Dash had forgotten just how striking Jackson’s green-gold eyes were, or how much they seemed to see right through him. Coupled with his smooth, mahogany skin, jet-black wavy hair, and muscled six-foot-nine frame, Jackson was a very handsome man accustomed to getting his way with one devilish smile.
Smiles that had never worked on Dash, much to Jackson’s annoyance.
“Hey, calm down, now. Don’t look so happy to see me,” Jackson murmured, his full lips quirking up on one side.
Dash met his gaze, warmth creeping up his neck. “Iam… happy to see you.”
“Tell your face that.” Jackson lifted a thick file in his left hand. “Brought you a gift.”
Dash’s curiosity immediately beat out any discomfort. Jackson was almost as good at finding skeletons no one wanted found as he was. It was why he’d called the man in the first place. But he hadn’t expected the results to be hand delivered.
“Come in,” Dash said, stepping back to give Jackson a wide berth.
“We good?” Jackson asked before he took one step. “All’s safe?”
Dash drew in a steadying breath, his cheeks growing warm.“Yeah.”
Jackson searched his face a moment before he walked through. Once the door was closed behind them, he turned to face Dash. “Your lawyer friend is something else. He’s got his hands in a lot of pots, not all of them legal, either.”
“What’re we talking about?”
“Drugs, extortion, illegal import and export. Hell, it’s probably easier to tell you what he’snotinto than what he is.”
“All him—or is this him covering for his criminal clientele?”
“It appears to be a mixture of both,” Jackson said. “Looks like it may have started with clients, but then the fucker got greedy and dug himself deeper into certain operations. Seems he’s got several high-ranking members of the Red Guard in several provinces on his payroll, too.” Jackson paused, sizing him up. “This goes deep, Dash. Deeper than I think you can handle on your own.”
Hearing Emerson’s concern repeated sent his hackles rising.
“Just because I left the team, that doesn’t mean I can’t do the job.”
“Oh, I know you can,” Jackson said. “But this ishuge.And you don’t have all the resources you once did.”
“I’ve done more with less,” Dash snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jackson met his stare. “What’s with the hostile vibes? Wearegood, right?”
“Of course we are.”
Dash dropped his arms, breathing in deep. He wished he hadn’t. Jackson’s pheromones were thick, the aroma of sandalwood and bourbon filling his nose.
Jackson searched his face again, clearly unsure. But then, so was Dash. Were they really okay? There was a multitude of emotions filling him, all of them vying for his attention.
“It’s just… the first time I’ve seen you since…”
Jackson nodded before softly saying, “I know.”
Dash dragged his gaze away, drawing in a shaky breath.
“I wish nothing had changed, but we both know it did,” Jackson said, his voice low. “We never got a chance to get past it, either.”
Dash shook his head. “No. We didn’t.”
“I’m so sorry, Da?—”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” Dash spat, cutting him off. “Let’s not repeat this same conversation over again and again, hmm?”
Jackson watched him, taking a step back and creating more space. “Consider it dropped.”
