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A long silence ensued, then Gif said, “Why her? You could go back to Lexington tonight and, with a crook of your finger, have that pretty hotel receptionist at your beck and call.”
Drex rolled his head to the side to look at Gif. “You think she’s pretty? And enchanting? Why don’t you go back to Lexington? When’s the last time you got laid? Oh, no, wait. You’ve been too busy keeping tabs on my sex life to have one of your own.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t try to turn the tables here. Mike and I have stuck our necks out for you—”
“You can quit at any time.”
“That’s it on a nail’s head, Drex.” The uncharacteristic volume of his voice was indication of his anger. “We don’t want to quit. We’re all in. We made our choices, and they’ve cost us huge. But now, when we’re close to a payoff, it could all go to hell because of your hard-on for the suspect’s wife.”
“We don’t know that she’s complicit.”
“We don’t know that she isn’t.”
Although he knew Gif was right, it was infuriating to be scolded like a kid caught with his hand inside his pants. “You can relax. Nothing has happened.” Gif didn’t back down. Hell, for all Drex knew, Gif had been standing within a yard of them when he’d kissed Talia. He amended his denial, muttering, “Nothing much.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Gif said. “If you only want something to happen, you’re compromised.”
“Hell I am. There’s a gulf of difference between thinking on something and acting on it.”
“Your dinner date—”
“Was an attempt to learn more about her. Is she friend or foe? Guilty as hell or pure as the driven snow? Would she be appalled to learn of her husband’s crimes, or did she snicker from the sidelines while he was nailing shut that box on Marian Harris? I’ve asked myself those questions a thousand times.”
“Mike and I get that.”
“Then why’d you hustle down here to check on me?”
“To make certain that you hadn’t lost perspective.”
“I haven’t.”
“No?”
“No.”
Gif looked at him and said nothing for a time, then, “What were you two talking about while hiding behind the ficus trees?”
“If you were able to see us, we weren’t hiding, were we? But, as to what we were talking about, I tried to get out of her why she was upset.”
“And?”
“Something female.”
“Oh. That narrows it down to about a million different things. Could you be more specific?”
“I tried. She wasn’t having it.” Losing patience with the inquisition, he said, “Anything else? Did you save the best for last?”
“In fact I did.” Gif’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “I have to ask. What was predominantly on your mind when you whisked her out of the coffee shop? Were you trying to determine if she’s Ford’s accomplice, or were you wishing she wasn’t his wife?”
Damn him. Leave it to Gif to strike straight to the heart of the matter. It was a question Drex dared not answer. He didn’t know how he would answer even if he were inclined to. Gif was right: His attraction to Talia was a hazard. But knowing that didn’t stop him from wanting her. His better judgment, integrity, and resolve were tested every time he got near her.
However, he wasn’t going to discuss this personal conflict with Gif. It was his problem to solve, and he would work through it alone, without Mike’s bullying or Gif’s counsel.
He said, “Earlier, you mentioned a blood oath. Have you ever taken one?”
Gif shook his head.
“Well, I have.” He thrust his arm across the console and held his hand palm up where Gif could see the thin scar that spanned it.
