Expecting more.
Trusting me with more.
Unexpected relief floods through me. “You want to bring me in on your other work?”
Rowan huffs a quiet laugh. “Precious, I wouldn’t bring it up to you if I didn’t.”
I stare at him, trying to reconcile this version ofreality with the one my brain keeps insisting is temporary.
“If I say yes,” I say, testing this new territory, “you won’t pull back later? Won’t decide it’s too dangerous?”
The professional look melts. “I will always worry, but I won't cage you. That’s not love.”
The knot in my chest tightens before it unravels all at once. I didn’t realize how much I needed him to want something from me until this moment. Until this imbalance shifted from being taken care of to standing beside him.
“Will you tell me why this job is important?”
“Yes,” he says. “Because you're already a part of it.”
My jaw tightens.
“The cops shouldn’t have come to your home,” he continues. “They shouldn’t have had a reason to. When you killed Danny, I promised you it wouldn't bring trouble to your door, and my people dropped the ball, which meansIdropped the ball.”
“They don't have any real evidence,” I say. “And there were plenty of other names on Danny's victim list to muddy the waters.”
“You're right, but it still doesn't sit easy with me,” Rowan says. “The cops should never have shown upat your door to begin with. Which is why I'm going to make it right.”
He steps close enough for the warmth of his body to reach me. “The liquor store Danny worked at isn’t just a storefront. It’s part of a cash pipeline run by the Vartanian family. When Danny disappeared, someone started covering their tracks.”
My focus sharpens. I'd heard the rumors, obviously. Everyone in Brickwell had, but it always seemed like a myth. Gangs rise and fall all the time, but a real-life mob family? Ridiculous. Onlyrumors. Until now.
“And it means they went searching for anything he might’ve held onto that would point to their operation,” I say. “You think the cops who showed up at our apartment worked for the money launderers?”
“Yes. Whatever they were searching for, they didn't find it at the apartment,” Rowan continues. “If they had, they wouldn't have started looking at Danny's acquaintances.”
Fury rushes through me. “Lena's not his acquaintance.”
“No, she's not,” he soothes. “But it turns out Danny forced some of his victims to become his runners, and finding your address in his wallet has made them suspicious.”
A chill goes down my spine. Since moving in with Rowan, I’ve started to believe we’re safe, and we've left our old lives behind. But if Lena is still in danger because of the asshole who attacked her, I’ll do anything in my power to protect her.
“And this job you need me on will remove suspicion from us?”
“Yes,” Rowan confirms. “Danny wasn't as stupid as he appeared, and he stored evidence of the operation on a cloud drive. We steal the drive from the server and turn it over to the Vartanians, and they'll stop harassing the people who knew Danny.”
“Will that really work?” I ask. It sounds too easy to be real.
“I believe so,” Rowan says. “We don't have a beef with their organization, and we want to keep it that way.”
I exhale through my nose, already fitting the pieces together.
“And you need me because,” I say, “if we trip alarms or leave a trace, it will start a whole different kind of police investigation that we won't be able to clean up.”
“Yes,” Rowan says.
I square my shoulders. “How long do I have to prepare?”
Rowan’s eyes gleam with satisfaction. “It’s in one week.”
