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Kieran set his fork down and gave Kieran his full attention. “I’ve worked with a dozen guys who’ve served time at either Arrowhead or Four Mile. None of them talk about their convictions, just the crimes they committed. You didn’t steal the car.” Kieran clenched his jaw tight enough to crack his teeth. “Did you go to jail to protect someone else? Maybe one of those guys playing tonsil hockey on Main Street.” That comment earned a sneer. Okay. Not that. He recalled Kieran’s reaction to seeing the men, and said, “One of them set you up.”
Kieran blinked twice but otherwise didn’t react. “What makes you say that?”
Finley tapped his temple with two fingers. “Intuition. You have the look of someone who’s been let down by others more than a few times in their life.” Kieran’s gaze shimmered with moisture, but no tears fell. Finley expected him to break eye contact, but he held on. “Am I right?”
Kieran’s nostrils flared as he inhaled. “Everyone I’ve known has let me down, including my parents and the system that was supposed to protect me. And especially Ritchie Alvarez.” Kieran’s breath hitched and his cheeks heated. Still, he held on.
“And you saw him just now?”
Kieran nodded. “He was the taller guy with dark hair.”
Finley had so many questions but wasn’t sure what he should ask. Then he noticed Kieran looked a little more at ease. His back was still ramrod straight, but his shoulders were more relaxed. His color was back to normal, and his breathing had evened out. He decided to press for a little more information. If Kieran didn’t want to answer, he wouldn’t. “Was Ritchie your friend or a romantic interest?”
“My boyfriend.”
“And he betrayed you.”
Kieran nodded. “Ritchie cut me deeper than anyone ever has.”
Finley saw red but kept his emotions in check. “And what does this asshole do?”
“Owns a body shop and detailing business in Colorado Springs. He’s very successful.”
“Let me guess,” Finley said dryly. “He specializes in high-end luxury cars.”
“Yep.”
“And boosts them as a side hustle, probably accounting for his real wealth.” Kieran said nothing, but he didn’t have to. “One of those natural conclusions,” Finley said. “Which is why it’s odd the police didn’t look into Ritchie after your arrest.” He tilted his head to the side and ran through the scenario out loud. “You got caught driving a stolen car, and the cops settled for the little fish instead of going after the big one. I bet you have an idea why that is.”
“I do.”
“But you’re not ready to tell me,” Finley said. Who could blame him? “Is he here to make trouble for you?”
“Doubtful,” Kieran replied. “He’s always had a thing for gambling. Blackjack is his poison. I only knew him to play at Black Hawk, though.”
“The casino here is newer and closer to Colorado Springs.” So his presence could be a coincidence, at least it had better be. Finley dropped his gaze to the tote bag and recalled the book it contained. “I hope I’m around to see you go all Edmond Dantès on his ass.” Kieran’s eyes widened just enough for Finley to know he’d guessed right. “You don’t trust me now, but you will. I’m going to be the one person who doesn’t let you down. The Jacopo to your Edmond.”
Kieran’s mouth formed a real smirk, and Finley fought the urge to fist-pump the air. This was more a cause for alarm than celebration because getting Kieran to let his guard down just the tiniest amount made Finley thirstier for more peeks behind the curtain. He nearly snorted out loud. Yeah, information was what he was after. Not more kisses and definitely not an up close and personal introduction to the Beast. Finley tried to summon the discipline he’d found the past few months, but it eluded him. All he heard and felt was the howling coyote.
Kieran and Finley cleaned both their dinner and dessert plates before tapping out. His stomach ached in protest, and he was grateful he’d had a week of Harry’s amazing cuisine before attempting the diner stunt. Tension had eased between them while they were shoveling food into their mouths, but it returned tenfold when they were alone in the truck, heading back to the ranch with Cash’s pie sitting on the console between them.
“I’m really sorry,” Finley said softly. “I feel like I should tell Cash what happened in the alley.”
That snapped Kieran out of his food coma. “What the hell for?”
“My behavior was inexcusable, and I betrayed Cash’s trust and yours.”
Kieran would’ve sighed heavily, but he worried the air would come out in an embarrassing belch. “Cash has nothing to do with what is happening between you and me.” Too late, he realized how that sounded.
“Whatishappening between us?” Finley asked.
“Fuck if I know, but it doesn’t have a thing to do with our boss. And I’m not sorry about the kiss. I don’t want you to be either.”
Their kiss had been brief and chaste, something that should’ve barely registered on the Richter scale of embraces, yet it had rattled Kieran’s bones and left him achingly hard. He hadn’t felt violated or threatened, but the memory of Finley’s sweet lips pressed against his threatened to upend his focus and possibly his sanity. Finley’s determination to be the person who wouldn’t let Kieran down was even more arousing than the kiss, putting everything he’d held dear in jeopardy.
Doing time for a crime he hadn’t committed had threatened to destroy him in ways his parents’ abandonment and the welfare system’s neglect had not. Continuing to work with Finley could be the biggest mistake he ever made, but he’d rather find out and fail than miss out on a single second with the alluring man.
“Okay,” Finley agreed. “I don’t really regret our kiss.”
