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Rourke waved a hand.I jogged over to him, pulling Enzo’s long, gray jacket around me more tightly. He’d insisted I take it instead of the worn hoodie I usually wore when I was off duty. The man was a pain in the ass, but I couldn’t deny his jacket was warmer and smelled like him. Maybe that was the real reason he wanted me to wear it, so I would be surrounded by his scent, unable to think about anything but him, his cock, and the way he’d made me scream his name this morning.

“Where the hell have you been?” Rourke asked.

“I needed some time off. Sergeant wanted me to take a break after the shooting with Carl anyway, so I took it.”

He frowned. “She knows about you going after the Vitales.”

I stiffened. “What?”

“Why do you think I’ve been calling you?” He grumbled. “The chief put together a task force to handle the violence escalating around the Vitales. Once Sarge figured out it was you who accessed her files and started going after them, she decided you would be the best choice for the team instead of firing your ass. Probably because the chief was impressed.”

Speechless, I followed him into the coffee shop. “Why hasn’t she called to scream at me?”

“I told her I would handle it,” he said. “Two coffees. One black, one with sugar and vanilla creamer.” He glanced at me. “You hungry?”

I shook my head, still dwelling on the bombshell he’d just dropped on me. My sergeant knew exactly what I was up to, and now I was going to be part of a task force. The dream I’d been pursuing was within reach. So why did my stomach pitch so hard?

“Caster.”

I blinked at Rourke. “No, I ate already.”

Rourke raised a brow. “You? Usually, I have to make you eat before you pass out.” He grabbed our coffees, paid, and passed one of the cups to me. We found a spot over in the corner, away from everyone else. “I know this is a lot to process, but like I said, I’ve been trying to contact you for days, and you never pick up. Where have you been?”

I drank from my coffee to avoid speaking. Sleeping in a mobster’s bed. There was no way I could say that out loud. “I told you I needed some time off. And I’ve been looking into the Vitales.”

“What have you found out?”

I shrugged. “Not a ton. What I have found doesn’t matter. There’s no evidence to support anything.”

“Tell me anyway.”

My fingers gripped the coffee cup tightly. Hot liquid splashed over my fingers and stung my flesh. Cursing, I sat the cup down. I reached for the napkins along with Rourke and started soaking up the hot mess.

“Like I said, it’s nothing. I can’t share it right now, anyway. My source is…” Stolen? Is that a good word?

“Fine,” Rourke said with a sigh. “You need to give me something, Tex. I’m your partner. Shit, I’m your friend, man.”

He was, and I hadn’t been treating him like it. Rourke looked out for me. However, the thought of telling him about Enzo and Brycen made my chest tighten.

Enzo would kill me.

“When I have something to tell you, I will,” I said. “I was going to check out a storage unit today that might have some answers.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No,” I said quickly.

“Tex,” he growled. “I’m going with you, and that’s the end of that. Sarge wants me on your ass, and I plan to be right on it until she says otherwise. You’re not the only one who has their career on the line.” He pointed at me. “You fucked up, man. And now it falls on both of us.”

I swallowed hard. Rourke’s no-nonsense expression had taken over, and the gentle way he spoke before disappeared. He was always like that, calm and cool until you pissed him off. To be fair, I did get him in trouble with Sarge. I was lucky she hadn’t decided to rat me out and have my ass fired. And that Rourke had my back enough to be on my team.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Yeah, of course, you can go with me.”

Rourke nodded, his face relaxing. “Thanks. I’m not trying to be a hardass,” he said slowly, “but my livelihood is on the line too.”

“I know.”

“We need to do this together. Remember what you’re after, Tex. Detective. It’s what you’ve been bitching about since the day we met.”