Too Hard to Handle (Black Knights Inc. #8)(76)

“You said it,” he agreed.

Boss, who’d stopped listening to Ozzie, added, “So Becky suggested we bring her in and show her around the place. Show her we are building bikes. Show her the CAD software Ozzie and Becky use to do the designs. Show her the painting process and the parts storeroom. And hopefully, once we’ve done all that, we’ll have satisfied her curiosity.” After a breath, he said, “And maybe then she’ll leave us the f*ck alone.”

“But on the day we’re housing and interrogating the world’s most notorious traitor?” Zoelner asked incredulously.

“Mmmph,” Winterfield said from behind the duct tape, still glaring in that menacing, slightly insane way that made the hairs all over Penni’s body stand up. To coin a phrase the boys in her old neighborhood had liked to use, I don’t know nothin’ from nothin’. She was no psychologist after all. But she’d bet dollars to donuts that Winterfield had lost every single one of his marbles. Besides the whole World’s Worst Traitor thing, there was just something off about him.

“We didn’t know we’d be doing that until a few hours ago.” Boss said, shaking his head and cursing.

“Fuck-all bad timing,” Dan snorted.

“And then some,” Boss agreed.

“So what else is new?” Dan asked.

“Nothing as far as I can tell,” Boss said. Then his scare-away-small-children expression morphed into another grin. “It’s damn good to have you back.”

Whatever Dan opened his mouth to say was interrupted when Vanessa called down from the second-floor landing, “Geralt is bringing her in! Everybody look alive! Oh, hey!” A wide smile split her face when she saw Dan and Zoelner. “I was in Rock’s office and didn’t hear you guys arrive. Welcome home!”

“No time for that,” Boss groused. “Zoelner, take Winterfield and lock him in the interrogation room.”

“You have an interrogation room?” Penni asked Dan, looking at him askance. She’s been impressed with what little of Black Knights Inc. she’d seen while Becky and Ozzie booked her flight to Cusco. But never in a million years would she have thought the warehouse came equipped with an interrogation room. BKI headquarters were like a CIA black site on crack and raised to the power of ten.

“It’s really just an old storage building that we’ve turned into a gym. But it has soundproofing and heavy things that we can tie our guest to,” Dan said.

Okay, so maybe not on crack. But still raised to the power of ten.

“Chelsea, head on up to the offices,” Boss continued as if neither of them had spoken. “I don’t want Miss Tate to get a look at you and start asking questions about who you are.”

“Done.” Chelsea pushed her glasses up her nose, hoisted her satchel higher on her shoulder, and turned for the stairs. “I need to check in with Morales anyway. See if he’s learned anything new on our mysterious airport shooter.” Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” started wailing from the bottom of her purse. “After I let my mom know we made it home safe and sound.” She made a face. “I forgot to call her when we landed.”

An amused noise sounded from the back of Zoelner’s throat, and Penni turned to see him fighting a grin.

“And you two.” Boss leveled his gaze on Dan and Penni.

Dan instinctively reached for her hand. It was sweet and charming that he always sought to touch her. And when her palm was kissing his, when her fingers were curled around his, she felt safe and wanted in a way she never had before.

You keep this up and you really are going to have your Girl Power Club card revoked.

“What about us?” Dan lifted a brow.

“Go hide yourselves upstairs in your room,” Boss said. “I don’t want Samantha Tate getting a gander at Penni either. Especially since she looks like she went ten rounds with a heavyweight.”

Penni reached up to touch the bandages on her cheek.

Becky rolled her eyes and elbowed Boss in the stomach. It didn’t budge the giant, but it did cause him to frown and blink down at his wife. “Good God, Frank,” Becky harrumphed. “What have I told you about thinking before you open your mouth.”

“What?” Boss asked, his tone completely baffled.

Becky turned to Penni. “It’s not that bad,” she assured her. “You still look beautiful.” Before Penni could thank her—or call bullshit, more like—Becky winked at Dan and said, “When I heard you guys were coming, I put in an order at Downtown Dogs. Picked them up right about the time you were landing, so they should still be hot. Grab a few on your way up.”

Zoelner, who was already marching Winterfield toward the back of the shop, turned and shouted, “I love you, woman!”

Dan pressed a hand over his heart, grabbed Becky’s fingers, and kissed them. “I’m gonna name my firstborn after you. I swear it.”

Penni felt a little stab somewhere in the center of her chest. Dan’s firstborn. Dan’s family. And where did she fit in? Did she fit in at all?

“Yeah, okay, good.” Boss pulled Becky’s hand out of Dan’s. “I’m getting sick and tired of all you f*ckheads pawing at my wife.”

Dan chuckled, and Penni ached at the affection and peace she saw glowing in his face. He was home, surrounded by the things and the people he loved, and he’d never looked better or more handsome. It was as if being back here brought out the sparkle in him. The shine. And she was as blinded by his brilliant smile as she was dazed by it.