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I still couldn’t believe this was happening, not even when we pulled up in the lot to my new apartment block and we jumped in the elevator to the sixth floor.
“If you smile any wider, you’ll break your face,” Sal said, grinning down at me. He was more than a boss to me. He was a friend who’d do anything to help me, and that meant more than he’d ever know. I’d had friends come and go over the years, but as soon as the going got tough, they were out of there.
Much like Brody.
Things had become complicated, but he’d not seen me since he returned on the first day. He’d stayed away, listened to my warning. I shouldn’t have felt dejected, but I did. I’d had this quiet voice in the back of my mind whispering that he’d come back. That he wouldn’t take no for an answer and tell me everything I craved to hear, but it was just that—a voice of something that wouldn’t happen. I was leaving Brody behind with Hut. What would he do when his undercover status came to an end? He’d go back to his wife. That thought sobered me, and I shook my head, trying to concentrate on the here and now.
The elevator doors whooshed open, and I hesitated. Once I took this step, there was no going back. I’d start my new life—a new beginning. I clutched my chest and took the step. The first step of many.
The hallway was painted a light cream, the carpet a mid-brown, and each door had a gold-plated number attached underneath a peephole. It wasn’t the most divine place, but it wasn’t run-down and barebones either. It was safe. The safest place I’d probably ever lived since my mom was alive.
We walked past three sets of doors, and I stopped in front of 607. This was it. This was now my new home. I pulled the key out of my pocket that the realtor had dropped off at the diner yesterday and pushed it into the lock.
“Here goes,” I whispered, pushing my weight against the door, and stepping inside the apartment.
It was small, but just enough for me. We walked right into the living room that had a half wall separating it from the tiny kitchen toward the right. A set of windows that started at waist height lined the back wall. The place was bare bones, but a sofa, kitchen essentials, a lone coffee table, and a bed had come with it.
Sal took the trash bags full of my stuff and placed them on the double bed. He stood with his hands on his hips and blew out a breath. “Needs a clean and maybe a fresh coat of paint.”
I nodded. “Nothing that I can’t do.”
“You know I’ll help you. Heck, even Jan said she has some things for you.”
“She does?” I asked, blinking at him several times and hoping the burning at the back of my eyes stopped. They weren’t tears of sadness and horror that wanted to break free, though. It was happiness. So much happiness, I thought I might burst any minute.
“Yep.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”
His heavy hand landed on my shoulder, and he dipped down so he was eye level with me. “You don’t have to say anything, Lola-Girl.”
I snorted at his rough tone. “Thank you.”
“Thank me?” He guffawed and let go of my shoulder. “You don’t need to thank me. I didn’t do shit.”
“You did,” I said, following him out of the room. “You helped me get here and—”
“No.” He was by the front door in the matter of twelve steps. “You got yourself here. You did this, Lola. No one else, just you.”
The smile was slow to form on my lips as I glanced around. He was right. I’d done this all by myself, and for once in my life, I was going to pat myself on my back.
A page had turned, a new chapter started, and I was determined to make the best of it.
* * *
BRODY
“Shit! Garza?” The table wobbled as Ryan slammed his fist down on it. “How did we not see that coming?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I told the guys, standing in front of the table they all sat around. “We don’t need him. All we need is Hut.”
“We can’t just let him walk if he’s doing a deal though,” Kyle commented, his brows furrowed. “If we take them down, we gotta take them all down.”
I shook my head. “I already spoke to Aaron. He said all he wants right now is Hut.”
“What?” Jord fumed. “He expects us to sit back and not do—”
“No. He doesn’t expect you to do anything. He’s telling you.” I stood upright and glanced at each of them in turn, pounding my point home. “We’ve been working this case for over half a year, and our objective hasn’t changed. We dismantle his crew and bring him down. Hut, and only Hut.” I stared at all of them in turn. “For now.”
