by Blue Saffire
“Sounds like you’re not a fan of Cal’s,” she says as I wave her into the apartment ahead of me.
“It’s not that I’m not a fan. I’ve known him since we were little. Cal has always gotten himself into shit. Not that my brothers and I were saints, but we never got caught, not like Cal.”
“I wish I would have known this,” she says somberly.
I pause and stare at her as she takes her bag from across her body. I tense as realization hits. It never dawned on me that my fuck-up brother-in-law could have gotten Con involved in his shit. I don’t know why I’m surprised.
My head is ready to explode. I narrow my eyes at Danita. My anger grows as it dawns on me that she might have information that could have helped us weeks ago.
“Okay, now this has changed to something else,” I seethe. “You know something about my sister’s shooting, don’t you?”
“Yes, but before you fly off the handle, you need to listen to what I have to say. You’ll understand why I didn’t come to you sooner. Why I couldn’t.”
“Start talking.” I point to the couch for her to sit.
She moves over to take a seat and opens her bag, pulling a file out. I sit beside her, and she hands it over. I scowl as I start to flip through the contents.
“Are you kidding me? What is this?”
“Cal and I were working together to get these guys. He stumbled into my case. I couldn’t allow him to keep picking at the thread he was after, because he was going to blow all my hard work. When I figured out how deep he had gotten into the ring with his investigation, it made sense to work alongside of each other. He’d get his case and I’d get what I needed.”
She blows out a breath. “For reasons I can’t explain, I need to land this case. If you look close enough, you’ll see I don’t have shit with what’s there. Cal was supposed to give me the rest of the pieces I needed on my end. He said he was almost there, and I needed to be patient. We were going to meet the day after the shooting. He thought he had my ace.”
She pauses and rubs her forehead. “I’m running out of time to be patient. I can’t sit on this case much longer without connecting the dots. Something has to give, and I think your nephew may have the answers I need.”
“And what is it you think my nephew has?”
She chews on the inside of her mouth for a moment. “Cal was onto something. He had connected himself to a situation that would lead to the big fish. I need to know who or what that was, so I can finish this.”
“And you think my nephew has that information?” I look at her in confusion.
“Yes. My instincts tell me he may know more than that, but I’m willing to start there.”
“How do I know we can trust you? How do I know you’re not behind the shooting?”
Her eyes tear up. She quickly swipes at the corners of her eyes. I watch her closely. I’ve never been fooled by tears or emotions. Comes with the job. I look deeper to the core of the person sitting before me.
“I haven’t been able to sleep since I heard what happened. Keeping my distance and not saying a word has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I wanted to come to you and your brothers to tell you about these bastards, but I didn’t know if Cal had led them to me too.
“The last thing I wanted was to bring this shit to the rest of your family’s door, and let’s face it, I’m not trying to get myself riddled with holes. I went looking for Con because I wanted to get answers, but I also knew it would bring you guys closer so I could give you information as well as find out anything you guys might know,” she says.
“Ya don’t know me and my brothers. We’re not going to just take yer word and be done with it. Especially when yer admitting that yer still hiding details from us.”
“Kevin, I have nothing else to lose. This mess I’m in, I’m in it alone. The one person I trusted is fighting for his life and his wife has been caught in the middle. I’m pleading with you to leave what I don’t tell you out of this. I’d rather lose my life than drag another soul into this.
“I need to know what your nephew knows, and then I’ll stay away from you and your family. That’s all I’m asking of you.” She points to the file. “When I can complete that, I can get out of all of your hair.”
“Again, what makes you think Con can help?” I say, homing in on her to watch for any lie she may tell.
She pulls her cap off her head and tosses it on the coffee table, then runs a hand through her hair. She shakes her head then throws it back. I can see the sorrow that crosses her face.
“I should have called it off that day. Cal was growing sloppy. Too anxious to get whatever he thought was going to be the nail in the coffin.
“He arrived at one of our meetings with the kid in the car. I was so angry with him. He compromised everything. My safety—” She cuts off and clamps her mouth shut.
“Your safety?” I tilt my head to the side.
“He never should have had the kid with him.”
“What the fuck was he thinking?” I drag a hand through my hair.
She sighs. “I don’t think he was. That’s what I’m trying to say. He got reckless. Honestly, I thought this was going to blow back on me. I never thought it would hit your sister’s door. I now see he was in way over his head.”
I sit and stare at her. I can feel her truth. I trust that she’s being honest. However, I know she’s holding back a lot more.
With my eyes narrowed on her, I tell her why this isn’t going to work this way. “I want to help ya, love, but my brothers are not going to help ya without all the details. As is, they’re going to want to know what the hell is going on and what Cal got our baby sister into.”
She groans. “It’s safest this way. If you want to know the truth, one thing sort of doesn’t have anything to do with the other. Yeah, this case is huge, and Cal got himself into the middle of some shit, but where I come in is something entirely different. Something bigger. That’s a danger to me, not your sister or your family. At least, I’m trying to keep it so it’s not.”
I shake my head. “Let me explain this another way. I trust that yer being truthful and that ya want us to stay out of whatever trouble ya have yerself in. However, what ya don’t understand is my brother Quinn has this gift. He would say it’s OCD, but I think it’s a gift. He makes these lists; he’s organized about everything. That allows him to see things others don’t.
“He’s been torn up about things with Erin, and he has something else distracting him at the moment, but when he gets focused, whatever yer hiding, he’s going to home in on it and yer going to have to come clean. It’s a Quinn thing, and I can promise ya he’s going to lock in on ya sooner or later,” I say and frown.
“Then I need to get your nephew talking before your brother becomes undistracted.”
“Then there’s Trenton’s six sense.”
“Right, avoid Trenton.”
I pull a face and look her in the eyes. I don’t know what makes me go along with this. It’s a gut feeling, not to mention the urge to protect her. An urge that grows stronger the more she talks.
“I’ll order something to eat, and then we’ll figure out how to bring my brothers into this without them becoming suspicious. We’re going to have to have your story together if we’re going to pull this off.”
“Thank you,” she says, her shoulders sagging.
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m only going along with this as long as I don’t see a threat toward my family or anyone’s safety. The moment this starts to go sideways, I want the whole truth and nothing but.”
Chapter 11
Ground Rules
Danita
“Seriously, this is your great idea? Pretending to be my boyfriend? Really,” I seethe once Kevin’s brothers have gone after a nightlong interrogation by Quinn and a morning of going over it all again for Trent and Sh
ane.
“I think it’s the best idea. Everyone at the precinct saw the chemistry between us. Some know that we have history—”
“Wait, you showing up to pick your nephew up and almost kicking Harris’s ass does not show chemistry. It shows that you’re a hothead. A hothead that was already pissed at me for collaring your nephew. How does that in any way lead to us dating?”
“Danita, Danita, Danita. See this with me. It’s been two years since our one night together. A night those that were at the bar will assume turned out hot and steamy. You happened to arrest my knucklehead nephew, which brings me back into your life and the sparks are still there. After seeing me ready to defend your honor and seeing that I’m still hot as fuck, we decided to give it another shot,” he says with a smug grin.
I bark out a laugh. “Bullshit. I did not sign up for you to become my babysitter. If I didn’t think your brother Trenton was going to blow everything up, I would have nipped that shit in the bud.”
I’m still not sure Trenton trusts me, and if I’m being honest, I think Quinn is a little wary as well. He spent the entire night watching me. I repeated everything to him almost a million times before he was willing to call Shane and Trenton in to help.
I flop back on Kevin’s couch, exhausted and ready to sleep for at least two days. Quinn alone can be intense. Add Kevin and his two younger brothers to the mix and you have a recipe for a stress-induced panic attack.
Kevin winks at me. “It comes with the deal. You want Con to trust you enough to talk to you, you’re going to have to be around to earn that trust.”
I blow out a breath and toss my head back. “I thought we were going to sit the kid down and…you know, tell him to cough up what I need to know.”
He snorts. “You’ve met my nephew, haven’t you? That’s not going to work, love. You’re going to need to do this my way or find what you need on your own.”
“So, this is only about me getting your nephew to trust me enough to talk to me,” I say, not believing a word.
He shrugs. “I can’t help what happens when the two of us get together. Our connection is undeniable. Even if you try to deny it.”
I roll my eyes. “Kevin, I told you things are complicated. The last thing you should want is to get involved with me.”
“I hear you, love. I hear you. How about for now I make you some lunch?”
“You cook?”
“Ach, you say that as if you’re surprised.”
I smile. “I think you’re avoiding the question.”
He gives a boyish grin that does all kinds of things to my belly. It’s adorable and endearing all at once. I have to look away. Staring into my lap as if I’ve found a new case, I busy myself with rubbing my hands on my pants. I really should be leaving to go shower and get ready for work tonight.
“I’m not the world’s greatest cook, but I do all right. I can feed myself.”
“I think I’ll pass,” I say teasingly.
“You know how to wound a man,” he grumbles as he goes to the refrigerator.
I get up and move closer, sitting at the kitchen island. I laugh a little as he murmurs to himself with his hands on his hips. He runs a hand through his red locks.
“It would seem I may need to go grocery shopping,” he says.
I burst into a full belly laugh. He ordered pizza last night. I was so grateful to be filling my stomach with something, I didn’t much care.
“I’ll order some Chinese. You have anything you want?”
“I’ll take whatever. I have to leave soon,” I reply.
He rounds the island and comes to stand before me. I’m not ready when he brushes his fingers against my cheek. A shiver runs through me and my nipples harden against my bra.
“I was hoping we could spend a little more time together.”
“Kevin,” I say in warning. “If we’re going to do this, since your brothers think I can’t handle myself and you think this is the only way to get your nephew to talk to me, maybe we should set a few ground rules.”
He gives me that sexy grin of his. “Ground rules? What do you have in mind?”
“First, I don’t think we need to have any type of PDA. Being that we haven’t been together long, this is a new relationship. We can say we haven’t reached that stage.”
“No one is going to believe that. For your safety, this should be as believable as possible,” he says with a smile. He leans in to kiss the tip of my nose. “With a lass as beautiful as you, there’s no way, as your boyfriend, I’d be able to keep my hands off of you.”
“Kevin.”
“Aye, that’s my name, and I love the way you say it. It reminds me that you make it sound so good in the throes of passion. What’s your next rule?”
“This…whatever you think we’re doing, doesn’t interfere with my job. I can handle myself.”
“You asked for my help, love. I only know one way to protect you. I’ll be integrating myself into your life in any way I can to make sure I’m doing my job right. Next.”
I twist my lips and frown at him. His eyes twinkle as he looks back at me. He’s enjoying this.
“This is a bad idea,” I mutter.
“So you say.” He nods. “Listen, my main goal is to protect you. You don’t have to worry about anything else. You’re not alone anymore. You have me. I’ll be your protector, a friend, a sounding board, or whatever you need me to be. I’m all of that before anything else.”
Those words shouldn’t hit me in my heart, but they do. It makes me ache to have something real with the gorgeous man standing before me. Kevin will make some woman a great boyfriend someday. For now, I have to keep reminding myself that he’s only my pretend boyfriend until I get the information I need.
Then, I’m out. I can finally reclaim my life. Now, to survive this with my heart and my life intact.
* * *
Kevin
I’ve been thinking about Danita and her rules since she left. No PDA. She has no idea how much I wanted to kiss her while she was here, and we were alone.
I’m bound to break that rule the first chance I get, when I have a reason to. Just the thought of her plush, soft lips brings a smile to my face. It’s not like her gaze didn’t drop to my lips a few times either.
No, I’m not the only one feeling this connection. I rub my chin as I try to think of what else she could be hiding. I don’t like the fear I see in her depths. It’s going to be hard to fight back my instincts to do things my way for her protection, but I’ll do it until I fix this first issue. Then, I’ll get to the bottom of it all.
My phone rings and I groan into my mattress. I’ve been face-planted here since Danita’s departure. I haven’t slept and thought I’d get some rest before heading into the office to work late.
“Hello,” I breathe into the phone when I finally reluctantly answer.
“Uncle Kevin, you have a minute?” Con’s voice greets my ear.
I roll onto my back. “Sure, kid. What’s up?”
“You know that cop, the one who arrested me?”
“Yeah, Detective Moralez. What about her?”
There’s silence on the other end for a few beats. I pull the phone from my ear to make sure the call is still connected. When I place it back to my ear, Conroy releases a heavy sigh.
“Do you know her well?”
I’m not going to lie to the kid, but I know I need to help Danita gain his trust, so my brothers and I can sink our teeth into what Cal got himself into. The gears grind in my head for a way to earn his trust for her and not break the trust he has in me. Con is a good kid despite his hard head.
“She and I are getting to know each other more. We’ve shared things about ourselves with each other,” I reply.
This is not a lie. In one night, Danita and I told each other a lot of things about ourselves. I still
remember a lot of the stuff she told me back then.
“Are you like, dating her or something?”
“Yeah, you can say that. She’ll be around more.”
He pauses again. “Cool, but…at the precinct. You seemed pretty mad at her. Does that mean you don’t trust her?”
I shake my head as if he can see me and run a hand through my hair. “That was a complicated situation for us. Danita and I have some things we need to work on. Con, I’ve known a ton of bad cops. Guys and women that never should have a badge. I know them when I see them before they open their mouths. Detective Moralez has never given me a reason to question which kind of cop she is.”
“So, you think she’s one of the good ones? You think my dad could trust her?”
“I think she is, and I think he did.”
Silence falls once again. I wait him out, hoping he’ll open up and tell me what’s going on. However, I don’t push. This is Con. I know what pushing can do, and the two of us can and will lock horns fast.
“Okay, I just wanted to know. Seeing as Molly took to her and all. It’s my job to protect my sisters,” he says after a while.
“Con, you know that you can come to me if you ever need, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I… Everything’s fine. Like I said, Molly and Kasey seemed to like her. I wanted to make sure she’s cool. If you’re dating her, then she must be. You never make mistakes.”
This time I take a pause. Does this kid really think that? Hell, I make plenty of mistakes.
Letting Danita get away from me has been one of those. I can’t help wondering if things would be different for her now if I would have pursued her then. I shake the thought off and focus back on my nephew.
“How about we play some hoops this weekend?”
“Yeah,” he says with the most excitement I’ve heard in his voice in weeks.
“You’re on. I’m going to get some sleep, kid. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay, thanks, Uncle Kevin. Later.”
“Con?”