Page 3 of Ghost Among Lies

I glanced to where Anita was standing next to Beckett. I don't know what I hoped to get from my teammate, but she didn't give it to me, so I went with my gut. Provide the bare minimum.

"Because I no longer wanted to be a part of that life. And if they knew what I did now, they would never approve."

Nyx squinted her eyes and tilted her head one way and then the next. She did this a few more times until I finally snapped, "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Just trying to picture you in a dress and wedges. I've never seen you in anything other than pants or shorts. And definitely not in heels."

I could understand Nyx's sudden fascination. I wasn't the same person. It was hard to reconcile the woman I was now with the girl I had been in high school.

"Can we focus back on the problem at hand, please?"

"If you insist. So based on your description, I guess it's safe to assume Hayes was from the wrong side of the tracks." Nyx wasn't asking a question, but I nodded anyway. "Right, so is it also safe to assume your parents didn't approve of the relationship?" Again, I nodded, but I also clarified, "We kept our relationship a secret from my family."

"Okay, so how do you think Hayes and Mason know each other now? Maybe the connection is the mob. I'm not sure what wrong side of the tracks means, but I'm getting mob vibes." Nyx appeared fully invested in this conundrum.

I didn't want to believe Hayes, my Hayes, the man who desperately wanted to break the cycle his family had been in for generations would have anything to do with the Dunkin family, but the fact remained. Ten years had passed, and people changed. I no longer knew Hayes or what decisions he made. Just like he didn't know mine.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

CHAPTER TWO

HAYES

Tucked in the back corner of the small coffee shop of an equally small town, I watched the door and waited impatiently for Mason to arrive.

I didn't like being summoned. I liked it even less when I was summoned by a man who was warned from the beginning to stay away from me at all costs.

The risk was too great.

Being seen together in public could blow years’ worth of work into smithereens.

When I got the encrypted message, I considered the ramifications of meeting somewhere private. I weighed that against the knowledge that if seen together, I could play it off as a coincidence. That was the only reason I agreed to meet at the coffee shop at the height of their morning rush.

I saw Mason enter the shop. Mason looked nothing like the man I originally met nearly a decade ago. Back then, he was a puny man who couldn't survive in the mafia world. He was the typical spare of a don who didn't have a care in the world. Time had changed him. This new version of Mason I could respect. That was if he hadn't summoned me when he knew damn well not to.

It took Mason less than thirty seconds to spot me. The coffee shop was crowded. Therefore, he had no choice but to join me at the small table. I could tell by his walk that I wasn't going to like the reason for this meeting.

An irritated Mason dropped into the seat across from me. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not happy to be here. So, how about you tell me what you want?" I didn't bother to keep the impatience out of my tone. I wanted Mason to know I was pissed about the situation.

"We've got a problem."

"Uh, maybe you have one, but I'm currently problem-free." The last thing I wanted was to inherit someone else's malfunctions.

"Banger is singing like a canary."

I let out a long string of obscenities under my breath. The former deputy director of the FBI was a pain in the ass.

"What the hell is he saying?"

"He claims he has information on the Dunkin family's infamous fixer."

I hated that term even if it was an accurate representation of my job. I fixed problems. I cleaned up messes, and for the longest time, I did that for the Dunkin family.

"There's no way he could have that information. I doubt your father would share something so personal with a man who could ruin him."

"I didn't say he actually had the information. I just wanted you to know what's being said."