Page 105 of Broken Vows

I drop my boots off his desk and sit forward, letting him stew for a moment. I move like my arm doesn’t hurt. Like nothing’s changed. He doesn’t know about the injury and for the first time in weeks, I almost feel like myself again. In control.

“You didn’t invite Ray to your party,” I say finally.

Dean lets out a short laugh. “Good one.”

I don’t smile.

His expression sobers. “You’re serious?”

I keep staring at him.

“Jesus Christ.” He drags a hand down his face. “That’s what this is about?”

“It’s the principle.”

“I thought he wanted our partnership kept quiet.”

“He does.”

Dean stares at me.

“He won’t show,” I add. “But he wants the invite.”

Dean’s mouth flattens. “On principle.”

“Yeah.”

I ease back in the chair.

Dean isn’t a fucking idiot like most people. He might make me spell it out, but he doesn’t make me draw pictures. I like that about him. I’d never say it aloud, but I half-trust the guy.

He pulls out his phone, swipes for a second, then hands it over. It’s a photo of his wife in a hospital bed, puffy-eyed and smiling through tears, holding a fat baby with a tuft of blonde hair.

“Jensen,” Dean says, pride thick in his voice.

I look at the photo a beat too long.

Kids everywhere these days.

“Hopefully he gets her looks,” I mutter, handing the phone back.

Dean’s smile turns dry.

I stand to leave, but Dean speaks again.

“I’ve got something for you.”

I’ve done a few side jobs for Dean over the years. The man has a fat wallet and doesn’t blink at paying top dollar for results. Most of it has been boring dirty work—tailing people, watching doors, finding out who was skimming. Once, scaring off some guy his now-wife was seeing back when Dean was losing his mind over her and pretending he wasn’t.

“If this is about your wife, I doubt she’s up to much. She just pushed out a kid that size. I doubt she’s in any condition to⁠—”

I stop cold at the look on his face.

Right. Wife. Sensitive territory.

“—do anything,” I continue. “Because she’s busy feeding that baby.”

Dean stares at me for a beat.