Mr. Dark 5 (Tamed #5)(14)

"There are downsides to every plan."





* * *



That evening, Tabby was shocked into silence as we showed her the contract for her new position. She read it over twice, her jaw dropping in more than one place as details jumped out at her. "You're serious with this?"

"Dead serious," I replied, muting the television. "Tabby, it's not just a cushy little job, you realize. While there is a basement level compensation there, your job won't be about just the money."

"What will it be?" Tabby asked. "The details are pretty generic honestly."

Sophie took over for me, which I was glad. "Once our plan goes down, the city is going to have some very gigantic power vacuums. The political one should be filled relatively quickly, there's too many politicians who are more than willing to step up into Owen Lynch's shoes. By using some financial pressure, we can guide them quietly. But the bigger and more dangerous area is going to be in those very businesses that Mark and I have invested in. Tell me, what do they all have in common?"

"Just like you told me to look for, all of them are physically located in areas that are normally considered gang areas, but are clean themselves. Most of them are also in fields of business that have had a high level of corruption from the Confederation."

"Exactly. What do you think is going to happen in those neighborhoods when the Confederation goes down, and Owen Lynch's corruption is rooted out?" Sophie sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees while I listened the intensity creep into her voice. It was a part of Sophie that had never changed from her days working in the hospital. She was a person who wanted a better world than the one we were living in.

"In the long term, I hope that things are better for everyone," Tabby said, "But the short term is going to be turbulent."

"Turbulent is a mild word," I interjected. "The fact is Tabby, things are going to be seriously f*cked up. Once the state and Feds come through, a lot of high up cops are going to be arrested, and the department is going to not have the support of the community. Meanwhile, the Confederation imploding doesn't mean that all of them are going to be arrested. Most of them won't, in fact. A lot of the higher ups are going to be dead, but the low level guys, the street soldiers, they're still going to be out there. Your job is to guide the businesses, keep them clean, and prevent them from being taken advantage of by the leftover criminals. Those neighborhoods and industries are going to need bedrocks to lean on, and the MJT Holdings are going to be those bedrocks."

Tabby sat back and considered the ramifications of what we were asking her to do. "The rebuilding is going to be harder than taking these guys down."

"It always is," I said. "So are you up for it?"

Tabby thought for only a second. "It says in here I get a maid and butler. What's up with that?"

"You're going to need your own street soldiers," I said. "And with me out playing Dark Knight, I'm going to need a good place for my wife and child to grow up, somewhere safe where they have family with them all the time."

Tabby took the news in, then without another word got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. I heard her rummaging around in a drawer for a moment before it slammed, then a moment later she came back in, handing me the document. "Deal. I'll notify the firm tomorrow that I'm resigning."

After Tabby had gone off to the bath, Sophie came over and sat in my lap. "Thank you," she said, kissing me on the lips. "Although it still worries me that you still think you have to be a street level operative."

"I do," I said quietly, kissing her back. "The nice part is though that I shouldn't have to be in direct violence as often. Patrols, the proper use of fear, and dropping information to the suddenly more honest police force will be far more effective than what we have to do now."

"Do you really think I'm going to let you go out there by yourself all the time?" Sophie asked, kissing me again. "Maybe I like the vigilante life too."

"I'm not surprised, but you have a more important job," I said, pulling her close. Our kisses grew softer, and I moaned when Sophie climbed into my lap. "You're going to be raising the next generation, remember?"

"You too," Sophie replied, stroking my face and kissing me. Her tongue traced along my lower lip, and I could feel the slowly growing pressure of my cock hardening inside my loose house pants. Pressing her body against mine, we kissed slowly and sensuously. I stroked my hands up and down the soft skin of her back, relishing the amazing blend of soft curves and firm muscle I found underneath. She was quite the femme fatale compared to the medical student I'd fallen in love with while discussing Hans Zimmer music. Still, she was just as wonderful, and I was more in love with Sophie than ever.

Sophie wiggled her hips in my lap, grinding against my erection, both of us moaning at the feelings. I tugged at the edge of her shirt, trying to slide my hand underneath to cup her breast when we were interrupted by a polite cough from the doorway.

"Sorry guys, I just wanted to know where you kept the bath oils," Tabby said, wrapped up in a terrycloth robe. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Ah, not at all," Sophie said, tugging her shirt down and climbing off my lap. "I'll show you where they are. Mark and I just need to remember that we have someone else here right now."