Paul struck the heel of his palm against the steering wheel.Stupid.
In the passenger seat, his phone buzzed with an incoming call.Although he wasn’t looking forward to another scold from Kyle, he picked it up.He’d rather fight with his brother than stew in misery.
“What?”he barked.
“Whoa,” Kyle said.“I’m just checking in, bro.No need to bite my head off.”
“Sorry,” Paul said, massaging the nape of his neck.“I’m tense.”
“Try being dissociated.It will free you.”
Paul smiled wryly at this advice.Kyle sounded more relaxed than he had this morning.Paul wondered if his brother had taken some mind-altering substances to chill out.“How are things in Houston?”
“Not great,” Kyle said.“Everyone in the department is on edge.There’s been nonstop finger-pointing, chest-thumping, and backstabbing.”
Paul knew he wasn’t exaggerating.“Try being dissociated.”
“Way ahead of you.”
He switched the phone to his other ear and waited for Kyle to grill him about how he’d handled the situation with Vanessa.When his brother said nothing, Paul prompted him.“You called me, remember?”
“Right.How’s your girlfriend?”
“We broke up, and she went to her dad’s house.”
“See?”Kyle said.“That wasn’t so hard.”
“I have bad news.”
“Lay it on me.”
“My cover is compromised.She knows I’m a cop, and she knows my name.”
Kyle fell silent.Paul imagined him blinking in confusion as he processed the information.“Well, shit.”
“Yes.Shit.”
“You told her I was a cop,” Kyle said, proving his brain was still functioning.“Why did you do that?”
“She found your business card in my jeans pocket.”
“Ah.”
Paul tried to explain the series of events leading up to the discovery.“She’s an ER nurse, so she knows what a gunshot wound looks like, and she’s from a family of cops, so she knows how cops act.She probably searched our last name.It wasn’t difficult for her to put two and two together.”
To his credit, Kyle didn’t point out the fact that Paul had made a serious error in judgment by sleeping with her.It didn’t matter that she’d seen him shirtless, and washed his jeans, before they’d ever been intimate.He’d been stupid, and reckless, and dazzled by lust.Screwing her was the final nail in the coffin.
“Did you tell her who shot you?”
“No, but she suspects it was someone important.”
“This isn’t like you,” Kyle said.“I thought you’d be a natural at undercover work.You’re… impenetrable.”
Paul dragged a hand down his face.“I’m in love with her.”
“What?”
“I’m in love with her,” he repeated.
