food lives up to the atmosphere.”
“I’m strictly a spaghetti man,” Bishop said, “so I can’t vouch for anything else. But I’ve never heard any complaints.”
“Do you live in D.C., Bishop?”
“It’s Mike, Ann.”
She laughed lightly. “So you do have a first name.”
“We don’t throw our names around on a mission. Never know who might overhear.”
“You mean you work undercover, too?”
“No. Our mission is usually to get in and out in a hurry.”
At that moment a waitress came over to take their order. “Glad to see you back home safely, Mike.”
“Thanks, Nina. How are you doing?”
“Getting married in two months. Hope you and the squad are in town for it.”
“If we are, we’ll be there. How’s Mama doing?”
The girl’s eyes saddened. “Missing Tony. We all are. Poppa covers it up better than the rest of us do. My wedding plans are helping Mama to get through it.”
“That’s good. Danny’s a lucky guy. Nina, this is Ann Hamilton. Nina’s Angelo’s daughter,” he explained to Ann.
Ann smiled warmly. “Hi, Nina.” For a moment Ann had been afraid she would have to go through the awkwardness of meeting an ex-girlfriend. Not that there was anything other than business between her and Bishop. It just would have been uncomfortable.
“Glad to meet you, Ann. Hope you know you’re out with the best guy in the world.”
“Other than Danny, of course,” Ann teased.
Nina’s eyes widened with pleasure. “Do you know Danny?”
“No, but it kind of shows when you mention his name.”
Nina giggled. “Am I that obvious? Are you ready to order?”
“The spaghetti comes recommended, so I’ll try that.”
“Sausage or meatballs?” Nina asked.
Ann arched a brow and looked at Bishop for his preference.
“Meatballs,” he said. “House dressing on the salad, and a bottle of Chianti.”
That was Bishop all right. Precise. Succinct. Why waste words even among friends?
“They all seem to know you very well,” Ann said as soon as the girl left. “You must come here often.”
His mouth slashed into a grim line. “Yeah. Ann’s brother was a member of our squad. He was killed last month in Beirut.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. So obviously D.C.’s your home.”
“I keep a small, walk-up apartment. Nothing fancy. A place to sleep when I’m in town. You planning on returning permanently to the States?”
“I think so. As soon as I settle this custody battle over Brandon, I’ll go back to Kourou and pack up.”
Mike shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about Brandon’s custody. Sounds like a slam dunk to me.”
Her hopes soared. “You really think so? Mr. Waterman didn’t sound too encouraging.”
“He’s a priss. Are you planning on legally adopting the kid?”
“If I’m allowed to. I don’t know the rules in a situation like this, but I’m going to get a lawyer and find out. If I can’t, I’ll have to settle for just being his guardian, but I would love to legally have him as a son.”
“No boyfriend to object.”
“That’s right. Even if I had one, it wouldn’t do him any good to try. I love Brandon. What about you, Bish…ah, Mike? First night back in town. I’d have thought you’d want to hook up with a girlfriend instead of baby-sitting me. After all, this dinner tonight is in the line of duty.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.