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He walked toward the door, and I fell into step behind him, following him down a different hallway than the one Eddie and I had entered from.
When he led me into the garage I froze as I looked around, staring at the gleaming sports cars lined up in a neat row.
“Being the Prince of Detroit has some perks,” he admitted as he walked up to the black Porsche 911 Turbo and opened the driver’s door. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds good to me,” I agreed, climbing into the passenger seat next to him.
I was still pissed at him for lying to me and for hiding from me for years. But the relief of finally meeting him in person, of knowing that he was there to protect me if I really needed him, was quickly overpowering my anger.
And if he got Kenny out of the cartel and somewhere safe…then I’d forgive him completely.
Chapter Eight
~Griffin~
I wondered if Matt understood what I’d meant by needing a cover story to see him. I wasn’t in the mood to elaborate or explain it to him at the moment. But he was a smart guy, so maybe he got it. And if he didn’t yet…well…what was one more lie between us after all of these years?
“You said there were others,” Matt said as I pulled onto the highway and headed toward downtown. “Do I know any of them?”
“Probably not,” I answered. “Not that I’d tell you.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not about trusting you,” I insisted. “It’s about the integrity of the operation. It’s easier if you can assume everyone you interact with is a member of the cartel. It’s what they signed up for.” I turned to glance at him. “What you signed up for.”
“So I could end up killing one of our guys one day?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time it happened,” I said. “Would you really want another asset to know about you? What if he got exposed? Tortured? His family threatened if he didn’t out the others?”
“You have no idea how lonely this island is,” he muttered.
“I do, actually,” I reminded him. “I’m in this, too.”
Granted, from where he was sitting, it would seem to be easier for me. I knew some of the players at least. And I had contact with the outside world. To him, I probably looked incredibly free.
But he had no idea what I’d had to do in this position. And I hoped he never found out. Because I would carry that shame with me for the rest of my life.
“You’re right,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I told him. “I never wanted to lie to you.”
“God, this job sucks ass.” He chuckled, but there was clearly no humor behind it. “I don’t want to be Duke.”
“I don’t want to have to do that to you,” I said honestly. “But Eddie is becoming a huge liability. Even bigger than I realized. And you’re next in line. The cartel isn’t going to care how new you were as Duke. They need a chain of command. It gives the grunts something to strive for.”
“Gives them a reason to backstab and rat,” he countered.
“True, but that just helps us in the long run.” I glanced over at him again. “Where am I taking you, anyway?”
“Get off on Woodward,” he said. “You don’t know where I live?”
“I only know what you tell me,” I reminded him.
“And you don’t listen to that half the time.”
“Bullshit,” I snapped. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I’ve asked you for two things the entire time I’ve been under and until tonight, you haven’t given me either.”
