by Jayne Blue
I leaned down to kiss her again. She stirred. My heart clenched as she opened her eyes and smiled up at me. She trusted me. I knew what last night was. She wanted to come to me openly. She lay her truths at my feet and dared me to close the door on her. I didn’t. Couldn’t. But I couldn’t give her the same thing back. Not yet.
“What time is it?” she asked, groggy.
“Still early. Just past six, I think.”
“Mmm. Bed coma. I think I could sleep until noon.”
She turned to face me. The sheet slipped down, exposing her perfect breasts. I reached over and thumbed her nipples, watching them rise to peaks for me. She squirmed and tried to bat my hand away but her effort was half-hearted. She liked me touching her as much as I did. I leaned down and kissed her.
“I should go.” She yawned. “Let you get some proper sleep. That’s two nights in a row now I’ve kept you up.”
I laughed. “You think I mind? I can’t think of a better way to spend a sleepless night, Devin.”
She sat up and drew her knees to her chest, growing a little sheepish. “You know, we’re the talk of the bar. Obviously, Floyd put two and two together yesterday. The rest of them weren’t far behind.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?”
She shrugged. “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t complicate things.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Me too.” She grew pensive, staring out the window. I reached up and kissed her again, looking for that sultry smile I’d come to recognize as only for me.
“What?” I asked.
She blushed and rested her hand against her cheek, half covering her mouth. “I tried telling you last night. This … you and me. This isn’t my usual MO. God. Jase. I feel like we’re doing everything backward.”
I nodded. “I see.”
“I don’t want to be one of those crazy, needy women. I’m not. I promise. But …”
“Devin, stop. I don’t think that of you. You don’t sleep around. Neither do I.”
“Good. But I feel like I don’t know anything about you. Not really. What are your hobbies? What did you want to be when you grew up?”
I swallowed hard. She didn’t deserve this. Anything I told her would be framed by a lie. It tore at me. I wanted nothing more than to open myself to this woman all the way. And I wanted to know everything there was to know about her. I leaned back against the pillows and crooked an arm over my head. She shifted her weight and looked back at me.
“Sorry. I’m doing it again. I ramble when I’m nervous.”
“I don’t want you to feel nervous around me. Not ever.”
“So ask me out,” she said.
I smiled. God, in addition to being a liar, I was a fucking asshole. “Dinner and a movie? Tell me where you want to go. I’ll make it happen.”
She smacked me with a pillow. “Cocky bastard. I didn’t say I’d say yes.”
Laughing, I pulled her against me. “Then maybe I’ll just tie you up and make you stay here.”
Her laughter dropped an octave, becoming wickedly sexy. It was a casual comment, but the vision of her spread eagle on my bed, helpless as I did things to her to make her plead for me again. God, it revved me up the same way it did her. “You’re trouble, Jase Randall. Aren’t you?”
The sound of that fake name stabbed through me, sobering me. Fuck. She didn’t fucking deserve my lies. The right thing to do was break this off now until I could come to her honestly. If she’d even have me then. And what if I did tell her now? Would she run to her uncle? I had no concrete basis for thinking it, but I believed in my heart she wouldn’t. I sensed a hard barrier between Devin and Cy. If she knew the truth of who he was, she just might want to help me. After all, her future was tied to his right now. I couldn’t believe she’d want to risk going down with him. And God help me, if it was within my power, she would not go down with him.
I should tell her. I knew it. Seeing her like this with her guard down. Trusting me. I should trust her back. Just being here with me was a leap of faith on her part. Maybe I needed to take one myself and tell her the truth.
“Jase?” She leaned down and gently knocked her fist against my forehead. “What’s going on in there? Did I say something wrong?”
I shook my head and pulled her close until she rested her head against my cheek. I smoothed the hair away from her forehead and kissed her there. “Not a thing. I was just thinking how much I wish we could just stay here in this bed all day.”
“Mmmm,” she purred. “Don’t tempt me.” She threaded her fingers through mine and kissed my palm.
“A date though. You serious? Because I am.”
“Well, it would be a start.”
“Give me a day. I’ll think of something special. Maybe we can get far away from Northpointe. That way you don’t have to worry about running into anyone from the bar.” It was a lie. A dick move maybe. I wanted to spend the day with her, but leaving Northpointe would make it safer for me.
“That’s a great idea.”
She settled against me and grew silent. I closed my eyes and relaxed into the pillows. Bed coma.
“Jase?”
“What, baby?”
“I suppose it’s early for us to be making promises to each other, but I think I’m going to ask for one anyway.”
My eyes snapped open. Devin shifted; sitting up she turned to face me. A line formed between her brows. “Promise you won’t fuck me over.”
My heart felt like it dropped down to my knees. She had a way of looking at me that made me feel like she could read my soul. Devin blinked hard and waited for an answer.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean … I’m not trying to get heavy on you. Honest. It’s just … being with you is going to cost me something. At the bar. With everyone. Somewhere in the middle of my hallway rant last night, I made a decision. I’ve decided not to care.”
“Devin … I …”
“I mean, I’ve decided not to care what everyone thinks if and when they find out we’re spending time together. Just … don’t make me regret it, okay? And don’t freak out. It’s just, I’m not stupid. I know there are things about you you don’t want me to know. Something in your past. I don’t know. And it’s none of my business. At least, for now. Just promise that whatever it is, you’re not going to fuck me over.”
I swallowed hard. I should tell her. I knew it. And yet, I couldn’t. In that moment I also knew the day would come she’d hate me for it. But today wasn’t that day. I leaned up and kissed her, running my thumb along her jaw to tilt her head toward mine.
“I won’t fuck you over. I promise.” I kissed her again and hoped to God I could keep it.
She smiled up at me. She opened her mouth to say something else but my phone rang on the nightstand. I wanted to ignore it, but I was on thin ice with Stan from the other night.
“Go ahead,” Devin said; moving away from me she threw off the covers. Oh God. Seeing her standing at the edge of my bed naked and beautiful. It was enough to make a man forget his own name. “I’m going to take a shower. If you want, come over in a little bit. I’ll make you eggs.”
Nodding, I reached for my phone. Devin smiled back at me before grabbing her shirt and jeans and heading out my bedroom door. It killed me to see her go, but I turned back and clicked on my phone.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, yourself. How soon can we meet?” His harsh tone sent heat through my blood. Whatever he wanted wasn’t good.
“Twenty minutes. Tell me where.”
“Shady Pines parking lot again. Twenty’s perfect.”
“Is this news I’m going to like?”
Stan’s hard breath into the phone told me just about everything I needed.
“No, Jase. You’re not going to like it one bit. It’s an unmitigated fucking disaster. Get here as fast as you can.”
Before I could ask any other questions, he clicked off the phone.
This ti
me, Stan didn’t even get out of his car. He parked beneath a weeping willow in the corner of the lot. I pulled into the lot on his passenger side and rolled down my window. He was alone, puffing on a fat cigar as he watched the courtyard in front of us.
I spotted Rachel right away. She sat in her wheelchair with one of her nurses beside her. With great effort, Rachel lifted her arm and pointed her wrist at a flock of geese flying overhead. Her laughter carried across the yard and made Stan smile if just for a moment. Then his face grew hard and he leaned across the front seat and pushed his passenger door open. Nodding, I stepped out of my car and got into his.
“Thanks for showing up on short notice. I know that’s dicey for you.”
I closed the door and rested my arm against the window. “I’m here on your dime, Stan.”
“Right.” His bitter laugh didn’t bring me any comfort about what the hell he wanted. “My dime.”
“Stan?”
He ground his cigar out in a plastic tray on his dashboard. It looked like he lived out of his fucking car. Fast food bags crumpled at my feet. He gripped the steering wheel and swore under his breath.
“You set up another meeting with Kinney’s contact?”
I pulled my phone out and unlocked the touch screen. It wasn’t quite eight a.m. “That’s on today’s agenda.”
“Good.” Stan nodded but didn’t look at me.
“You bring me all the way out here to ask me that?”
He shook his head. “I got a call today. Special Agent Cutler. Smug prick.”
My blood ran cold. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for what I knew came next.
“How long?” I asked.
“Yesterday,” he answered. “Mayor approved it. The feds are flying down tomorrow morning for a meeting. They’re taking over, Jase. I’m doing everything in my power to postpone but I can’t do shit.”
“Fuck.” I slammed my fist against the dashboard. “Do they know about me?”
Stan shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll keep it quiet as long as I can. That’s why you need to set up this meeting with Kinney’s supplier now. Tonight if you can.”
“Even if I do, it might not be enough to make an arrest.”
“Jase … make it enough. We aren’t going to get another chance. When I said I don’t know how high up the stink goes in my department, I really meant it. I can’t be sure the feds aren’t part of it.”
“Goddammit, Stan. Even if I make an arrest tonight, that’s not going to be enough if the supplier isn’t willing to flip. Either way, Marsh will know what’s going on.”
“You think I don’t know that? I told you. This is a fucking disaster. I’m scrambling to salvage what I can. And right now, we have jack shit. Just get the buy set up. Is that going to be a problem?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled up my contacts and called Kinney. Fuck the time of day. He answered on the third ring, groggy. Probably half wasted.
“What up, Jase?”
I didn’t see the point in wasting time with pleasantries. “You know what I’m calling about.”
Kinney laughed. “You’ve got some balls, Jase. You stood me up.”
“Don’t even start with me, asshole. That’s on you. You’ve got one last chance to make this shit right or I’m out. Today, Kinney.”
“Shit. Trust was built, Jase. Now I’m not so sure.”
“So you fucking fix it, man. You think I don’t have ways to get the word out about you? Be smart.”
“Calm the fuck down. We’re all on the same side, aren’t we? Lemme get back to you.”
“Not good enough. I need a commitment. The other night set me back too.”
“All right. All right. Imma text you. Time and place.”
“Tonight, Kinney. Guaranteed.”
“I said I’ll see what I can do, man.”
“If I don’t hear from you in the next ten minutes with a confirmation, I’ll make other plans. Your choice.”
“I said lemme get back to you.”
“Ten minutes.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Ten minutes. Though I’m not promising it’ll be what you want to hear.”
“I have faith in you, Kinney. Looking forward to your text.”
I clicked off the phone before Kinney could say any more.
Stan sighed. “You sure you played that right?”
“Guys like him need a short leash, Stan. He’ll text me back.”
“I hope so. You know the drill though. You hook up with Gates.”
Stan reached across me and opened the glove box. He pulled out a clunky black watch and tossed it in my lap. “You wear it,” he said. “No arguments, you’re going in wired. Work out a code with Gates. This is a deal breaker.”
Nodding, I tapped the power button on the watch and slipped it over my left wrist. “Not a problem, Stan. I’m not putting my life at risk even for you.”
Stan held out his hand to shake mine. His eyes glistened with emotion that twisted my gut. I knew how much this case meant to him. If I needed a reminder, she was sitting in a wheelchair a hundred yards away. For me, it was about getting back my badge. For Stan, he’d never get back what he lost.
“You’d better go,” he said.
Nodding, I reached over and slapped him on the back. “Piece of cake, Stan. I’ll get us what we need.”
“I hope so. Because tonight’s probably our last best chance.”
Chapter Fifteen
Devin
I was done worrying what everyone else thought about Jase and me. The good I felt when I was with him outweighed the judgment I might get from everyone else. This might be how other girls felt. The giddiness. The anticipation of seeing him again. But we had to work together tonight. Even though I felt sure in my decision to take the next step with him, that didn’t mean I planned to drool all over him at the bar. Business was business. And it would be that much harder to deal with Kinney and the others. I’d only put up with so much of their bullshit on the subject.
I tied my hair up and laced up my black combat boots. Tonight would be a bit of a battle. But I braced myself not to cave. I did deserve to feel like other girls did, dammit. I just wished I had someone to talk to about it. Floyd didn’t count. I missed my sister. I won’t lie and say we were close like other sisters were. We never had late-night gabfests where Mandy braided my hair. I had no memory of waiting up for her when she went on dates. But we survived the trench warfare that was our shared, turbulent childhoods. I missed being able to share a little of the good stuff too.
“Looking good, Dev,” Georgia called out as I walked in the back door of the bar. I don’t know why she said it. I didn’t do anything special. I’d worn my favorite green leggings and a short-sleeved white tee shirt like I did a hundred times. I gave her a shrug and a ‘what the hell’ gesture with my palms upturned.
Georgia laughed. “You’re smiling, Devin. It looks good on you.”
I shook my head and waved her off. Floyd wouldn’t make eye contact when I walked through the kitchen. That was the first thing that happened to dampen my mood. Jase wasn’t here yet. He wasn’t due for another hour. Still, I missed him, even though I knew that might be dangerous.
“Maintain,” I whispered to myself. This was still new. There were still a thousand things that could go wrong and if my luck and history were any indication, he’d break my heart. For right now though, I wanted to trust it. At least for today.
“Evening, Floyd,” I said, slamming my palm against the food counter. He grumbled something but didn’t turn to face me. I decided to take that as progress too.
“Hey, Dev,” Kinney called out from behind the bar. I hadn’t really had a chance to deal with his current status on my shit list. For not fixing the damn basement door and for calling off last night without telling me. Time to remedy that lest the rest of them think I’d gone too soft entirely.
“Kinney,” I said brightly, while keeping a scowl on my face. He knew that look and his face fell. He tried to smile back but also k
new that wouldn’t cut it. He lifted his hands in surrender.
“I know. I know. You’re hating my ass right now.”
“Hate is such a strong word, Anthony.”
“Yeah. Look. I’m sorry. Woke up with a stomach bug. Didn’t think you’d want me to risk coming in and exposing everyone else.”
“You look fine today.”
“Yeah. Twenty-four-hour thing.”
“Lucky that, Kinney. Listen, we need to talk about a few things. Have Roy finish your prep work. Let’s talk in my office.”
Kinney sucked air through his teeth and cocked his head. “Sure thing, boss. Except, we can’t do that right now.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I was about to come find you. Maybe we can find a few minutes after we close tonight? Your office is kind of occupied at the moment.”
“What the hell?” I shrugged my shoulders and headed toward the bar. I passed by the front window and turned my head. My heart sank. Uncle Cy’s BMW was parallel parked right in front of the building. I whipped my head around and glared at Kinney. “Kinney, you’re on about my last damn nerve.”
He nodded and shrugged but pointed toward the closed door of my office. Uncle Cy was waiting. Once again, I knew he wouldn’t show up here unless he had something important on his mind. In my experience, it was never anything good. I hadn’t seen him since our last spaghetti dinner.
“Uncle Cy? Didn’t know you were planning to stop by.” I put on a smile as I walked into my office. Just like the last time he dropped by, he sat behind my desk with his feet propped up.
“And you know I don’t like to announce my plans.”
His smile was just as fake as mine and it answered the main question on my mind. Whatever set him off the other night, his fuse was still burning.
“Well, it’s nice to see you just the same. Are you here because you missed me or is there something going on?”
