Page 38 of Devil’s Candy

He frowns. “A little afraid. Fear is jagged. But you have a lot of the same waves as Angel. Big and round and…happy.”

“I’m happy?” That would be a first.

“Angel…” Rock draws in a breath. “He seems happier married than he’s ever been, even though most of what he does is driven by her needs, not his own.”

I draw in a deep breath as I consider those words. Maybe it’s the sex. But meeting Candy’s needs makes me feel more content than I’ve been in years.

I make the right turn toward where I know I’m likely to find Vinnie. He keeps a room at one of the clubs his father handed over to him.

Sure enough, as I park down the street near the end of the block, I see his entourage leaving through the front door.

“Fuck,” Rock mutters next to me. “Think he sees us?”

I turn to Rock. “Again. We are in a slightly dinged silver Honda Accord. This car is invisible.”

Rock grunts his acknowledgement. “I’ll find one this weekend and buy it in cash.”

“Good.”

One man opens the back door of a bright red Escalade with black rims for Vinnie and then closes it behind him.

Rock scoffs. “Who does he think he is? Angel runs an operation that’s now in the multimillions and he doesn’t require a butler.”

I don’t bother to say, the job is one of a chauffeur. “Vinnie wants all the trappings of the big boss. He just wants to take a giant shortcut to get there.”

“Against his own father?” Rock’s lips curl. “I’d rather burn alive than be that man.”

“A point in your favor.” I like Rock way more than I thought I would. Vinnie has all the markers of an entitled and spoiled man who has overinflated his own worth.

That doesn’t make him less dangerous. “Vinnie is a snake, which means he shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“Reptile brain.”

“Exactly,” I answer with a nod. “He slept with a woman he had every intention of killing. That’s some cold shit.”

Rock rubs his hands on his thighs. “Angel was going to do that to Promise.”

My brows lift. Interesting. “He didn’t, though.”

“No. He broke the other way. Like the completely opposite other way.”

I nod, even as Vinnie’s car pulls away from the curb. I put my car in gear and start slowly following. “You’re about to learn how easy it is to follow a flashy SUV.”

“But why did Angel break the other way? Why does he seem so happy living his life for her?” Rock asks, clearly working through something.

“For the same reason you’d rather burn than betray your family. Living for others makes us feel useful, important…satisfied.” But I’m realizing something too. “The benefit of living like that for a woman is that she rewards your efforts with⁠—”

“Sex.”

I chuckle as I continue following Vinnie at a respectable distance.

“With the right woman, the best sex of your life. But even more than that, she’ll tie herself into knots to return all the happiness you’re not giving yourself. It’s this amazing symbiotic relationship.”

My girls, they don’t need me anymore.

And while I was a shit father, all of the things I’ve done, I did to protect them. And now I’ve got an opportunity to take care of a new woman. One who will reward me for every ounce of effort I pour into her.

The thought hardens the position I’ve been leaning into more and more with each passing day.