Not a straight answer but one Cam could understand.Abby, he hoped to God, was trying to make the right decision, the one that he and Bobby hadn’t made.Cam just needed to convince her she could trust him and Nic.They were a better option than Becca.“I’ll do what I can to get you both clear,” he said.“But to make that happen, we have to find out who Becca’s working for.”
Incredulous returned with a vengeance.“She’s the boss.”
“Our evidence indicates otherwise.”
“What evidence?”
He grinned—better than a grimace—for any prying eyes.“I can’t tell you.”Stymied, Abby moved to yank free her hand and Cam gave it a squeeze, hoping to calm her.Hoping all this looked like a negotiation to Becca.“How do we play this?”he asked.He needed Abby on his side and giving her some control over the situation would go a long way.
“I’m supposed to take you up to her if you check out.”
He lifted her hand, kissing the back of it.“Think she’s buying this?”
Finally, one corner of Abby’s mouth twitched, fighting a smile.“You’re smooth, I’ll give you that.”
“Let’s go then.”He lifted his hip, drew out his wallet, and tossed a twenty on the bar.Sliding off the stool, he tugged Abby closer, whispering in her ear, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”Because that’s what Nic would want and because Cam didn’t like the bruises on her face one bit either.“Or your sister.”Because that’s what the old Cam had failed to do, the reminder burning a hole in his wallet.He knew he shouldn’t have brought the library card with him, the only truly identifying piece of information on him, but he hadn’t been without it in twenty years.He wouldn’t start now when he needed it most.
She nodded, then stepped out from between the stools, hand in his, leading him across the floor and up the stairs to the mezzanine level.
In the VIP section, Becca sat in the middle of a long couch, her position providing a prime view of the bar where he and Abby had been.Cam hoped like hell they’d been convincing.Legs crossed, Becca bounced her knee-high leather boot their direction as they approached.Two bruisers closed in, separating Cam from Abby.Becca lifted her chin, ordering her girlfriend over while her muscle searched him, including with a handheld transmission scanner.Aidan had been right not to send him in wired.
Once clear, he crossed to the couch and Becca gave him a blatantly hungry once-over, a Cheshire cat grin stretching across her face.“When Ax told me he’d found a new B&E guy for me, he didn’t mention you were fucking stunning.”
Ah, well, he hadn’t factored this in, but he could make it work to his advantage.Use it to get closer to Becca.Smiling, Cam took a step forward, and Becca waved off her guards.“Let Hot Stuff through.”
She stretched the arm not around Abby across the top of the couch, and Cam slid into the spot next to her, letting his own eyes linger on the cleavage her bustier accentuated.She’d appreciate the appreciation.
“I’m fucking stunning all around, boss lady.And so are you.”He held out a hand together with his best grin, the one that had once been spread wide until he’d begun reserving it for a certain prosecutor.“Brady Campbell, at your service.”
“Someone’s a charmer.”She placed her hand in his and laughed as he lifted her knuckles to his lips, same as he’d done Abby’s at the bar.
“Irish,” he said with a wink.“I come by it honest.”
“And from Boston, judging by that accent.”
“You got a problem with some Southie blue collar on your crew?”
“None at all.”She crooked a finger into the cuff around his wrist and dragged his hand to her leather-clad thigh.“You come highly recommended.”
He ran his hand a little higher, eliciting a rumbling purr.“Like you said, stunning.”
“Good.”Nail beneath his chin, she drew him closer.“I’m gonna need you to prove it.Tonight.”
Twelve
It was early morning when Nic pulled his truck into the parking garage, the shift in light from outside to underground negligible, the heavy spring fog blanketing everything in soupy gray.Between the cement pillars and slanted ramps, the mist that rolled down the ramp played in the nooks and crannies, making the shadows come to life.Born and raised in the Bay Area, Nic was old friends with the fog, had greatly missed it during his tours in the desert, but it had its creeptastic moments.
Palming his phone, he stared at the dark screen.Other than work emails, it had been silent since last night.No moreUnknowncalls, and no word from Cam either.Nic didn’t expect it.Cam was deep undercover.They had to assume all communication would be monitored.His phone, a burner, had likely been taken and bugged.But not even knowing if the meet had happened, much less whether Becca had accepted Cam into the crew—or God forbid, taken him hostage—had kept Nic up until the wee hours.Sleep eluding him, he’d eventually dragged his ass into the brewery to do paperwork, which finally knocked him out.
A couple of hours’ shut-eye and more pain in his sore body to show for it.If he was going to be halfway functional in court later this morning, he needed coffee stat, but even those shops weren’t open for another half hour.And he’d be damned if he’d get stuck with office sludge again today.
He climbed out of his truck, dug his briefcase from behind his seat, and slammed the door shut.He’d barely taken a step when something pinged his periphery.
Motion in a dark corner the other direction, diagonally behind him.
Were Vaughn’s men stupid enough to follow him here?In a garage with a police car pool monitored by security cameras?Or maybe it was Vaughn’s inside guy?Because the more Nic thought about that last night in his wide-awake hours, he was sure of it.Someone in either his or Aidan’s office had to be tipping Vaughn off as to when and where they might be able to disguise an attempt or threat on his life.To pressure a father who couldn’t give two shits about him.Someone’s intel was wrong.He was not the leverage they needed.And if they did know that, then they were trying to pressure him directly to pay for his old man’s debts.
Nic didn’t turn toward where he’d detected the motion.Using his side-view mirror instead, he kept an eye on the area behind him while lowering his briefcase and reaching for his sidearm.As fog curled out of the suspect corner, Nic cursed himself for falling prey to the mist’s tricks.Until he felt another pair of eyes on him, up the ramp to the next level.He nudged the side-view mirror, angling it for a better look.
