I climbed out, my temper surging. “You know I’m right, but you’re too scared to admit it.”

“Scared?” he shouted. “I’m not scared of anything.” His hand curled around my throat, but it was all for show. He’d used more pressure the last time he’d tried this tactic.

“Is that your answer?” I shouted back. “You don’t like what I say so you’re gonna kill me?”

“Are you scared yet?”

“No.” I said through gritted teeth. “Go ahead and do it.”

His fingers curled tighter as he watched my eyes, then he dropped his hand and spun away, cursing a blue streak.

“Are you ready to talk about this like an adult or are you gonna continue to act like a toddler throwing a tantrum?”

He spun back around to face me, his expression full of bewilderment. Then he dropped his hand, leaned over his legs, and burst out laughing.

I put my hands on my hips, still fuming. “What’s so funny?”

He swung a hand toward me as he rose. “You.”

I shook my head, trying to come up with a retort.

“There’s only one other person in my whole life who has gotten away with talkin’ to me like that. Do you wanna know who?”

“Who?”

“My great-grandma Idabelle.”

“Well, then it’s about damn time, don’t you think?”

His laughter died down and he turned solemn.

I walked over to him, stopping a couple of feet away from his chest, and looked up into his face. Part of me questioned why I was doing this. I’d gotten my out. I could have walked away, but I was listening to my instincts, just like Maeve had advised me to do. They were telling me that not only did this man need me, but I needed him too. “I’ll continue to work for you as the Lady in Black until you and Mason are no longer in danger, but I have a few conditions.”

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “I said I’m cutting you loose.”

“No you’re not. You need me right now, and I help my friends.”

“Friends?” He took several steps back and pointed at me. “I’m not your friend.”

I advanced toward him, hands on my hips again. “Well, I’m your friend, so suck it up and deal with it.”

He burst out laughing again, a real belly laugh that filled the cold night air and brought a smile to my face.

“What are your conditions?” he asked when he settled down.

“You’re not going to punish Jed.”

His face hardened. “I can’t entertain disloyalty, Rose. If my men catch wind that I didn’t reprimand him, I could have a mutiny on my hands.”

“I’m not sure how they’d even find out, but if they do, tell them he works for me now.”

He shook his head in confusion. “What?”

“If he’s going to be my bodyguard whenever I’m with you, then I have to have his total loyalty, right? His job is to protect me. In all things. Even when it comes to you.”

He studied me while he scratched his chin. “That works.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“What else?”

“You don’t have any control over me when I’m not the Lady in Black. You can’t boss me around. You can’t send Merv all over town lookin’ for me.”

He watched me for a second. “I’ll agree, but I have a condition of my own.”

“What’s that?”

“I know you’re stickin’ your nose all over the county sniffin’ things out, but from now on, you discuss your extracurricular activities with me.”

“What? I just told you that my private business is off limits!”

He gave me a smug smile. “Are you done with your own tantrum?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and jutted out my hip out in response.

He laughed, a genuine laugh, then turned serious. “I meant what I said the other day. I want you as a partner, Rose. While I understand your reluctance to accept payment or reward, I can give you something that you could find more valuable than monetary gain: Information. Protection.”

The stiffness left my shoulders. This might work. “I’m listening.”

He took a step closer. “I know things in this county. Let me use what I know to help you. And if you’re looking into something, I can tell you if you’re in danger and send Jed as backup.”

I squinted. “You’re suggesting that I snoop on a regular basis.”

His eyebrows rose and he smirked at me. “Don’t you?”

Every time I got wrapped up in an investigation, I told myself that it was a unique situation and it would never happen again. Maybe it was time to accept that these predicaments were part of my life now. “And you’re not gonna try to stop me?”

He laughed. “I’ve learned that trying to stop you is like spitting on a forest fire. So the next best thing I can think to do is offer my assistance. Giving you information isn’t illegal. Besides, as I already told you, you’re good at this. Why would I stand in the way of a God-given talent?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes. But then I need to know why you were questioning Picklebie and what it has to do with J.R. Simmons.”

I had no good reason to keep any of it from him, and I suspected he really could help me. If nothing else, it might be good to get the opinion of someone who understood the criminal mind. “I need full disclosure from you too,” I said, still in disbelief that we were coming to this understanding.