a person you’re dealing with. And nobody hurts my people. You truck him off to that retreat of yours and you hurt him, I will find you and I will hurt you right fucking back. There is no place on this planet that you will be able to hide if I have to come looking for you. Do you understand what I’m telling you, Mason?”