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“You don’t owe me an apology. If anything, I should be groveling. The way I acted today. I’m sorry for earlier. I lost my temper. I should never have—”
I wave my hand. “It’s fine.” He opens his mouth to argue, but I stop him. “Nope. No apologizing. We’re both idiots.” I bend forward, reaching for the beers, and hand him one. “How about we make a truce?” He accepts the beer, waiting for my proposal. “I promise to play nice and do what you say to detach myself from you. I’ll go away quietly and keep the story to myself, but in return, I want you to make a promise to me.” I reach for his free hand. “Promise me you’ll get out one day and find a better life? You deserve so much more. It’s ugly and sad, and you’re worth more than this. You may be broody and grumpy with a scowling problem, but deep down, there’s kindness and dedication and…just promise you’ll find a better, safer life? I bet you would make a great car salesman.”
His brows raise, and a slow smile spreads across his handsome face. “A car salesman?”
I shrug. “Yeah. Suit and corny tie. Bad haircut and coffee breath. Sounds like the perfect life.” I get lost in his cheeky grin, forgetting why we’re not a real thing. I shake it off and tap his hand still resting on my thigh. “So, we got a deal?”
He pulls his hand from under mine and cups my cheek. “Yeah, Addy. We got a deal.” His touch is beginning to have this effect on me. Ignoring the silly flutters swarming inside my belly, I raise my beer to his, clink our bottles, and take a sip. His eyes linger on my lips before they pull away, and he takes a deep pull of his beer.
“Okay! Great. Now that that’s settled, what now?” Maybe we should seal our deal with a kiss?
“Is there anything else you can tell me about the meeting? Anything that would give insight on Vincent’s agenda?”
Boo.
I fall back against the couch, trying to replay everything that was discussed. “Well…Vincent said business was ever-changing and that he wanted to broaden his horizons. I thought they were discussing drugs during the meeting, but it didn’t click until you told me they were discussing girls. They referred to them as product, which is why I didn’t originally pick up on it. I may have never put two and two together had you not told me about what Renaldo does, but it all makes sense. They’re going into business together.”
“Did they discuss location? Dates?”
I shake my head. “No, just colors, and then—oh wait, they mentioned the Calumet Harbor. The one Vincent had highlighted in the documents he gave you.”
Logan gets up and returns with the papers in hand. He searches through them, and I point to the list when I see the highlighted name. “Here. Renaldo said he had an issue on his end. Something about his normal port. Kind of like, one minute they had port authorities in their pockets, and the next, they didn’t. Somebody is being paid off to allow these containers to ship in and out of the country under the radar.”
Further strain appears in his eyes as he scans the documents. “What should we do? Those girls are dying. Maybe we can make an anonymous call!”
“Addy, it’s best to just stop asking questions.”
That’s going to be hard, considering the journalist in me wants to ask a million questions right now. Instead, I nod. “Got it.” I bring my eyes to the TV. We fall into a comfortable silence as we watch an unfamiliar TV show. My mind tells me to shut it down, but my mouth has other plans. “Logan?” I turn to him again.
“Yeah?”
“You don’t have to keep me here. I’ll stick to the deal and not pursue the story.”
“Addy, at this point, it’s not about you exposing this story. It’s just keeping you safe. Today’s meeting, adding Renaldo Valdez into the mix…it’s just too dangerous. Until I figure out what Vincent’s motives are, it’s safer if you stay close.”
“For how long?”
He runs his hand through his hair. His eyebrows crease tightly, then releases. “I’m not sure yet.”
Hmm… Got it. “So…what does this all mean for us? I mean…all this fake boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.” I chew on my lower lip. “Will we have to continue to keep that up too? Until you’re able to safely get rid of me?”
He turns to me, something lighting behind his eyes. “Yeah, probably. You know, to be safe.” His lips twitch, and the corners of his mouth spread into a lighthearted smile that sends a fluttering wave of goosebumps down my arms. I’m thankful to be wearing his hoodie so he doesn’t notice the hardening of my nipples. I nod so fast, I make myself dizzy and turn back to the TV, pretending my attention is solely on the show when my mind is on his full lips. His captivating smile and eyes that will haunt my sex dreams till I die.
