Page 63 of Playing With Love

Yeah, she remembered. I couldn’t tell her about the cases while they were active, but when they were over, I always debriefed with her. She was my much-needed sounding board and helped me decompress. The only person who helped me.

“Matt’s father was connected to Zanetti. Matt’s sister was also connected.”

“Kessler,” she mumbled, putting two-and-two together. “The sister was involved, too, right?”

“Yep. After Matt’s father was arrested, Matt’s sister wanted his shares in Kessler Management. Matt didn’t feel like selling. Not because he wanted the money or controlling interest in the company—as far as he was concerned the money and business were tainted. He just didn’t want his grasping, greedy bitch of a sister to have it.”

“Chelsea. She was the woman who was kidnapped and during her rescue Zanetti was killed.”

Yeah, Liza remembered.

“Yeah, Chelsea was the woman,” I confirmed.

“Tucker,” she whispered and I knew why.

I might not have told Liza the woman’s name but I had told her I held guilt for how I’d treated Chelsea. She’d had nothing to do with Zanetti, totally innocent, yet she’d been held hostage and I’d been the one to guard her. And playing my part meant I hadn’t been nice about it. That was the shit side of undercover work. It wasn’t only the bad guys who had to believe you were one of them. It was the innocent people you had to convince, scare, and strongarm.

“We’ve talked it out, Lizzy. She gets why I was a dick to her and holds no ill will. Also talked to Matt, can’t say that was a great conversation, but when I started working for TC and he got to know me, that smoothed out. It helped I knew Jason and he trusted me. Phoenix also helped with that.”

“Small world,” she noted. “I forgot River’s friends with that guy in Idaho…”

“Asher Noble,” I supplied.

“Yeah, that’s his name.” She giggled.

“Glad you think it’s amusing I almost died in a tree farm freezing my ass off after twenty months of dealing with Lorenzo all went to shit.”

“Sorry.” She laughed harder.

“The woman threatened to shoot my balls off,” I reminded her.

“She…she…” Liza sputtered through her laughter. “Said she busted a nut.”

Damn. I’d forgotten that part.

“I believe her exact words were, she popped Will Evan’s balls and broke his dick off. The asshole deserved it, but I have to admit, it was painful to watch.”

Sloane Ellis was a seriously brave woman. What she’d done to get to the bottom of her friend’s disappearance was about as stupidly brave as Liza running into a burning barn.

Crazy stupid but no less brave.

“At least she didn’t bust your nuts. She thought you took her friend.”

There was that.

“All’s well that ends well.”

“You mean, all’s well when you’re not the one with a malfunctioning penis.”

“Yeah, baby, that’s what I meant.”

As I drove through the streets of Hollow Point I wondered if Liza realized how quickly and easily we’d slipped back into us. The familiarity of it. The ease of friendship that only comes from shared history. This was who we were. This was who we’d always been.

Quick to laugh.

Easy.

“Taco Bell okay?” I asked.