I find Alexis in the nursery, bent over Harry’s crib, and the very sight of them begins to calm my aching head. He is asleep, and she reaches in and strokes the curl of dark hair from his forehead.
“Alexis,” I say.
She looks over her shoulder and purses her lips. “I heard Ruby was here earlier, and I know what you’re going to say,” she begins. “I should have kept my cool. I’m sorry, just something about that woman brings out the worst in me, and I couldn’t help myself. The bitch was taunting me…”
I walk over and wrap my arms around her, tucking her against my chest with my chin on her forehead. She is warm. The scent of jasmine coils through the air, and I suck in a deep breath.
Alexis hesitantly puts her arms around me. “Aren’t you mad?”
“I agree that you could have handled it better, but I’ve met the woman, and I know how difficult she can be. Besides, she played me the recording, and I have to say I’m too proud to be upset.”
Alexis tips her head back and shoots me a quizzical expression. “Proud?”
“Proud,” I repeat, smiling down at her. “You refused to be cowed by her. You stuck up for yourself, and what’s more, you made it very clear that you weren’t afraid of her.”
As I look down at her, I wonder—could Alexis and I really be partners? Is she really strong enough to carry a part of my burden? Or will she crumble in the face of my demons?
So far, she has proven herself. But we’re a long way from there yet.
“If you liked that, you’re going to like what else I did,” Alexis says, leaning up on her tiptoes to peck my cheek. She pulls away and walks through the dividing door into her bedroom. I follow and find her sitting on the bed with her laptop open, tapping on the keys.
“I went ahead and had a few of the reporters I hired to look into the Cartel do some digging into Ruby,” Alexis explains, and hands the laptop up to me. “Turns out our girl is deep in gambling debt.”
I grab the computer and read the documents open on the screen. Alexis’ reporters have found bank statements, lines of credit with various casinos, and debt-collection notices. I’m impressed.
I glance at Alexis over the top of the laptop. “You know this is all very illegal, right?”
Alexis bats her eyelashes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I laugh and set the laptop onto the bed, then pull her up by her hands. Her coquettish grin lights up the room, and I take a mental photograph of how beautifully devious she looks.
“Grab the baby monitor,” I instruct. “Let’s have dinner.”
Alexis sips the nonalcoholic champagne with a thoughtful expression. After she swallows, she nods slowly. “I like it,” she says. “I mean, it’s no Dom Perignon…”
I laugh. “The more time you spend with me, the more snooty your tastes seem to be getting.”
“I would use the word refined,” she argues. “Besides, I wouldn’t think that would be a problem for you.”
“It’s not. I think it’s cute.”
Alexis narrows her eyes across the table. We are sitting outside on the patio, with the heater turned on to full blast against the assault of the crisp fall air. Alexis is wrapped in a cozy wool blanket, though it has slipped on one side to reveal a tantalizing sliver of bare shoulder.
“Don’t call me cute,” Alexis says, sitting straighter. “I wouldn’t want you to make the same mistake Ruby did in underestimating me.”
“I would never.” I grin playfully. “Speaking of which, I would love to hear your ideas on how to use the information you’ve gathered about our dear friend Ruby.”
Victoria comes through the French doors with our meals. Tonight is just a simple dinner of steak, fries, and salad. Alexis’ eyes widen when she sees what’s on the plates—she has been craving red meat nonstop recently. My little tiger.
After Victoria sets the plates down and leaves, Alexis picks up her fork and steak knife and starts to carve into her meat. “I think we should start with her biggest creditor, the Stardust Casino. They’re a competitor of yours, aren’t they?”
Bellucci Inc. owns a few casinos in the state. They’re invaluable when it comes to laundering money.
“Yes,” I reply, taking a sip of my champagne.
“And presumably they’re not the most squeaky clean in terms of ethics?”
“Correct.”
Alexis chews, swallows, and continues. “I think the easiest thing to do would be to make an arrangement with Stardust. They haven’t been pursuing her very aggressively because she makes small payments, and they know she will continue to grow her debt. We can offer to silently pay the debt if they put pressure on her to throw the case. Ruby won’t be able to trace it back to us as we have no public involvement with Stardust, and the prospect of clearing her largest debt might just be enough to do the trick.”
“We could go further than that,” I propose. “We could have them threaten to break something she’d rather remain intact if she doesn’t clear the debt, either with cash or cooperation.”
Alexis makes a face and shakes her head. “No, I don’t like that. Ruby might be a bitch, but she’s not a Cartel member. She’s a cop, and she’s only doing her job. No violence.”
“You were the one who threatened to fillet her if I go to jail,” I point out.
“That was just a threat.” Alexis appears genuinely affronted. “You didn’t think I was actually going to hurt her, did you?”
“It’s not about what I think,” I tell her, cutting another chunk of steak. The knife glides through the meat like butter. “You have a lot to learn about this life. If you’re going to make a threat like that, you best be prepared to follow through. It only takes one failed bluff for your enemies to scent your weakness.”
I pop the steak into my mouth and chew. Alexis sets her fork and knife down, frowning.
“I’m not weak,” she says.
“I never said you were. I just want you to keep in mind that this life isn’t a game of make-believe, Alexis. At some point, you should expect that your hands will be covered in real blood and that it won’t feel anything like what you could imagine. Are you prepared for that?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “I can accept it as long as they deserve it.”
We continue eating, watching each other from across the table. I like this side of her. I like the ferocity, the cunning, the ruthlessness. It makes me want to test her, though. I want to push all of her buttons just to see what will happen.
“And who gets to decide if they deserve it?” I ask.
Alexis finishes chewing her mouthful and swallows. She takes her time, allowing the question to marinate in the air between us.
“I do,” she says finally.
“Why should you make that decision?” I press. “Are you the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong?”
“I’m my own moral arbiter,” she replies. “It’s not a discussion of mutually shared ethics but rather what my own conscience can bear.”
She speaks with confidence and authority, her chin lifted haughtily. I find her boldness undeniably arousing, and I lick my lips as I watch her drink the last of her faux champagne.