More Than Meets the Eye - Page 131

“Thank you, sir.You really earned yourself that hotdog,” Baz said.He wished he could see Ian’s face when he realized it had all gone up in flames—actually.Maybe he could.

“I need a whole deep dish after this,” Dunkeld said.Was that a sense of humor?Who would have thought the Dunkelds had it in them.No wonder Aya went to their dinner parties.

“One more thing.Are you getting an arrest warrant as well as a search warrant?”

“I’ll certainly try.”

“Which precinct will those go to?”

“I’ll have to check.Does it matter?”

Well.They had a lot to rub in Ian’s face, and it so happened there was a CPD sergeant—or whatever his current rank was—who was eager to make up for half a lifetime of neglect.

“No, just wondering.Thank you.We really appreciate it.”

He shook Dunkeld’s hand and bid him goodbye—and had his phone out the second they were back out in the hot, stuffy hallway.Whoever thought it was a good idea to cover the south-facing side of a building in glass ought to be fired.

“What are you doing?”Sami asked.

“You’ll see.”Baz hit the green button next to the number he didn’t think he’d ever call again.

Jack answered immediately.“Sebastian?”

“Hi.J—Dad,” Baz corrected himself.The word felt strange, foreign in his mouth after going unused for thirteen years.Sami’s jaw hit the floor.“I could use your help with something, if you’re up for it?”

“Of course!Count me in, whatever it is.”

“Great.”Ian wouldn’t know what hit him.

Chapter thirty

ConvincingIantomeetat Baz’s office the next morning was a piece of cake.A pleading tone, a defeatist ‘Neither of us wants to deal with forty-two cases, Ian.’A strategically placed ‘let’s make both of our lives easier’.The implication that Baz was willing to settle for Ian’s outrageously low offer, and boom.Ian stepped right into their trap, a naive little bug settling down on a Venus flytrap.

All while Sami was shaking his head with bewildered amusement, even though he had eagerly agreed to the plan two minutes ago; they both wanted to be there when Ian realized he was fucked.

The moment Baz hung up, Sami broke out laughing.

“What?”Baz asked.

“I had no idea you had a flair for theatrics.”Sami’s arms slithered around his neck.“That’s kind of hot.”

Baz held him by the hips.“Just kind of?”

“Fishing for compliments is beneath you.”

“You better bite if you want me to be beneathyoulater.”

Sami’s filthy chuckle triggered all kinds of memories in Baz’s brain that he should not be thinking about in the foyer of the State’s Attorney’s Office.

“You’re scorching.I really threw myself at the right dick.”

What an assertion of endearment that was.

“Come home with me.”The invitation slipped right over Baz’s lips, too natural to hold in.

“For more dry toast on your balcony?”

“I’ll throw in some butter, just for you.”Actually, he had snuck out early and picked up all kinds of sweets from the bakery a few blocks north, but Sami would find that out soon enough.