His hands shot out to grip my hips to steady me. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“No, my captain is. I’ve got to go.”
“Call it in,” Rhys said. “Let someone else go.”
“I can’t. I don’t know who I can trust.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
His protectiveness was sweet. Romantic even. Unnecessary since I was the one with the gun, but still the sentiment was appreciated. I wasn’t putting him at risk, though. Not more than I already had by reporting findings to a crooked cop.
“You need to stay here and deal with the firefighters. Just be careful what you say. If the cops want to talk to you, ask for a lawyer no matter how simple the question seems.” I leaned to the side to see Judge standing behind him. I met his eyes. “Are more brothers coming?” At his nod, my panic decreased by half a percent. “Good.”
I’d never seen them with guns or other weapons, but I was still pretty sure they carried. More than that, they had Rhys’s back.
Rhys pulled me to him. “Know this is your job, baby, and that you’re damn good at it. But stay safe.”
“I will. Promise.” I lifted onto my toes to kiss him.
And then he took over the kiss until the searing intensity burrowed under my skin. Warmth and love and acceptance. The promise of a future I had to stay alive to see.
He pulled back and wiped a few tears from my cheeks. I knew how hard it was for him, but he released me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Since I still didn’t trust my phone, we swapped before I said, “I’ll be back. Promise.”
“You break that promise, hellcat?—”
“That’s never something you’ll have to add to my tab, barman.”
He must really thinkI’m stupid.
And maybe I am.
Moving carefully, I eased open the door of the last location Captain Talbot’s phone pinged according to my friend at dispatch. It looked like it must’ve been a cafe or something with the heavy wooden counter, but the dank space had been empty for a long time. It was also right around the corner from Murdoch’s apartment.
A ballsy move.
Gun drawn, I rounded a corner but stayed behind a pillar. The hair on the back of my neck stood as I scanned outside the big window to the side of me. I was technically out of view, but it was one of the worst locations for coverage. It was all I had, though. I did my best to stay calm. From my vantage point, I could see the body near the counter. See the blood pooling around the captain’s coat and discarded phone. The trickle of doubt became a rushing river of it, trying to urge my legs into action.
I didn’t let them move. I held my position behind the pillar.
“Captain?” I called out.
Silence.
I moved like I was going to head right back out the door.
“Help,” he called weakly.
I hate when I’m right.
I’d only made it a short distance from Rye before all the inconsistencies pushed past the fear and panic that’d choked me. My dad would’ve been pissed if he knew it’d taken that long. Going in hot and fueled by emotions was how people got killed.
And that was what they’d been counting out. That the distractions, misdirection, chaos, and red herrings would make me reckless.
What they failed to factor in was Lieutenant Anthony Oscar hadn’t raised an idiot.
I knew I was walking into a trap. And the tiny flicker of hope I had otherwise extinguished faster than the Molotov cocktail flame earlier.
