He felt more needed now than before. When the time came, he’d retire, but he was far from done. Far from ready to call it quits. A relationship would just complicate that. Shay had her own dreams, ones he would never stand in the way of.
And it wasn’t fair to only take advantage while she was here. To offer her something temporary. It would be the worse form of torture. To hold paradise in his hands and have to let it go. It was better to dream about what if then have to live with knowing what had been. You couldn’t miss something you didn’t know.
Even his mind didn’t believe that bullshit. He’d still remember. He’d remember the feel of her in his hands as they danced. He’d remember the smell of her hair, her soft skin, the ways her eyes burned with lust. The only thing he didn’t have was the feel of her lips, how tight she’d clasp his waist as he brought her to pleasure. The bite of her nails sinking into his shoulders as she shuttered around him. To hear his name bellowed from her mouth as her walls flexed around his cock dragging him into his own climax. Marking her as his. Claiming her.
Drew stumbled away the door from the force of his thoughts. They were dangerous thoughts. Forbidden. Shay wasn’t his. He couldn’t claim her. A public figures daughter attached to a man who lived in shadows would be a death sentence for both of them.
His enemies would know his face, they’d know his weakness and exploit it. He could never endanger Shay like that. He’d sooner die.
Drew retreated to his own room. It was far away from Shay but far enough away he couldn’t hear her moving around. He needed to stay focused. Find Sykes and his partners and bring them down.
It would be a while before he heard back from his teammates. It was his job at leader to delegate duties, but he couldn’t just sit here idly. Opening his laptop he filtered through files looking up intel on the club itself and its owner. Sykes was most likely an alias. In the trafficking world it wouldn’t do to use ones real name.
He looked through the building permits. Sykes was written on all the paperwork. Everyone on the surface looked like a legitimate business, but time and patience would reveal who this guy really was.
~
It wasn’t hard for Greg to find his informant. The guy was always hanging around the same street corner with the same group of people as the day he’d met him. Greg had met Benny when the guy had tried picking his pocket a year ago. Instead of being terrified and begging for his life like most would do getting caught, Benny offered intel in exchange for letting him go.
Somehow, he’d found out Greg was looking for someone and Benny knew where he was. They’d built a relationship of sorts from then. No one knew the underworld better than Benny. He’d never steered Greg wrong before, until now.
Benny looked up at his approach, instead of the easy grin he normally wore he looked shocked to see Greg then shockturned to fear. That wasn’t good. He took off down the street, Greg chased after him.
Despite Benny being several decades older than him he still was in great shape staying far ahead of Greg, but he wasn’t going to give up. Benny hadn’t expected him to survive last night and Greg wanted to know why.
It was obvious last night had been a trap.
Benny cut down a side alley, Greg turned sooner taking his own short cut he had a feeling he knew where Benny was headed. Greg picked up speed needing to get ahead of Benny.
A few minutes later he came out an alley just as Benny was passing him. Benny was so focused looking ahead he didn’t see Greg come at him from the side tackling him like a linebacker.
Greg wrapped his arms around Benny’s side and drove him into the ground. They rolled a few times with Greg coming out on top. Benny laid under him panting.
“Greg, it’s you. I didn’t know.”
Yeah right. “You looked right at me, asshole.” Greg picked him up by the front of his shirt and pressed his back against the brick wall. “I have some questions for you.”
Lightning fast Benny swung his fist at Greg’s face, he caught the flash of something silver. Greg blocked the hand and saw a knife protruding from Benny’s fist. “Really?” Greg spat. He batted the knife away and slammed Benny forcefully against the wall. “Now start talking.”
“I can’t.”
“You will.” The man made him chase him and pulled a knife on him. He was going to answer him whether he liked it or not.
“If I tell you they’ll kill me.”
“If you don’t tell me I’ll kill you, so it’s a loose loose for you anyway.”
Benny smiled at him, confident Greg wouldn’t carry through on his threat. “You are many things Greg, but a cold blooded killer isn’t one of them.”
It was true. He didn’t enjoy killing. He only did it when he was defending his life or those he was protecting.
He tried for a different tactic. “Why did you set me up?”
“It was nothing personal Greg.” He actually looked sad but Greg wasn’t as convinced.
“Really? It doesn’t feel that way.” He snarled. Greg wanted to bash the man’s head in but dead man didn’t tell tales and he needed Benny to talk.
“I was told to get you to the club at a certain time. Nothing more.”
