"The cartel and the FBI are both after him," I reasoned. "Both have the resources to know about his various business contacts."

"Right," she agreed.

"And Bruno would know that, so he's not about to go to any of them to hide." There was something to that line of logic that told me it was important, but I couldn't figure out why. Trying to decipher a crazy man' like Bruno's logic was hurting my brain. It was my turn to flop back into the couch. "I just can't think clearly with all this shit in my head."

"You're right. We need to get our minds off of this and relax. Do something to get rid of the stress." Dani gave me a wicked grin. "I know something that will help," she said as she slid her hand up my leg to the zipper of my jeans.

My chest expanded with a deep breath. I closed my eyes and covered her hand with mine, pushing it into my cock. Then in one swift motion, I tugged on her wrist, pulling her into me, and I covered her mouth with mine. I pulled back just enough to talk with my lips still against hers and said, "That's the best idea I've heard all day." I cupped her chin and tilted her head up so that I could deepen the kiss. My tongue parted her lips and she sucked on it, sending my blood racing straight south. I reached for the hem of her top to tear it off over her head but she put her hands on my chest and pushed me back, breaking the kiss.

"You're the one who needs your head cleared," she reminded me. "I'm going to do the kissing." She gave me a gentle push and I leaned back on the couch.

My eyes were locked on her face as she shifted so that her legs were bent up underneath her. Her fingers traced over the front of my jeans, and a low hum vibrated in the back of my throat, a sound of delight at the anticipated pleasure she would bring me. With a slow, seductive smile she worked the button loose at the waistband. As she lowered the zipper, her eyes darted down to where my growing erection was straining against my gray boxer briefs. I lifted my hips as she tugged and she took both my jeans and underwear together, pulling them just low enough on my hips that she could get to what she wanted.

Without using her hands, she took me in her mouth. I moaned as her tongue swirled around my cock, my hips jerking involuntarily. Her mouth was so wet and hot. She flipped her hair over to one side so that I could watch as she took more of me. One hand rested on my hip, helping her balance, and the other moved between my legs. She cupped my balls and I had to stall my breathing to suppress the urge to grab her head and push into her mouth deeper. The feel of her touching me, sucking me, sent me to another world. It was all I could think about.

She glanced up at me as the tip slid from between her lips and I could see that her green eyes were dark with arousal.

"Do you get wet looking at me when I'm hard, feeling me in your mouth?" Talking about it made my blood rush harder. Hearing her say out loud what she wanted to do to me and letting her be in control always drove me faster to the edge of my orgasms.

Dani's tongue darted out to moisten her lips for another round. She was enjoying this as much as I was. I slipped my hand under her shirt, pushing her bra up so that I could cup her breast. She simply made a pleased sound in response as she lowered her head again, the vibration moving through me. I rolled her nipple between my thumb and forefinger, tugging on it as she applied harder and harder suction to my dick.

"Babe." I managed to get out a warning.

Instead of pulling away, she lowered her head as far as she could, her hand wrapping around what she couldn't get inside. Her teeth lightly touched me and I came with a shout. Her mouth worked around my cock as she swallowed every last drop of what I spilled into her. My fingers tightened around her breast and I felt her body jerk. Her lips and tongue kept moving, even as my cock began to soften, and it became too much.

"Dani."

She raised her head, licking her lips as she sat up. "Is your head clear now?"

"Definitely." I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her across me so that she had a knee on either side of my waist. "Now it's my turn to take care of you." I hooked my arms under her knees. "One of the benefits of dating a fighter," I said with a grin. "Great upper body strength."

Dani gasped as I lifted her until her legs hooked over my shoulders. I put both arms up along her back, holding her in place as her skirt pushed up around her waist, leaving only her thin, cotton panties between me and my goal. I couldn't hold her like this forever, but if how wet her panties were gave any indication as to how turned on she was, it wouldn't take much.

I used my lips and tongue to push aside the narrow crotch of her panties enough to get my mouth where I wanted it to be. Thank God she had on her sexiest thong panties. It would make my job easier and visually, that style of underwear was every man's dream. Her scent was intoxicating and I filled my nostrils with it before I moved in closer.

"Fuck," she cried out as I thrust my tongue inside her. Her back arched and my arms strained to pull her back towards me.

I licked her deeply and quickly. This wasn't about leisurely love-making. I wanted her to come hard and fast. My tongue moved up to her clit, earning a whimper that made me smile. I wrapped my lips around that sensitive bundle of nerves and sucked on it, making her writhe. She swore, her fingers digging into my hair and pressing my face against her pussy. I let her move her hips, the muscles in my arms burning as I kept her from falling. She was close, I could feel it, and then, with one extra sharp pull from my mouth, she was there, calling out my name as she came.

I kept my mouth on her, slowly licking her to draw out her pleasure. When I felt the muscles in her thighs begin to shake and her breathing getting sharp, I gently lowered her onto my lap. She rested her head against my chest as her body finished riding out her orgasm.

"Wow," she said. "Never did that before."

I smiled down at her. "What do you say I get a couple energy drinks from the fridge and we head into the bedroom for some more head clearing?"

Her smile was all the answer I needed.

Chapter Three.

Dani I felt Luke kiss my forehead, but it didn't wake me enough to do more than mumble something that I was pretty sure I intended to be an 'I love you' or something equally endearing. Judging by the low chuckle that warmed things inside me, whatever I'd said hadn't made as much sense as I'd wanted it to. By the time I was coherent enough to appreciate the situation, the apartment was quiet. I had slept through Luke's morning goodbye kiss. Luke had already left for his meeting with Judge Schwartz.

I stretched, rolling over to press my face against Luke's pillow and breathe in his scent. I'd done that a lot when he'd been away training. The first night in this apartment, I'd slept in Lacey's room, unsure if Luke and I were at the point where we were sleeping together...literally. Then he'd spent three weeks away and I'd slept in his bed every night. When he came back, we didn't discuss the matter. I just stayed in his bed, happily and blissfully content sleeping next to him. In his arms, I felt safer than I had in a long time. Which was, of course, ironic, considering I was in more danger now than when we first met.

My mind wandered over the process of our relationship as I showered. Ours wasn't the average relationship. Far from it, but I couldn't live without Luke. There was a connection between us that I couldn't explain and I didn't even want to try. I just knew I wanted to be here in the thick of this crazy mess to help him.

I pulled on my usual jeans and a sleeveless cotton top and went into the kitchen to grab something that resembled a breakfast. I tossed the banana peel into the trash and decided since Luke was going to be with the judge for most of the morning, I would take the time to go see my grandma. This would be the perfect opportunity, plus getting out of the apartment and going through the monotony of riding the subway to the old neighborhood was good for me, too. It was familiar, normal, and something mundane in the midst of crazy.

The train ride to my grandma's neighborhood proved to do the trick. I arrived relaxed but it didn't last for long. Speaking of crazy...what was she doing? I stopped short as I approached the house and looked up at the second story of my childhood home where my seventy-something grandmother was on a tall, metal ladder, washing the second-story windows. I stood there, torn between wanting to tell her to get down and not wanting to scare her. I opted for silence, but stayed tense, ready to move if the ladder so much as wiggled. It stayed solid, however, and less than five minutes later, Grammy looked down and gave me a little wave.

When she was halfway down, she called to me. "I feel like I'm twenty years old again!"

I managed a tight smile that didn't bloom into a full one until her feet were solidly on the ground.

"Not that I really remember what twenty felt like." She laughed through her deep breaths and grabbed me in a tight hug.

I could feel a new strength in those arms. Her eyes looked brighter and her complexion was rosy. She looked better than I'd ever seen her. Tears pricked at my eyes. Everything I'd been through, all the guilt I'd felt over taking that money, all of it was worth it to see her looking so healthy.

I followed her inside and we fell into our normal routine, settled at the kitchen table. I passed the palm of my hand over the white and yellow tablecloth. Something was missing. In the center of Grammy's kitchen table was a ring, marked on the plastic tablecloth that was darker than the rest of the surrounding pattern. It was discolored because, for as long as I could remember, a heavy, dark green glass ashtray had sat there. It was Grammy's favorite because it had belonged to my grandfather.

"Grammy?" I gestured towards the circle.

She smiled at me and pulled up the sleeve of her rose-colored blouse. On her upper arm, barely visible, even against her pale skin, was a square patch.

"Figured it wouldn't be very gracious of me to repay the miracle of these treatments by continuing to kill myself with cigarettes."

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. I'd been begging her to quit smoking for years, terrified that I'd lose her even more quickly and I'd be alone. "I'm proud of you, Grammy."

She patted my hand as I settled back in my seat. "And I'm proud of you, too, sweetheart."

We chatted about nothing for a few minutes while she poured us both a glass of iced tea, the ice cubes popping as the liquid hit them. Then something she said made my stomach churn.

"Two more of those men from the FBI came by the other day. Not the two who were here before. Other ones." She reached for a plate of lemon bars and pushed them towards me. I took one automatically but didn't eat it. She continued, "They must not talk to each other much because they were asking some of the same questions. New ones, too, but still. You know how much I hate repeating myself."

I did know how much she hated it, but I didn't comment on it. I was too busy wondering why the FBI was still snooping around if they were dealing directly with Luke now. Unless this wasn't about Bruno.

"They asked me how I could afford these treatments," Grammy said as she lowered her weight into the chair opposite me.

My head jerked up.

"It's nice to know my medical records are private," she scoffed.

"What did you say?" I pushed my finger through some powdered sugar that had fallen onto the plate and tried not to let her hear how nervous I was.

She gave me a sly grin. "Just that an angel of God had reached out to me."

I stared at her for a moment, debating if she was being serious or not. When I decided she was, I had to ask, "And they believed that?"

Grammy's perky smile widened. "What can I say? I know how to sell 'kooky religious lady'."

We both laughed at that, though my good humor was dampened by the seriousness of what had happened. Grammy didn't understand it, but I did. Something was up.

"If they come around again asking questions, just tell them to contact me directly," I said. "They don't need to be harassing you."

"It's no problem, really." She gave her hand one of those little waves she did. "I like the company and I'll never tell them anything about, you know...the money." She lowered her voice on the last two words as if anyone lurking outside of the house could hear what she said.

I just hoped they hadn't gotten a warrant to bug the house. If they were listening to this conversation, I was screwed. I loved my grandma and I knew she'd never purposefully say anything that could hurt me, but I also knew that people like the Feds would have no problem tricking her until she gave away my secret. They wouldn't even blink as the world of an old woman crashed to the ground upon the realization that it was she who had ratted me out. They didn't care about her...or me...just getting the job done.

"Please, Grammy." I put my hand over hers. "Just promise me that you'll tell them to come to me if they want answers. Don't entertain them. Don't serve them cake and cookies."

I was finally forced to admit it. The FBI was suspicious. I wasn't sure if they'd figured out where I'd gotten the money or not. All I knew was that they couldn't prove anything. If they'd been able to, they would've just arrested me instead of hassling my grandmother.

"Grammy, please, promise me."

"I promise," she said. Her eyes twinkled. "But only if you play at least three rounds of Gin Rummy with me."

I sighed. There was a reason I didn't usually play with her. Grammy always won.

Chapter Four.

Luke This was the last place I wanted to be, standing outside the chambers of Judge Alan Schwartz, the man who'd taken away my license to fight professionally and forced me to go underground. In a way, Schwartz was responsible for everything that had happened. If I'd still been legit, I never would've hooked up with that fucker, Bruno, and none of this down-hill shitslide would've happened. Then again, I knew that also meant I never would've met Dani.

The what-if's didn't matter. What happened with Schwartz was ancient history. And that was the reason part of me actually did want to be here. Not because I liked or trusted Schwartz, but because he was the only person offering me a chance to go back to the life I wanted, the one I needed if I was going to get my little girl back.

I was counting on him wanting to bust Bruno and the cartel more than he hated me. Schwartz pissed me off something royal, but now I needed his help.

When the secretary finally waved me in, I'd been there nearly twenty minutes The stiff chair in the reception area just added to my discomfort. My entire body was a tight ball of nerves and muscles. All of the tension I'd released with Dani last night was back, and worse. With my jaw set tight, I went into the judge's chambers and saw that he wasn't alone. I recognized Special Agent Grant Lawson, the head of the FBI task force assigned to taking down the cartel Bruno had pissed off. We'd only met once, but he'd seemed straightforward. He wouldn't pull any punches like some people did.

"Judge Schwartz was just telling me about the circumstances under which you lost your license." The agent's voice was flat and without any trace of judgment.

I furrowed my brow and folded my arms across my chest. I wasn't about to apologize for what I'd done. Swartz thought I'd needed to be taken down a peg or two. He didn't like my attitude then or now. I settled into my seat even further and said, "You know that man deserved everything he got for what he did to that woman."

Agent Lawson shot a glance at the judge and I caught a glimpse of something on his face that told me Schwartz hadn't mentioned why I'd beaten the shit out of that asshole.

"It didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now," Judge Schwartz said stubbornly. "The law is there for a reason. This is not a land of vigilantes and we can't just let anyone take it into their own hands, especially people like you, Mr. Romero. You're practically a walking lethal weapon."

So that was it. Schwartz felt threatened by me. On a level of men seeking power, he had it in the courtroom but I had it on another level. He was envious. All the black robes and wood-paneled courtrooms in the world couldn't give him what I had.

I bit the inside of my mouth, trying not to lash out in my defense. I didn't bother to point out what I'd said back then, that the cops who'd taken the woman's statement had been more interested in what she'd been wearing and whether or not she'd been flirting than they had about making sure justice was served. To my knowledge, I'd been the only one punished for what had happened that night.

"That's not why we're here," Agent Lawson intervened. It wasn't going to do any good for Schwartz and me to keep butting heads about old things.

After all, we had new things to butt heads about.

"You promised to give me my license back," I said flatly. "All I had to do was win. And I did." As if on cue, my knee gave a throb, still tender from the injury.

"The FBI needed you to win so they could flip Bruno Costello on the cartel." Schwartz leaned back in his chair with an air or arrogance.

"Bruno didn't flip, so I don't have a witness," Agent Lawson said.

"Fine," I snapped. "I'll find Bruno and make him testify." I resisted the urge to tell them both that I'd be doing their jobs for them.

"You didn't learn anything from..." The judge stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, I saw that he didn't just hate me. I disgusted him. "You will not be taking the law into your own hands again, Mr. Romero."

Agent Lawson leaned forward in his chair and, in an attempt to quell the rising animosity between the judge and me, said, "We have a deal for you."

"Against my recommendation," Judge Schwartz added.

Lawson nodded to acknowledge the judge's comment, then continued. "You help us get Bruno back and we'll have your ban lifted conditionally starting now."

His words spiked my interest and I uncrossed my arms, letting them relax into my lap. If they did that, I could start booking fights as soon as the doc cleared my knee, but I wasn't the judge's puppet. I wasn't about to be emotionally yanked around by any of these guys so I didn't let myself dwell on the possibility. I needed to know what they expected of me.

"What the hell do you need me for? What can I do that you guys can't?" I asked.

A pleased gleam flitted across the agent's eyes. Apparently, the fact that I'd asked questions before I accepted meant something. "You move in circles where people won't talk to the FBI or even the local PD. They will, however, talk to you, especially since people know that Bruno was your promoter." Lawson's expression grew stern. "But the judge is right about one thing. You're not to apprehend Bruno. You get information and pass it along. Leave the rest to us. No macho man hero stuff. Keep your fists and your temper under control this time."

Judge Schwartz narrowed his eyes and licked his lips, as if relishing what he was about to say. "And there are some conditions."

Of course there were.

"This temporary lift will only last three months. If Bruno testifies during that time, the ban will be completely revoked and your license will be restored without a single permanent mark." The judge looked like the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. "However, if you fail to find Bruno, if he refuses to testify, or if he dies before testifying, the ban goes back into place and you're done. For good."

He didn't think I could do it. I could see it in his eyes. I think he wanted me to fail. I stroked the day-old stubble on my chin. Fuck. These assholes were shrewd. So many circumstances beyond my control. So many ways for this to go bad. I felt them pulling the strings, making me dance for them, but it was all I had. My only alternative was to work with them.

My jaw clenched and I ground my teeth. "All right. I accept."

"Excellent." Agent Lawson looked pleased. I stood up to leave and he eagerly thrust out his hand. He held out his hand and my eyes dropped to it and then over to the smirking Judge Schwartz. I hated this but, after a moment, I shook it. I ran my tongue over the teeth inside my mouth as I squeezed with an extra hard pressure. My hands afforded a handshake that was no comparison to his limp gesture and I wanted him to know that.

"We'll be in touch," he remarked as he retracted his hand. I spun on my heels and headed to the door, leaving him standing there shaking out his right hand.

I didn't even look at Schwartz as I left his office. As soon as I got out of the courthouse, I pulled out my phone. I'd call Dani with the good news in a moment. First, I had to call Joe and tell him that we were back in business.

Chapter Five.