I absolutely did not switch it to news. I switched it to country with excellent timing. Kellie Pickler was just beginning to sing, “Tough”.
“Sylvie, news,” Creed in a way repeated.
“News is depressing. Kickass country bitches are awesome.”
“Sylvie –”
I started singing. Loud.
Silence from the driver’s seat.
Then a burst of laugher.
So that was when I kept singing but did it smiling.
* * * * *
“You, a word. The rest of you, downstairs.”
This was Knight and on the first “you” he pointed a finger at Creed. We had just made it to his office at Slade. Rhash and Live were already there. Everyone but me looked at Creed. I glared at Knight.
I knew what this was about. Knight loved me. He hadn’t told me but he’d shown me. He thought Creed “shredded” me. He was instigating a badass throw down that, I suspected, would include threats and intimidation as to what he’d do if Creed hurt me again which had zero chance of working on Creed. Mostly because I knew in my soul Creed wouldn’t hurt me. Partly because Creed was as badass as Knight, just a little more rough around the edges and threats and intimidation didn’t work on badasses. Still, Knight was going to say his piece.
I loved that. I loved him. I loved that about him.
But it was totally unnecessary and it could cut into our happy vibe and I didn’t want that to happen for me or Creed.
Knight’s eyes sliced to me. “I’m having a word with Creed now, Sylvie.”
“And I’m feeling a girlie tantrum coming on, Knight,” I shot back.
He scowled at me.
I glared back.
Then he stated the God’s honest truth.
“You know you don’t have the patience to win this.”
I rolled my eyes.
Then I decided to make a point, walked right up to Creed, grabbed his head, pulled it down to me and laid a long, wet one on him.
We broke the kiss with Creed smiling so huge he looked in danger of laughing.
I tossed Knight an unhappy look, ignored Rhash and Live staring at me with huge eyes and sashayed to the door.
I was standing outside the door at the bottom of the stairs that led up to Knight’s office when Rhash and Live lumbered down behind me.
“What the f**k was that?” Rhash asked upon arrival. He was clearly both curious and also wondering why I was making out with the hired investigator seeing as that was a wee bit unprofessional.
Quickly, succinctly, honestly and somewhat brutally, I laid it out.
All of it.
When I shut up, they were both staring at me.
“Holy f**k,” Rhash whispered.