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My nostrils flared, and I blinked. “Getting there. Still not sure if I can use her yet or not.” I hated the words coming out of my mouth, but the fact of the matter was, I had to do anything I could to bring Hut down.
Not only did he spread cocaine on the streets like it was real-live snow, but he left a wake of bodies in his path. It didn’t matter who stood in his way. If they were stopping him from getting where he wanted to go, then he’d do anything to remove them.
“She’s the one who’s been there the longest, so I bet she has shit on him that could bury him for the rest of his life.” Jord rubbed his hands together, the prospect obviously exciting him.
“Yeah.” I pushed up off the desk and let my hands drop to my sides. “I dunno if she’d do it yet, though. I need more time.”
Kyle stepped closer, his hand clamping down on my shoulder. “You’ve been under for months now. Time is fine, but you have a life back home.” He raised his brow. “Remember that.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t deny that as much as I wanted to sleep in my own bed and walk around my own house, the pull to a certain kid was too strong to deny. I was in deep shit, and I had no idea how to get out of it.
“I’ll keep you informed,” I told them and ambled toward the front door, needing to get out of this house and away from them.
Those guys knew me better than anyone else. They’d been there the first day we all started the academy at Quantico, and they were there when we got our first assignments. Even though throughout the years we’d all taken on different areas within the DEA, when I was asked to create my own task force, I knew the people I’d be calling: the three guys who I trusted more than anything.
We’d created a team that was rivaled throughout the States and had people begging to join, but I always said no. It only worked because of who we were and our connection, and bringing someone else into that mix would destroy it.
I pushed into my car and sped back toward my apartment. I had to get some space from everything and everyone. My brain was becoming murky, and I was starting to forget who I was as a man—or, at least, who I tried to be.
But maybe that was the problem? Maybe I was trying to be someone who I wasn’t, and now that I was undercover, I could let myself be who I really was? Or maybe it was wishful thinking and an excuse as to why I couldn’t get Lola out of my goddamn head. I was nearly twice her age, but that didn’t stop me watching her, it didn’t halt the way my body buzzed when I was near her. And it didn’t do a thing to stop me wanting to take hold of her and slam my lips against hers.
The images were too vivid and real for it to be considered just the job. But that was what I had to do. I had to draw a line and tell myself it was only a task. I needed to get close to her, but not too close. I needed just the right amount of intel where I could walk away from her and not want to see her again.
Fuck. I hoped I could do this.
* * *
BRODY
There were times like today when I felt like I was wasting time being here. It wasn’t my job to drive Hut to go and get a burger and fries from the local burger joint, but that was what job I’d been tasked with. I should have been gathering evidence to take this fucker down, not becoming his goddamn taxi service.
It was just after lunch, but I was ready to call it a day. No crew business had happened in the last couple of days, and I was starting to get impatient.
“I’m so fuckin' hungry,” Hut groaned as he got out of the SUV with his bag in hand. I followed him up the driveway, past the rotten car, and shook my head. He’d eaten half of the food he’d ordered while we were driving back, and now he practically had his head in the grease-stained paper bag to search for fries.
I pushed my hands into my jeans pocket, glanced around, and then looked back at Hut, just in time to see his leg fall right through the hole in the middle step. A step I’d nearly fallen into many times. His bag of food went flying, the burger flinging itself from the wrapper and slapping against the screen door, spreading sauce and burger meat on its way down to the ground.
There were two seconds where I didn’t know how to react. My instinct was to laugh, but as soon as I saw his red face and narrowed eyes, I figured it’d probably be best to hold it in.
“Motherfuckin' house!” he wailed. He grabbed the top of his calf with both hands and yanked, trying to get free of the hole he’d just made twice the size. He twirled around to face me and roared, “Fix that fuckin' step!”
I pointed at my chest at the same time he got free and slammed the bottom of his boot against the step, shattering what was left of it. “You want me to fix it?”
“You got anything better to do?” he growled, and I gritted my teeth. I did have better things to do—like police work—but today, for all intents and purposes, I was his lackey. Hut dipped down to retrieve what was left of his food, shook his head, and sighed like a child. “Half my food is gone.” He toed at the step again, cracking another piece of wood. “Go get supplies and fix this fuckin' thing.”
He barged into his house, slamming the screen door behind him, and leaving me to stare at the space he’d just been in. I’d always been good at fixing things, but this was just a joke. Half of me wanted to leave it as it was and watch him fall through it again, but knowing he wasn’t the only person living in this house was the thing that had me moving to my car.
Just over an hour later, I was back at the house with the supplies and tools I needed. The afternoon sun shone bright, its rays burning against my black T-shirt as I set out all of my supplies. I pulled my top off and then measured the step, working out how many slats of wood I needed to cut. I gripped the pencil between my fingers and marked the wood balanced on my makeshift table, and then cut it. It wouldn’t take much to fix the step, so I had no idea why it hadn’t been done before now. The only good thing about it was it’d keep my mind occupied, if only for a little while.
Keeping my hands busy and my brain on task made me forget about everything else that was going on. I was always on the go, working a case and a theory. I never had time to just slow down and think. Or better yet, not think at all.
The scent of freshly cut wood took me back in time to my grandparents’ lake and the wooden dock I’d helped build. We’d spent a whole summer putting it together so we could tie our small boat and canoe to it. It was a memory simply brought on by smell, but it also saddened me. I hadn’t been there since—
“Brody? What are you doing?” I spun around and blinked at Lola, who was standing there in a plain T-shirt and jeans. Her face was clear of any makeup and her hair tied in a messy bun on the top of her head. She looked every bit the student I knew she was.
“I’m fixing the step,” I replied simply as if it wasn’t obvious.
She raised a brow. “I can see that, but...why?” She stepped closer, examining my handiwork. I was only half finished, but you could see the difference between the new wood and old. If this were my own house, I’d have stained it to try and match, but I wouldn't invest that time into this. Not for Hut.
