"And if we find what we think we're going to find?"
"Then you arrest everyone involved and shut the operation down." Devil's voice is hard. "We want the Rebels out of our town, and we want whoever's helping them to pay."
"Even if it's the Clarks?"
"Especially if it's the Clarks," I say. "Money doesn't buy immunity from dealing poison to kids."
Harrison makes a sound that might be approval. "Alright. I'll get started on the warrant first thing in the morning. But this needs to be airtight. I can't go to a judge with just surveillance photos and suspicions. I need probable cause."
"Kids at the high school have OD'd on fentanyl-laced weed," Devil says. "A few of them pointed to Logan being the person they got it from. Now he's making regular trips to a warehouse where known drug dealers are operating. That's not suspicious, that's a pattern."
"It's a start. Let me work on it. In the meantime, you two stay clear of that warehouse. Don't go near it, don't do anything that could compromise this investigation."
"We won't," I assure him. "We want this done right."
"Good. I'll be in touch."
The line goes dead, and Devil and I are left standing in the quiet garage.
"You think he'll get the warrant?" I ask.
"If anyone can, it's Chief Harrison. He wants the Rebels gone just as bad as we do."
I nod, but there's a knot of tension in my gut that won't ease. This is it. We're making our move, setting everything in motion. And once we do, there's no taking it back.
"You worried?" Devil asks.
"About the warrant? No. About what comes after?" I look at him. "Yeah. Because if this goes sideways, if the Clarks figure out we're the ones who brought them down, Allison becomes a target. Dani becomes a target. Everyone we care about."
"They're already targets," Devil says quietly. "The moment Logan walked into that classroom and pointed a gun at Allison, she became part of this. The moment Dani got involved with me, she did too. We're just trying to make sure they're safe in the long run."
He's right, and I know it. But that doesn't make it easier.
"Come on," Devil says, heading for the door. "Let's get back to our women. They're probably wondering where we are."
We ride back in silence, the weight of what we've just set in motion heavy on both our shoulders. But when I pull up to my house and see the lights on inside, see Allison's silhouette through the window, some of that weight lifts.
This is why I'm doing this. For her. For us. For a future where she doesn't have to worry about poison in her classroom or danger at every turn.
And whatever it takes to make that future happen, I'm ready.
Eleven
Allison
Dani and I are sitting on the couch at Dime's watching a TV show about an ice dancer and the bad boy she's fallen in love with when I glance over at her. Whiskers is on my lap, and I'm comfortable in a way I haven't been since I came home from the hospital. Which gives me the guts to say what I am about to, to her.
"Do you care that Devil is a cop?" I question, running my fingers through Whiskers hair.
Her eyes cut over to mine quickly and she isn't able to hide the surprise that washes across her face. "The moment I found out? Yeah, I did. It was a huge betrayal and honestly I thought I would leave him immediately."
"But?" I prompt her, wondering what's going on in her head.
"But then I realized I love him, and he's my entire life."
I feel this with everything I have. "What are we going to do if this all comes crashing down?" I whisper. "Both of us know that these two men we love are way more outlaw than they are cops."
"Then we'll deal with it," she says softly, clearing her throat. "And we'll make sure they know we love them."
