“Where are we going?”
“My place.I need to show you something.”
My phone chimed again.I pulled it out of my soggy shorts pocket.
I’m heading over to my hair appointment.I’ll meet you at Cormac’s this afternoon.
I gritted my teeth as I shoved my phone back into my pocket, slamming the edge of the damn thing into my thigh.Millie needed to stop with these damned dismissals.
“Millie?”Cruz asked.At my curt nod, he sighed.“Putting up walls, running away?”
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to gawk at him or punch him for being an oracle of Millie’s reactions.“Yes,” I snapped.
He dropped his chin to his chest.“Let’s go.”
I followed him like a duckling after its mama.Except we weren’t going to a pond.
“Wait—I thought you were in Austin, getting a retired K-9,” I said.
“I was.Got her.Came back for Maxim’s wedding.”
I smirked, loving that Maxim was getting married—ratherre-married—today and didn’t know it.We’d get to razz him for months.It would be epic.
Once we left the elevator and entered Cruz’s apartment, he walked over to a large German Shepherd who was curled up on a new dog bed.
“How’s it going, lovely?”he crooned.“Shh.Don’t bark at Stolly.He’s sweaty, smelly, and gross, but he’s having a rough time.”
I glared at Cruz but couldn’t disagree with his assessment.
“What’s her name?”
“Belladonna.”
“How long is she here?”
“Just until I find her former handler.”
I nodded.Cruz finished petting the dog and came into the kitchen, where he washed his hands.After pointing to my usual chair at the breakfast bar, he filled a glass with my favorite smoothie and pushed it toward me.
“Drink up while I get my laptop.”
I did because I was ravenous, but something inside pinged an internal warning.
When Cruz brought back the computer and I saw the screen, I understood why.
Millie wasn’t just an engineer.She was the daughter of one of the wealthiest real estate moguls in the state.I set the glass down with such force, I was surprised it didn’t crack.
“Her father disowned her when she ditched that piece of shit?”
Cruz crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a massive bouncer.“Yeah, and it gets worse.I’m pretty sure this is why your girl is running so hot and cold, man.She’s been fucked.”He winced and shot me an apologetic look.“Found out why Gunnar was meeting with Coach, and it has to do with her father.He wants to buy in.”
“What?”I asked.
“To the team.Seems like the offer was pretty sweet,” Cruz said.
“How do you know?”I asked.
He turned a little cagey.“I maybe overheard the conversation when I went to visit Coach the other day.He was talking to Paloma about it.For the record, Coach didn’t like the idea.”
