His thumb brushes across my knuckles before he releases my hand—deliberate contact that has nothing to do with professional agreement. My pulse kicks up despite efforts to stay detached.
"We should get to Pete's facility," Shaw says, voice rougher. "Ask him about business proposals before the fire."
"Right." I push away from the wall. "The investigation."
Shaw's mouth curves slightly, like he knows exactly what effect that touch had. Bastard.
We walk back to the Harley. Shaw hands me the helmet, and I watch him swing onto the bike. When he gestures for me to climb on, I hesitate.
Getting back on means wrapping myself around him again. Means contact that blurs lines I should be maintaining.
"Problem?" Shaw asks.
"No." I climb on and settle behind him, arms circling his waist. Shaw reaches back and adjusts my grip, pulling my arms tighter.
"Better," he says. "Hold on."
The Harley surges forward. The ride feels charged with awareness I'm trying to ignore. Every shift of his weight, every curve that presses us closer registers in ways that have nothing to do with the investigation.
Shaw Riley is dangerous. Not because he's necessarily a criminal—though I'm not ruling that out—but because he's making me want things that will compromise my objectivity.
By the time we reach Pete's storage facility, I've got my professional mask firmly back in place.
Shaw pulls into the parking area and kills the engine. I climb off and remove the helmet. Pete emerges from the office, recognition crossing his face when he sees Shaw. Then he sees me, and his expression turns to barely concealed hostility.
"Riley." Pete approaches warily. "Didn't expect to see you today."
"Need to ask some follow-up questions." Shaw gestures toward me. "Mira's working with me on the arson case."
Pete's expression hardens. He has every reason to distrust me.
"What do you want to know?" Pete asks, directing the question at Shaw.
Shaw looks at me, silently offering me the lead. Testing whether I can get information without alienating a witness.
"Before your facility burned," I begin, keeping my tone neutral. "Did anyone approach you with business proposals or partnership offers?"
Pete frowns. "Yeah. Guy came by maybe a month before the fire. Said he represented investors looking to expand into the storage business. Wanted to buy a share of my facility."
"What did you tell him?"
"No thanks. Built that facility from scratch, didn't want partners." Pete's expression darkens. "He got pushy about it. Made me uncomfortable enough to mention it to Will."
Shaw tenses. "You told Will?"
"Wanted to make sure the guy wasn't using the club's name without permission." Pete looks between us. "Why?"
"Did he claim to be Brotherhood?" I ask.
"Implied it. Never said it directly, but the way he talked, the connections he mentioned, made me think he was one of us." Pete crosses his arms. "That's why I asked Will. Will said nobodyin the club was approaching me, and if someone was claiming otherwise, they were lying."
Pattern confirmed. Someone approaching business owners with partnership offers, implying Brotherhood connections, getting aggressive when rejected. Then the fire.
"Did you get his name?" I ask.
"He gave me a card, but I tossed it after I turned him down."
We ask more questions, but the core information is clear. Pete's experience matches Sullivan's—partnership approach, implied connections, aggressive response to rejection, then arson.
