Dungeon Games (Masters and Mercenaries #6.5)(62)

“The words just go well together, don’t you think? Crack and whore. It’s like chocolate and peanut butter.”

“Yes, a little like the words beat and your ass.” Her arms still ached, but she was pretty sure she could handle Maia.

Maia laughed again, this time a much purer sound. When she smiled at Karina this time, she could almost believe it was true. “All right. I do like you. But I don’t want to.”

“Do you want to explain to me why you’re here? Derek told me I couldn’t give a statement until tomorrow.”

“I bet he did.” Her face turned as serious as the Botox allowed. “I’m here because I’ve had a couple of really shitty days and it’s made me think. I love Derek. I want him to be happy and he’s f*cking it up again.”

“Ah, so you think he can’t find happiness with the crack whore. Nice. Here’s the good news for you. We were only supposed to play while we were working, and we are no longer working.”

Maia pointed her way. “See. He’s f*cking up. You’re f*cking up. I am guilty of many, many crimes against humanity, but surprisingly enough, hypocrisy isn’t one of them. I read your files. You made some mistakes. Given your youth, they’re certainly understandable. If I’d grown up the way you did, I would have done as many drugs as I could have, too. The remarkable thing is that you’re alive and you seem to be some sort of PI saint.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is if I have to really let him go, I think you’ll take care of him. You love him, right?”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel. He doesn’t love me.”

She rolled her blue eyes. “Somehow I thought you’d fight harder.”

“I made a deal with him. Look, I don’t want him to stay with me because he feels bad. I do love him. I want him to have what he wants.”

Maia took a moment, seeming to think about what she said next. “He hasn’t slept with the same woman for more than a week since we got divorced. He’s in love with you, but he also struggles to change his course. I knew the minute I heard you’d been taken that he was going to screw this up so I came down here. He’s been out there issuing orders about you and making everyone crazy, but I would bet he hasn’t hugged you yet.”

Karina shook her head. “No.”

“And you’re in here ready to throw in the towel. It means nothing. It means that he went into cop mode and he’s going to struggle to get out of it. Don’t let him keep you away. He’ll try to sleep on the couch. Maybe he’s already doing that because…”

Karina held a hand up. “We fixed that shit really fast. When he has a bad dream, I set him on his ass. He’s only done it twice. He does it again and I’ll handle it.”

Maia proved the devil could cry. A single tear fell on her cheek. “He’s sleeping with you.” She took a long breath. “That’s good. That’s really good. So when he tells you he should sleep on the couch tonight, you should…”

A deep well of sympathy flowed through Karina. No matter what a bitch Maia could be, she was trying to do something good. “I’ll tell him to get his ass in our bed.”

“He needs to be needed, you know. He needs to be good.”

Karina nodded. “I know.” It was weird, but now they had a connection. They loved the same man. “He doesn’t know about my misspent youth.”

Maia reached down and grabbed her purse. “So tell him.”

“It’s not that easy.”

She huffed a little. “Really? You don’t think he’s going to be sympathetic to the woman who pulled herself out of hell and managed to make the people around her happy?”

“I guess I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Then start, sister, because he needs a woman and not a guilt-plagued martyr. You did good, Mills. You did good and you won the prize, if you play your cards right. Just make him happy and I won’t have to come after you and make your life a living hell.”

The door suddenly opened and Derek’s big form was silhouetted against the light. “What the hell are you doing in here? I told you to leave her alone.”

Maia seemed to change from slightly warm to chilly in a heartbeat. Her shoulders straightened, her spine becoming perfectly erect. “Well, she’s a horrible witness. I hope the forensics are good on this one. I would hate to put her on the stand. Good-bye, Derek. I’ll talk to you Monday.”

“Maia,” Karina called out.

Maia turned, her face a mask of indifference. “What?”

“I’ll make sure you get your car back.” Karma had worked. It was time for it to let up a little.

Maia’s eyes widened. “You bitch. Damn it. I don’t want to like you.”

She turned and walked out the door.

“What was that about?” Derek strode in, looking ridiculously gorgeous and slightly distant.

How hard had it been on him? He’d had to distance himself. To think like a cop and not a lover. Sometimes it was hard for cops to come back down. It was hard for them to get back to being lovers and husbands and sons. They needed an anchor. They needed one the same way an addict needed to know someone gave a shit.

She’d been very selfish in thinking that she was the only one who needed.