“I’m not,” I lie. “But you can understand why I’m anxious to get my things back.”
“Yeah, I bet.” He huffs. “But like I said, I’m not interested. Find someone else to do your dirty work.”
“You don’t help me, and I will?—”
“You won’t say shit to anyone about me. You’re bluffing,” he says. “Axe won’t allow it. You’d be outing the only cop on his payroll. Whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into, you’ll have to clean it up yourself. I want nothing to do with this.”
“I don’t care what Axe may or may notallowme to do. If you get me what I’m asking for, my mouth stays shut. If you don’t, I pay a visit to the chief and then skip town. I’ll be long gone before Axe even has time to get pissed about it.”
There’s a moment when I think he might grab my throat again and follow through with his promise. His jaw is tight, his fists clenched, all those rippling muscles of his tensing as if holding back a torrent of anger and frustration.
My stomach lurches to my throat, my whole body screaming for me to back down. I don’t know this man. I knew Decker ten years ago. The boy scout. The good guy. The older neighbour kid with the pretty girlfriend who let me sleep in his treehouse so my stepdad wouldn’t knock me around.
He could have turned into averydangerous man since then. And who’s to say his temper isn’t as bad as Rick’s? They are related, after all. It’s possible that I’ve overestimated my advantage here. And maybe he’s thinking the same thing I am. I can’t tell his secret if I’m dead.
“I don’t like this,” he says, folding his arms over his chest.
Relief swamps me, and I let out a private breath. “Pretty sure you’re not supposed to like being blackmailed.”
“I do this,” he mutters, “and you come for me anyway, you won’t like how that plays out, you understand?”
“Fine by me,” I say as I slap the spare keys to my bike on his countertop.
“Get out,” he grits. “I won’t ask again.”
This time, I don’t argue. Breath held, I skirt around him and get the fuck out, and I only exhale once I’m safely back in the car.
Eyes closed, I press my head back into the seat. Somewhere between my restless sleep last night and my caffeine-infused waking this morning, I decided it’s too dangerous to stay here. Once Decker hands over my bike, I’m gone. Away from the Sinners.Away from Decker and his dirty badge. Back on thehighway and in possession of enough cocaine to get me ten years in prison.
I’ll be on my own. Running. Again.
But first, I’ll need a gun.
7
I bitedown on a yawn as I scale the chain-link fence surrounding the South Bay PD impound lot, thankful for the cover the dark night gives me. I’m running on three energy drinks and a shitload of coffee. The exhaustion from my last shift caught up with me hours ago, and between my usual nightmares and the hours I spent stewing over Grace’s threats, I barely slept at all.
I shouldn’t be here. Not when I’m like this. Tired and unfocused. Committing yet another crime on behalf of a fucking Donovan.
The charges keep racking up in my head. Theft over five thousand dollars and breaking and entering, to start. Once I get my hands on that bike, possession of stolen property. Couple other things depending on how this plays out.
So goddamn typical.
Another Donovan rolls into town, and I end up under another boot. Except this one’s got high heels and a pretty girl attached to it. Averypretty girl. Who’s also blackmailing me.
The nerve of that fucking woman.
There was a moment this morning when she was standing in my kitchen, casually threatening me, where my anger took over and I wanted nothing more than to wring her fucking neck. Catch me on a bad day, and that’s the kind of threat I’d kill over. Grace has no fucking idea who her scumbag brother has turned me into.
Maybe I don’t know who I’m dealing with either. While we stood nose to nose, I was thinking on my next move—do I squeeze the life out of this bitch or let her keep breathing? She got this look in her eye. Like she was daring me to do it. And when I gripped tighter, I swear to god she smiled.
That shit did something to me. Specifically to my dick.
And that’s a big fucking problem. Not only is she related to a man I’d take great pleasure in throwing into oncoming traffic, but she’s also my half brother’s sister, and Jack is possessive as fuck when it comes to the women in his life. Thoughts like the ones I’m having feel like a surefire way to get myself punched in the face. Again.
The sooner she’s out of my life, the better.
I tug up the hood of my black sweater and pull my mask up and over my mouth and nose. The police impound lot is only half a square kilometre, with rows of repos, seized assets, and abandoned vehicles. The top of the fence is surrounded by barbed wire, and the only way in is through a large gate at the front. There are cameras at the entrance, but the feeds aren’t live monitored, and the alarm only trips if the front gate is opened.
