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I gave him a wry smile.
“Last thing.” Franklin jutted his chin in Derek’s direction. “Let him down easy. He’s got it bad for you.”
It was more than advice; it was an order. Franklin saw Derek as a liability in my life. I nodded; my lawyer was right.
Chapter 33
Derek
“CanIcallyoua ride?” I held up my phone with a car share app open.
“No, Franklin took care of it for me.”
“Understood.” The lawyer handled it for her. My sorry ass was on my own. The Smith Agency SUV I’d driven to the station was long gone. Sydney and Leck took it hours ago. I clicked the ride request button. Ten minutes to pickup.
I put away my phone and took Lee’s hand. She allowed it for a moment, then pulled free, crossing her arms over her chest and looking up the street for her car.
A dull ache under my ribs grew in intensity each moment we stood in silence. She was pulling away from me again. Dreaming that the best way to handle her problems was alone. This bullshit needed to stop. I was here for her to lean on. The way she had in the aftermath of slapping that cop—well, maybe not that pathetic. But we could be a team. Instead, as soon as I fed her and got her a lawyer, she pulled away. Independent to a fault.
The weight of exhaustion settled over me like a wet blanket. Apparently, my Tuesday wasn’t going to be any better than my Monday. And I wasn’t holding out hope for Wednesday at this rate.
“Lee, I want to—“
“Help. I know, but you can’t.” The dark depths of her eyes flared with determination.
“I have the skills to keep you safe from whatever is going on.” I tapped my broad chest with a fist. If she’d let me, I’d be her private bodyguard.
She shook her head slowly. An ugly laugh swelled up from her chest. It was something like an evil queen in a Disney movie.
“No, soldier. You and I live in different worlds. Your way could cause a bloodbath. I will find the merchandise quietly, under the radar. My way.”
Merchandise, consignment items, and acquaintance—my least favorite words in the English language after her interrogation. Every time she said them to Alvarez, I’d winced. Her oblique references to the people and items involved caused my worry to fester. And I couldn’t keep from voicing it now that we were alone.
“Are theconsignment itemsthose fucking watches stolen from the gala this spring?“ De Wispelaere’s change in attitude when John and Quinn re-interviewed him and his subsequent murder dovetailed into a perfect timeline that ended with Lee’s arrest.
“Forget the watches.” She looked up at me, her eyes wide with panic. “Please.” She pressed a hand to my chest, her words a whispered plea.
“De Wispelaere is dead and so is the robbery crew that took them. I can’t walk away. You could be next.”
“I’m sorry, Boy Scout, you must. This is my world. Shadows and criminals. Not national heroes and good guys.” Her voice was weak, resigned.
“I promised your brother…”
She pressed a finger to my lips, stopping my words.
“And I am freeing you from that promise. I absolve you of your guilt. Ray is dead. Let it go. Let me go.”
She didn’t get it. It wasn’t like she could wave a magic wand and change my feelings for her and about Ray’s death. I tugged her wrist, pulling her hand from my mouth and bringing us closer together, our chests a hairsbreadth apart.
“I’ll stay out of your way. But give me a place to start. A name?” I cupped her cheek.
“No. I can’t let you into this world. You don’t belong. Stay far away from me. And this mess.” She shook her head, jostling my hand.
“I won’t abandon you.” It was more than the promise to Ray. It was her. She was integral to my existence—to my sanity. I traced the line of her cheekbone with my thumb, her skin soft under my callused finger.
“Yes, you will. Because I won’t let you ruin your life or get killed because of your misplaced sense of honor.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“What about all the nights we spent together?” It was a desperate low blow to bring up sex. But I felt like I was holding on to a lifeline and watching it fray under the strain of my weight, the threads snapping one by one until finally it broke, and I crashed. I would say anything, do anything to stop the inevitable.
