“I wouldn’t hold your breath for that,” she retorted.

He didn’t think so.

“We done?” she bit out.

They f**king were, thank God.

“Yep,” he answered.

She disconnected.

Mike hit a button on his phone and dropped it on his desk, his eyes going across it to Merry who was also on the phone.

“Yep,” Merry said into his phone. “Yep,” he repeated. “Got it,” he went on. “When’s this goin’ down?” He paused to listen. “Yep.” He said again, nodding to a person he couldn’t see. “Thanks for the info. Right. Thanks again. Later.”

He put his phone in the cradle and his eyes went to Mike.

“Seems our afternoon load just lightened, brother,” he announced.

They were heading out to visit with McGrath so Mike’s brows went up.

“How’s that?”

“Well, Fire and Building Safety have deemed a shopping center in Danville, a restaurant in Avon and a whole f**king housing development outside of Pittsboro unfit for use. Owners and occupiers are being notified. There’s a building inspector who’s bein’ picked up by IMPD for questioning for bribery and corruption. Danville PD and Hendrick’s County Sheriff’s Department both have obtained warrants for Bernard McGrath’s arrest. I think he’s gonna be too busy to have a chat with us.”

Mike grinned.

Merry grinned back.

“Better call Dusty and get her ass in the kitchen. She’s got a lotta cake bakin’ to do,” Merry remarked.

“Yeah,” Mike agreed.

“And I know someone, get you a f**kuva deal on one helluva bottle of Scotch for Devin.”

“Make the call, man,” Mike ordered.

Merry nodded and reached out to his cell on his desk.

Mike did the same with his. He went to his contacts, found Dusty and hit go.

Then he told her the news.

The he held his phone away from his ear as she shouted with joy.

That was when he smiled.

*

That Friday night…

“We’ll be back around ten, Dad,” Reesee called from the hall she and Fin were heading down.

Mike’s head was leaned back over the couch so he could watch them go. They were heading to a movie. Mike had lifted the ban but Fin hadn’t gone for it for a week. Now he was going for it.

“Have a good time,” he called back, saw Dusty appear in the doorway to the kitchen where she was still baking cakes and he saw her grin at the couple.

They grinned back then they were out the door.

It was then Mike watched Dusty wander down the hall.

No and his band were at some kid’s house setting up to play a gig they were each getting paid twenty dollars to play for a party. His curfew was midnight. It was their first paying gig and they were beside themselves even though they were playing for hours for pretty much nothing.

This meant Mike had three and a half hours alone in his house with his woman and his dog.

This was not lost on Dusty and he knew this when she hit the living room, rounded the couch, came direct to him and deposited her ass in his lap.

Her arms circled his shoulders. His arms circled her waist and his eyes dropped to her mouth.

“Please tell me you’re done bakin’ cakes,” he muttered.

“Got one more to go,” she told him and his eyes moved to hers. “But I’ll do it in the morning.”

Damn right she would.

She tipped her head to the side. “You get time off next week?”

The next week was the kids’ spring break.

“Half day Wednesday then Thursday and Friday.”

She scrunched her nose. It was something but since the kids went to Audrey’s the next Friday night, it wasn’t much. Audrey was supposed to have them Monday through Wednesday afternoon but she’d made a deal with them since she couldn’t get much time off work. She’d been able to get Tuesday off to do something with them so they were spending the night Monday and coming home Wednesday morning. But they were back with her on the weekend and she had something planned.

“We’ll figure out somethin’ to do that they’ll like,” Mike assured her.

“Next year, No’s last year, we should plan something fun. Florida or Mexico or something,” Dusty suggested. “Give Audrey a head’s up now and maybe trade something out with her so we can have that time.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Mike murmured and she grinned then pressed closer.

“I think it would take about seven elephants to drag Fin and Rees back to the house so I also think you’re pretty safe to get right on something else right about now,” she whispered her invitation.

Mike smiled. Then he accepted her invitation, taking her to her back on the couch and he got right on that.

*

Late Friday night…

Mike’s eyes opened as did his senses.

Still.

Quiet.

Nothing.

Nevertheless, carefully, seeing as every time he’d done it before he’d woken Dusty, he slid away from her at the same time pointing at Layla. Her head had come up from Dusty’s ankle but she saw Mike’s hand, knew his command and she stayed where she was.

Mike went to the dresser and tagged a tee. Dusty had clearly been in a mood or she’d needed something to do to kill time while she was waiting for cakes to bake because he came home that night, went up to their room to change and found, for the first time since she moved in, the bedroom floor clear of clothes and shoes and it had been vacuumed.

He tugged the tee on, opened the door and went through. Down the hall, he went to Reesee’s room first. Opening her door, he saw her head on the pillow, the shadow of her cell on the nightstand within reaching distance but it was late. She was out. Fin had got her home on time and although they sat in his driveway for fifteen f**king minutes in Fin’s truck (which had a bench seat, for f**k’s sake) before she wandered in with a dreamy look on her face, it wasn’t any dreamier than other looks she had after leaving Fin so Mike relaxed.

He moved out of her door, closed it and checked on No. His head was also on his pillow and he was also out. Mike was surprised about this. He’d gotten home from the gig completely wired. Clearly, it had gone well but Mike also knew it had gone well because he stood in No’s doorway leaning against the jamb while No put away his gear and told him about it. Mike thought it’d take him a while to wind down but he’d obviously since crashed.

Mike moved out of his door, closed it and then retraced steps he’d taken time and again in his walkthrough of the house.