Page 41 of Destroyed With You

I shake my head. “No. We’re the house, because we’re the good guys. We’re going to figure this out.” I start to bend over for my tote, but he takes my elbow, tugging me back up.

“And then what?”

“Then we talk to the US Attorney and see about prosecuting.”

“No. That’s not what I mean.”

My shoulders sag. “I know,” I admit. “But Winston,” I say, “I just don’t know.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Tell me you are not calling Stark Security,” Linda said, frowning as he pulled out his phone.

They were in her rented Toyota, heading through East Austin toward the highway that led to the local airport. She’d changed into jeans, a V-neck tee, and a blazer to cover the shoulder holster. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with only wisps left to dance around her face. She looked as young and beautiful as she had when he’d first seen her in Hades, and if it weren’t for the fact that they had an asshole to track, Winston would have happily passed the day staring at her.

Instead, apparently he was going to argue with her.

“Do you trust me?”

If brows could rise sarcastically, hers did. “Isn’t that the point of our truce?” she asked, as she pulled to a stop for a red light. “Trust each other, find the bad guys? But that doesn’t include pulling someone into this clusterfuck who might be in bed with Seagrave.”

“I’m calling Emma. Well, you knew her as Emily.”

He watched her brow furrow. “Emily from Hades? The mayor’s assistant after that scrawny guy quit?”

“That’s her.” Although he’d used his real first name, Emma had opted to switch it up.

She shook her head, frowning. “Another undercover operative.”

“She was with the SOC during the Hades operation, too. We’ve worked quite a few jobs together. Now she’s at Stark Security. She’s a friend and I trust her. She’s not in this,” he said firmly. “If Seagrave is dirty, she’s not a part of it.”

“And you know this because…?”

“Because I know her.”

She licked her lips, then swallowed. “You knew me, too.”

The words were like a knife to his heart.

“Yes.” He heard the crack in his voice and hated himself for it. “And unless I made a very foolish deal, I can trust you now. Or am I wrong?”

“No,” she said softly. “You’re not wrong.” She reached for his hand, only to draw it back at the last minute and return it firmly to the steering wheel. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t want you second-guessing people because of me. But I also don’t want to trust the wrong person and then find out we’ve walked into a trap.”

“That makes two of us.”

He watched her shoulders rise and fall as she drew a deep breath. For a moment she said nothing. Then she offered him a quick, curt nod. “All right, then. If you’re sure about her, call. God knows we can use all the help we can get.”

“I’m as sure about her as I am about you,” he said.

She turned and caught his eye. “I hope that means you’re going to call.”

“It does,” he said. “And I damn sure hope I’m not fooling myself about either of you.”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and as he dialed Emma’s number, he hoped she realized that his promise of trust wasn’t a ruse. He couldn’t go halfway on this mission. Couldn’t be looking over his shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop. They’d made a pact, and he was going to honor it.

If he’d been a fool, he supposed he’d find that out in the long run. Right now, he could only do what he could do.

Emma answered on the first ring, her laughter filling the car as she said, “No, no, stop, you fiend! Winston doesn’t want to hear—oh, shit. Hey, guy. I didn’t realize the call had connected.”