“I was never a true wingman, and we both know it.”
“Yeah. You were a miserable fuck most of the time. I’ve seen you smile more this past twenty-four hours than I have in the last two years.”
“She makes my heart sing.”
He sticks two fingers in his mouth, gagging. “Fuck no. Not you too.” He shakes his head. “There is no one left. All my brothers have turned to the dark side.”
Only Kent could refer to love as a darkness. Like it’s an illness or something.
“Love isn’t a burden, bro. It’s the best feeling in the world. Even when the girl of your dreams yanks your beating heart out of your chest and stomps all over it, it’s still worth every ounce of pain. Wait and see. You’ll meet a girl, and she’ll nail your heart to the wall, and you’ll be powerless to do anything about it.”
He shakes his head. “It’s not gonna happen.”
“Why the hell not?” I grab two bottles of water out of the refrigerator while I eye my cynical brother.
“Because we both know I’ll somehow fuck it all up.” He walks off, plonking down on the couch across from the women, and I wonder what happened that he’s so hard on himself.
I sit down beside Selena, and I can’t contain my shit-eating grin when she automatically takes my hand and leans into my side.
Keven smiles, his eyes full of approval, before he sits up straighter in his chair. “Selena and Sandrine were just bringing me up to speed on Clive Lawrence.”
The smile drops off my face.
“I understand the need for the security detail after what happened yesterday, and I won’t lie about the risk.” He clasps his hands between his thighs. “I’m assigned to a high-profile team within the FBI investigating the criminal underbelly in MA. Since the death of Jeremy Garcia and the imprisonment of Daniel Stanten”—his nostrils flare at the mention of Cheryl’s ex-fiancé who turned out to be the illegitimate son of Carmine Mancusso, the capo crimini of a powerful New York gang—"a bloody battle for control of the streets has ensued. We have undercover agents infiltrating the various gangs vying for ultimate control, and these guys are into everything. Drugs. Guns.” His eyes flit to Selena. “Sex.”
Selena stiffens beside me, and I slide a protective arm around her shoulders, offering her support.
“I can’t go into the specifics, but Stanten was running a sex trafficking ring from Mexico and bringing girls illegally into Boston. Some were forced into prostitution here; others were sold. We’ve come across several organizations involved in other forms of sex trafficking. Mainly young girls and boys, and we’re building a case. But it’s slow, because evidence is lacking.”
He runs a hand through his hair, softening his expression as he eyeballs Selena. “Lawrence is on our radar, even more so since he established his new production company right here, but on the surface, he is squeaky clean. I think we might be able to help each other, but it would have to be done formally. I’d like your permission to speak to my boss. To see what protection he can offer you in exchange for your cooperation.”
“What good am I if there is no proof?” Selena asks. “It will be my word against his, and he has formidable friends. The men who frequented the island, the ones who bought girls to bring back to the US, were all wealthy, well-connected men. I only know this because Freddie loved to rub it in our faces. Telling us not to try and escape because these men were some of the most powerful figures and they had connections everywhere. That there was nowhere we could run, because they would always find us.”
That bastard Freddie really did a number on Selena. That was the main reason why she was terrified to step outside her own door for years. Why she was homeschooled with a private tutor rather than attending high school. Why my mom arranged private escort for her to and from modeling shoots. Why we mostly spent time at her house rather than going out on regular dates.
“We’ll find the proof, and I do have something I’d like to show you,” Kev says.
This is news to me, and he should’ve run it by me first. “Why am I only hearing about this now?” My tone is sharp on purpose.
“Honestly, I wasn’t going to go there, but I think Selena has a lot of the intel we’ve been searching for.”
“I don’t care,” I snap. “This isn’t about building the FBI’s case. It’s about protecting Selena.”
“That is not what I meant, Keanu. Family is fucking everything to me, and I know that’s who Selena is to you. I will help you keep her safe.” He looks to Selena. “I’ve ordered a high-tech security system to install here. Keanu tells me you will be staying with him indefinitely?”
Her eyes widen as she stares at me, and I glower at Kev again. I never saidindefinitelyeven though it’s what I want. But we haven’t discussed that yet, and I don’t want to scare her away. She’s agreed to stay here as long as that pervert is a threat.
“Uh, well…” Selena stammers, her cheeks burning up.
“I would like Selena to stay here until the threat has ended, but it’s ultimately her decision.” I drill Kev with a look that says “watch your fucking mouth.”
Her shoulders relax. “I’ll be staying here for the moment, but I will return to my mom’s house at some point.”
Keven looks to Sandrine. “With your permission, I’d like to install the same system at your house.”
“We have deadbolts on all the locks and windows and security cameras on the exterior and interior of the house,” Sandrine confirms. “I think we’re adequately covered.”
“Could I drop by sometime and inspect it? The latest systems are high-tech monitored systems that mean the police are notified immediately should anyone break in.”
