“Delilah?” I took a step toward her.
“I’m only going to say this once,” she said to Mark, tone dripping with a quiet fury. “If you ever talk to me again, I will kick you in the dick so hard you won’t be able to stand upright for weeks.” Absent Victoria’s presence, Delilah dropped the act—straightened her spine, the muscles in her arms rippling with restraint. “If you ever talk to my husband again, I’ll lodge this stiletto heel into your goddamn face.”
He didn’t say a word as she brushed a strand of her hair back down. With immaculate grace, she walked back to my side and took my hand. “Shall we, darling?”
“I didn’t say this conversation was over,” Mark snapped, but there was a desperation that hadn’t been there a moment ago. His arm shot out like a snake toward her. Before I could form a rational thought, I caught his wrist. Stepped between Delilah and the Commissioner.
“My wife was clear,” I said. “You and I both know what she’s capable of. I suggest you heed her warning.”
Mark wrenched his wrist away, shaking out his fingers like a sullen toddler. He didn’t say another word, just fixed his tie with a sniff and left.
We watched him for a minute. I tracked Victoria’s movements through the audience—she was laughing gaily with Bitzi Peterson and posing for pictures with her award. I doubted she’d noticed our altercation.
“Let’s go get your coat,” I said, exhaling through the flare of anger, the surge of possession. I led her toward the coat room. It was one story down on the top floor inside the building. We wove our way through the crowd, a few people flashing concerned looks at Delilah. I opened the door, got her inside. The coat-room attendant was missing so I walked into the tiny space, searching the hangers.
Delilah stood next to me, arms crossed, teeth snagging her bottom lip.
“Who was that man?” I asked her softly. “Your old boss when you were a police detective?”
“He was Lieutenant Davis then,” she replied. “And yes. He was my direct supervisor. And my boyfriend.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
I turned, listening.
“He was also the man who fired me.”
21
Delilah
The coat room felt stifling with Henry in it.
He was too tall, too strong, too devastatingly handsome. My feigned faint had been a literal trust fall—but he’d caught me as if I weighed nothing; laid me on the ground like I was the person he cherished the most.
The moment could have belonged to Mark—who had become even more of an asshole in the two years since we’d seen each other last. And a tiny part of me would always have the pure joy of threatening to stiletto Mark’s fucking face.
But that memory was honestly insignificant compared to opening my eyes to Henry’s lips, hovering inches from my own. To hear his husky voice when he kissed my temple and declared me brilliant.
And I’d always treasure the memory of Henry stepping between Mark and me in a clear act of protection.
Not that I needed the help—I surely did not. I just liked knowing I could have it.
Henry reached for the door after my pronouncement, closing it with a soft click. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “It’s a shitty story. But I think we should tell each other things like this. If we’re going to keep being partners.”
“I think so too,” he said. His eyes held a kindness I desperately needed.
“Two years ago, I thought I had fallen in love with my supervisor,” I began. “Mark Davis, the man out there. He was older than me by two decades and very…” Charming wasn’t the right word. Not now that I knew Henry. “Convincing. He was very convincing. As you can probably guess, it was forbidden for a supervisor to date his subordinate in the police force.”
“You’re not really a rule breaker, Delilah.”
“No, I am not,” I agreed. I rubbed my fingers along my collarbone, and Henry tracked the movement. “We snuck around, dating each other, for about a month. This is where the young, foolish, and stupid part comes in.”
He grimaced. “I told you the other night that you’re none of those things.”
“Falling for that man was very foolish,” I said quietly. “It cost me a career I’d worked a long time for. And a good deal of other things. But I got very swept up in the idea of our love. Star-crossed lovers kept apart by their jobs. The moment his mask fell away, I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice how evil he was before. I’m sure you felt something similar when you finally saw Bernard for who he was. And now, being here with you and seeing Mark tonight, I feel embarrassed to have lost my job for that fuckwit.”
Henry’s lips twitched at the ends. “He was, perhaps, one of the biggest fuckwits I’ve ever met.”
“I tend to agree.” We shared a private smile. “He was the one who actually fired me from my job. And obviously he did not get into any trouble and has been getting promoted ever since.” I let out a long sigh, leaning back against the wall for support.
“You know,” he said, “I would actually really enjoy seeing you stiletto his face.”
“And I would do it if I wasn’t so exhausted from having a trust fund,” I said, quoting Victoria.
His laughter was sexy and full-throated. The catharsis, the adrenaline, the relief of sharing even the tiniest pieces of this story with my partner—emotions were weaving through my body like the first warm breeze after a frigid winter. There was a release, a blossoming, a thawing. I smiled at Henry and it felt marvelous.
“There it is.”
“What?” I asked.
“Your real smile,” he said. “You look like that when you talk to Freya. You even smile like that at Abe.”
“I’ve known them for a long time,” I said. “Codex is my second family.”
He rubbed his jaw, eyes crinkling at the sides. “You haven’t smiled like that for me. Except when you’re Delilah Thornhill.”
We were both quiet for a moment—I noticed, again, the tight space. The closed door.
“I don’t want to steal the source of that smile, but what happened the day you were fired?”
I blew out a noisy breath, the memory forcing its way in like it always did. I’d paid extra special care to my hair that morning, added a dash of lipstick, a spritz of perfume. The day was supposed to be monumental—and I wanted to feel beautiful.
What we have here, Ms. Barrett, is a very serious violation of our personnel policies. And an extremely serious violation of trust.
“Can I tell you that part another time? It’s…hard for me to tell it.”
“Of course you can,” he said.
“I want to end this night on a high note, where Victoria confirmed our invitation to the gala. And I almost kicked an asshole in the dick.”
“Abe told me this job would have moments of tedious boredom,” he mused. “So far he has been wrong.” With a flourish, he held out my jacket, nodded down at it. “Your coat, Mrs. Thornhill.” I walked over, turned around. “I’m neglecting my husbandly duties. Victoria instructed me to take you home to bed.”