FIFTEEN
CADE
Bones’s messagefrom last night gave me the ammo we’ve been searching for. It may have been the greatest part of last night, except my tongue buried in my girl’s pussy beat it out.
Waking with her in my arms made the past year go away, but in the name of her protection, I leave her and head down to the local precinct to deal with shit I’d prefer not to.
“Why are you calling me?”
Miles’ ever-grumpy voice comes from the other end of the phone call, from where he’s in his cruiser, playing the moralistic cop who lives on the high ground. By answering, he confirms he’s still in my pocket, so I hang up without responding, cross the street after parking my bike, and tug on the passenger door—which surprisingly opens.
“You’re a cop, for fuck’s sake. Why is your door unlocked? Don’t you know how unsafe that is?”
After waking with Aspen sleeping cozy, content, and comfortable in my arms, his ugly mug isn’t even in my top ten of preferred things to see. But it’s necessary, because while admitting my past to Aspen, all that mention of the copsreminded me of the one in my pocket who may start making himself useful again.
He hisses before throwing the car into drive and pulling away from the curve. “The fuck? Didn’t I tell you to never show your face in these parts? Days after release. You enjoyed prison that much or something? Pissing me off is a sure way to go about returning.”
Guy’s head is even bigger than believed. “Pissing you off is the last thing I’m doing. Want a promotion?”
His foot jerks the pedal a bit harder than meant to at the stop sign. “This has gotta be good.”
“Victor.”
Without a last name, it could be anyone, but I know he knows who I’m talking about when he abruptly parks the vehicle on a side street. “What do you know?”
“Where one of them is.”
He rolls his eyes. “Your inmate buddy? We tried that already. He won’t give up his brother.”
“A decade of his sentence has passed, and he’s a few years away from release. He’s missing his life, and I’ve learned of a few facts that may make him more cooperative in handing over Victor’s location. Maybe even the others. It’ll be a huge bust with your name all over it.”
He rubs a hand through his hair. “Fucking Christ, alright I’m listening. What’s in this for you? You won’t give something for nothing.”
“He’s making threats to someone close to me. Once he’s gone, it’ll be safer.”
Calculations run through his eyes. He’s trying to figure out who, beyond my crew, I care about, who wasn’t around when I was first incarcerated.
“If you offer Gunnar early parole, he’ll talk.”
“Will he?” Miles’s brows lift.
“My guys found a few fun facts of his life that he’s hidden from the public. He has people he’s dying to go home and see. Let me visit him. Give me today while you convince your boss. When you go see him tomorrow, I promise he’ll squeal.”
“There’s no guarantee of this.” The light in his eyes is one of hope. Miles wants my offer. To take down Victor—the long-time leader of the Vendettas and whoever else attempts to protect him—is a huge win. “I’d have to convince my superiors. And even then, we don’t have the authority to offer early parole. All we can do is put in a word to the parole board.”
“Good thing you’re a smooth talker.” Slapping his arm, I crook the passenger door handle to escape—been inside enough cop cars for a lifetime. “I’ll be watching the news, Miles. Good luck. If you’ll now excuse me, I’ll be taking my bike up to the prison and then I have a Valentine’s dinner to cook.”
He bends down until I’m in view. “Where the fuck did you find someone to put up with your ass?”
“On the contrary. She found me.” I slam the door shut and walk away.
What’s it say that I’m willingly walking into the prison I spent years counting down to escape from?
That I’m fucking obsessed with the girl who’ll be mine in every way after today.
Bennett, my old guard pal, is signing in all the visitors. He chokes when I get to the start of the line, flicking between my ID and the clipboard I jotted my name onto. “Missed us all so much you had to return this soon?”
“You know it.” Tossing a cheeky wink, I get into the line of eager visitors, only mildly sharing their enthusiasm. I’m excited to end this, not to see him.
