COSMO
“Daddy?”Ipattedthe bed beside me, but all I touched was an empty place. Popping my eyes open, I frowned. Where was he? God, I felt like a truck had run me over last night. Burying my head in the pillow, I couldn’t contain my grin. Hunter knew everything, and we were still together. I’d known he would be able to overlook a lot for me, but never in a million years had I thought I could tell him I’d killed his wife.
Thank you, Virgil. You’ve done me a big favor.
I rolled off the bed and winced. My body ached. Maybe we shouldn’t have had sex again early this morning, but after our tumultuous night, we hadn’t been able to get enough of each other. I felt ravaged inside and out. My inner thighs were sore from Hunter prying them open, and my body tingled from where he’d kissed and bruised me with his teeth and lips.
I’d never felt more alive with his marks all over me.
In the bathroom, I peed and brushed my teeth, then pulled on my short purple robe and loosely tied the silk ribbon together. Every step I took down the stairs jarred my butt hole, but it wasn’t all unpleasant. It was probably a good idea to give my body some time to recover before we hit the sack again, though.
The smile on my lips faded when voices drifted in from the kitchen. We had company? I took the last two steps down and peered into the kitchen. What was Agent Knight doing here? He and Hunter sat across from each other at the island, papers in front of Knight. My heart skipped a beat, and my legs wobbled. They looked so intense, deep in discussion.
Had Hunter changed his mind and told Knight everything? I swallowed hard as an internal war waged within me. My brain was telling me to run. To go back up the stairs, find the nearest exit, even if that meant I had to jump out the window. I couldn’t go back to prison. I wouldn’t survive being some cellmate’s prison bitch. They might as well kill me right away.
I turned and bolted back up the stairs.
“Cosmo?”
I stopped, breathing hard. Hunter loved me. He wouldn’t betray me the way Virgil had done.
Fixing a smile on my face, I started back down the stairs. “Hi, I… was just going back upstairs. Didn’t realize you had company.”
“It’s okay. Come here.”
Was it, though?
Knight’s stoic asshole face showed no sign of what they’d been talking about. He looked at me the way he always did—like I was something unpleasant under the bottom of his shoes. I walked over to Hunter, who tugged me onto his lap and kissed me. My eyes widened. Knight already knew about us, but Hunter had never kissed me in front of the agent.
I glanced at Knight, but except for the slight narrowing of his eyes, he gave nothing away. A part of me felt smug. I knew the man had the hots for Hunter.
Hunter untied the knot of my robe and did it up tighter. “How did you sleep?”
“You mean the little sleep I got?”
Agent Knight cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should get back to business here.”
I frowned. “What’s going on?”
“I’m under investigation by the FBI,” Hunter said and, when I gasped, linked our fingers. “No, it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s a matter of formality.”
“It’s a serious case, Hunter,” Knight said. “I’m here to make sure you did not in any shape or form act unprofessionally to have deliberately influenced our investigations on the Handkerchief Murderer.”
“But why’s he being investigated?” Did someone find out Hunter knew more than anyone else about the cases?
“You were sleeping. I went to see the captain and handed in my resignation. I was open about the reason, hence the investigation. Everyone knows I’ve been sleeping with a witness, so it’s nothing but standard procedure.”
“What does this mean for you?” I turned to Knight. “Is he going to be in some form of trouble?”
“I need to interview both of you separately,” Knight said. “But this is just for the FBI’s sake. Internal Affairs at the police department should reach out to both of you as well to conduct their own investigations that Hunter observed professional conduct during his work as a detective.”
I clutched the front of Hunter’s shirt. “You didn’t tell me this could happen.”
“And what exactly did you think would happen, Cosmo?” Knight asked. “That you two would just ride off into the sunset, never minding that you’re linked to a series of murders Hunter has spent the last ten years investigating?”
Hunter scowled. “Don’t be so intense.” He rubbed my arms. “This is just protocol. I never knew you all these years, and I did the decent thing and resigned, so I didn’t hold my position over you anymore.”
“We’re just finishing up here,” Knight said. “As soon as we’re through, I’ll speak to you alone, Cosmo.”