Page 18 of Deadly Lust

Mia

GRANT LEFT HOURS AGO, AND I’d been hovering somewhere between pissed that he doubted Joaquín’s innocence and embarrassed that I’d cried in front of him.

When my phone buzzed around three o’clock, I figured it was him calling to demand I don’t go to work, but it wasn’t Grant, it was Mitch.

Mitch: I’m outside Grant’s place. I’m taking you somewhere. It’s for Joaquín.

I didn’t even bother to text back. I grabbed my phone and purse, locked the door, and climbed into Mitch’s truck. Grant had forbidden me from leaving his place but he didn’t believe me, he didn’t care, and he wasn’t going to help. I didn’t entirely trust Mitch, but I couldn’t just sit here all day and do nothing.

Mitch grinned when he saw me, leaned over and gave me a kiss, his stubble grazing on my neck. And for once, I didn’t pull back.

“Where are we going?”

“To see your brother’s dealer.”

Wait, what?

“His dealer? What the fuck are you talking about?”

He laughed. “Grant didn’t tell you? Rafael from the other night? Joaquín introduced me to him.”

I flinched as if I’d just been punched in the stomach. “What? No, he didn’t. You’re wrong. Joaquín never touched drugs. He hated them. Did you ever seen him get high?”

Mitch placed his hand on my shoulder. “Listen, Mia, there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about your big brother. Trust me, he’s no saint. Joaquín got high every chance he got. It’s not a big deal. Paul warned us when we were going to have piss tests.

Why would Paul would warn Mitch and my brother about piss tests? Didn’t seem like Paul—he was a hard-ass officer, even if he did cheat on his wife.

And why hadn’t Grant told me Joaquín used?

“Did Grant know Joaquín got high?”

Mitch shook his head. “No. We never used around your goody-two-shoes boyfriend because he would’ve told you, and Joaquín didn’t want you to know—obviously. We would just distract Grant with some big-titty stripper until he got lost in her pussy and left us the fuck alone.”

I gave Mitch a death glare. I did not want to picture Grant balls deep in some woman. I forced my jealousy down to a dark place within my soul. A place filled with guilt and regret. Because I knew that I had been the one to leave Grant.

Instead, I focused my energy pondering the new piece of evidence Mitch had just provided me about Paul. What did Paul have to hide?

Mitch attempted to comfort me. “Don’t worry. Your beloved man never cheated on you. This was after you dumped his ass. Anyway, I told Rafael you were my new fuck buddy and we were looking to score.”

“Why am I just now hearing about this?”

“Really? I was supposed to tell some no-name stripper about him?”

“You could have told me once I told you who I was.”

“Yeah? After you drugged me, pointed a gun at my head and accused me of rape? That would have gone over well, right?”

“Why now? Why tell me now? What that fuck is going on?”

“Because I still believe in your brother, even if Grant doesn’t.”

Mitch parked, and my head buzzed. There was a pit bull in the yard, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. The drug dealer’s house was so stereotypical it might as well have had a damn sign and blinking arrow pointing to it. Mitch put his arm around me, grabbed my ass, and led me into the house.

Rafael emerged from the kitchen, and all I could do was focus on the tattoo on his neck. “Hey, bro.”

“Hey. You remember Ksenya?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said with barely a glance in my direction. “Autumn’s friend. Man, what a bitch. Fucking cock tease. All over me that night, but then she bounced without saying goodbye.”