AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The toast popped, and Peyton twisted, grabbing the pieces and dumping them on a plate before putting more in, all without moving from his spot or removing his legs from around Sebastian. Sebastian lifted his arms to protect his coffee from spilling as Peyton shifted about.
Quinn handed him the butter and a knife and moved the Vegemite in reach. “The body was found in Boiler’s apartment. I guess that answers the question of whether it was him or not.”
“He was alive and kicking yesterday afternoon,” Sebastian said dryly. “And nothing like the persona he presented when he was in jail.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Will said. “Is this the guy that I arrested at the drug raid the day we met?”
Sebastian nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “The very same one. You shot him, I believe.”
Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. “You shot him?”
“It was a graze. He kicked me in the knee,” Will said, a little defensively. He’d been protecting himself and his team. It probably hadn’t even scarred.
“What do you mean Jericho was nothing like his persona?” Peyton asked curiously. He bit the corner of the piece of toast off and handed the rest of it to Quinn, who fitted his mouth into Peyton’s bite mark.
“He…” Sebastian trailed off, and Will could have sworn he wasblushing.
Quinn seemed to think so too as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “He what?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. He was just trying to get under my skin.”
Peyton bit into another finished toast piece and then coaxed Sebastian to open his mouth, feeding the rest of it to him, leaving it dangling from their lawyer’s mouth. “Is that possible? Because I think he and I need to have a chat.”
Sebastian gave him a sardonic look over his shoulder. Peyton winked and kissed him on the tip of the nose before he started buttering the next pair of toast pieces.
Quinn hummed and took another bite. “And what did they want?”
“They don’t think it’s over,” Sebastian said, shrugging. “I told them they were being paranoid.”
“It’s only paranoia if someone isn’t out to get you,” Will said. He finished the last of his eggs and took his plate to the sink. He checked the pantry and found the container of muffins that he’d bought on his way home from work yesterday. He grabbed two of the blueberry ones and then parked himself next to Quinn.
“Thank you, William,” Sebastian said dryly.
“You’re welcome.” He offered a muffin to Quinn, who shook his head. “So this Jericho was posing as ‘Warren,’ am I getting that right?”
Sebastian nodded. “Right. He was using a fake identity. He works for…” He drained his coffee and handed the empty mug to Peyton, who stretched over and put it in the sink. He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “He works for a man named Hunter—I doubt it’s his real name, and hell, maybe Jericho isn’thiseither, but I can’t give you what either really are because I don’t know. Hunter came to me about a year after Quinn and I broke up, offering me a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” Quinn asked.
Peyton crossed his arms over Sebastian’s shoulders and absently trailed his fingers across his collarbones. Sebastian put a hand over one of Peyton’s, and their fingers tangled together.
“He would give me information about potential clients,” Sebastian answered. “Things that would help me determine whether they were innocent. What he could give me… it let me choose my clients more carefully and help as many innocent people as I could.”
“That kind of certainty comes with a hefty price,” Quinn said flatly. “What did he want in exchange?”
“He would bring certain cases to my desk, and I would have to prioritise them.”
“Like Warren—Jericho—whatever the hell his name is.”
“Jericho,” Will helpfully said. That was his understanding anyway.Warrenwas fake, and Jericho was the real person underneath? Or something. Now Will felt bad for shooting the guy. He should send a card. Flowers. Cardwithflowers.
“He was the latest case, yes,” Sebastian said.
Quinn’s lips thinned. “That almost got you killed.”
“It doesn’t come without risks,” Sebastian said. “I knew what I was doing when I signed on the dotted line.”
“Did you?”
