“Okay.” He squeezes my hand then leaves the office, while I brace for impact. It’s very possible Shadow is about to lose his shit on me.
“Well, this is interesting,” he says once we’re alone.
“I’m sorry, Shadow. You know I wouldn’t disobey my orders ordinarily, but this has me fucked up. I admit I let it go longer than I should have. I was distracted by Pax, and the target isactually pretty good at eluding me. Then it all came to light, and once I heard the story, I believed it. I met the target—Boone, they call him—and he’s sincere. In way over his fucking head, but his intentions were good.”
“I’ve failed us, Wraith. I should’ve been vetting clients better. I let the money get to me and ignored my own warning bells.”
“What do you mean?”
“This client gave me the creeps. There was something off about him. I sensed it, but he offered us a shit ton of money. Much more than we’d normally get for a job like this. That should’ve been another red flag for me. He was desperate. Now I know why.”
“He has a lot to hide.”
Shadow flips the folder open again. “According to this, they operate over at the docks on the West Side. That means they might be working with Joey Biggs.”
“Right. Joey isn’t a bad guy, right?”
“Not in the past. Minds his business, but he has to know there are people coming through there as cargo. Maybe he’s been blinded by the money too.”
“Maybe, yeah.”
He rubs his chin. “You can’t do this alone. It’s too big now. It’s gonna take all of us.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Okay.” He blows out a breath through his nose. “You focus on getting the target to safety. I’ll get the guys started looking for the client, and I’ll go see Joey Biggs.”
Everything inside me settles. “Thank you.”
He nods. “No, I owe you the thanks. It took balls to do this, but I’m grateful. I guess I needed the reality check.”
“Maybe we all did.”
Shadow studies me for a moment, and I know from his expression that he has more to say.
“You’re in love with him, yes?”
“What? Who?”
“Who? Paxon Bouchard.”
“Oh. No. It’s not like that. It was just a casual thing. He’s not out, and now he knows I’m a…” I clear my throat. “Our lives don’t align.”
“You sure about that? Maybe you haven’t noticed how he looks at you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Shadow. He could never be okay with how I live my life. After this is all over, we’ll go our separate ways, and it’ll be fine. It has to be fine.”
Shadow’s brow creases as he says, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Creating you.” He gestures around the office. “This.”
“No. Don’t ever say that again. You’ve given me more than I ever hoped for, and I’m happy. I’m fulfilled. When the time is right, I’ll find someone who can love me for everything I am. And if not, that’s okay too. I’ve got my family.”
Shadow’s eyes cloud over with rare emotion. “I’m worried that I’m not seeing enough. First what happened with Stealth, and now this. What else am I missing?”
“Nothing, boss. Those are two different situations. We’ve got your back too. We’ll help you see stuff.”
