The following day at work was tense. King couldn’t concentrate because he was worried about Bruce coming back for his mother, even though he was having security watch her house day and night. Apparently, after King had finalised the deal with Hirota, he hadn’t had the chance to forward the documents to Bruce. Then we’d had to catch our flight, which delayed things further. Bruce had jumped the gun and thought King was giving him the runaround, hence the reason for him showing up at Elaine’s and making threats.

We were dealing with a real prize.

Anyhow, we had a plan to set in motion. When I arrived home after work, I found Karla in the living room, watching TV and eating a bag of chocolate peanuts. She must have sensed my nervous energy because she sat up straight and eyed me curiously.

“What’s up with you?”

“I’m having some people around tonight. I hope that’s okay.”

“Sure, go for it. Who’s coming?”

“Um, King.”

“And?”

“And Lee Cross.”

Karla practically spat a peanut out of her mouth. “Oh, hell no. I’m not having that little shit knowing where I live.”

“The little shit already knows, Karla. Stu’s been around here lots of times, so if he wants to find out where you live, all he has to do is ask his brother.”

“Yeah, but there’s a big difference between him knowing and actually inviting him over. That’s like sticking a big ‘come and get me’ sign on my forehead,” she sputtered.

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic. I’m sure he’ll be able to resist you while he’s here,” I replied sarcastically, which only seemed to rile her further. It was a little bit funny, and I needed some comic relief right then.

“Hey! I wasn’t saying it because I think I’m irresistible. I said it because I know how men like him operate. They want to shag a cop so they can brag about it to their mates. I’m just a trophy to him.” She slumped back into her seat and folded her arms, muttering under her breath. “Nothing to do with my looks.”

It had everything to do with her looks. She was gorgeous, she just didn’t know it – probably because she had to wear that godawful shapeless black and white uniform every day.

“Anyway,” I began, changing the subject, “I need to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“What do you know about Bruce Mitchell?”

Karla’s eyebrows shot right up into her forehead as she let out a low whistle. “That’s some serious name to be throwing about.”

“It is. So tell me what you know.”

“I know he’s a big-time criminal. Fingers in every pie imaginable, but mostly suspected of running a large drug ring in and around central London. He’s been around so long he’s practically his own institution.” She paused, eyeing me suspiciously. “Why are you asking me about Bruce Mitchell, Lexie?”

And here was where I told her the lie I agreed upon with King. We wouldn’t tell anyone Bruce was his father, nor about the past with his mum’s stalker. What we would tell them was that Bruce had blackmailed King and threatened to frame him for crimes he didn’t commit. Therefore, our plan was to ask Lee, who was shrewd as a fox and knew everything about everyone in this city, if he could get some dirt on Bruce. We’d then use that dirt to get Bruce to back off King and Elaine. Like I said, it was fighting fire with fire. Lee was a safe option because I knew him well enough to know he could be trusted, but he was also someone with his own level of power, so Bruce wouldn’t try to retaliate against him as our middleman, so to speak.

After I’d finished speaking, Karla stared at me, gobsmacked.

“Are you seriously standing there telling me all this and expecting me not to report it? What planet are you living on?”

I reflected her indignation right back at her. “Are you seriously sitting there expecting me to let you report it? If I’ve learned anything from living with you, it’s that the criminal justice system in this country is bullshit. Bruce has been getting away with murder for decades. What makes you think that’s going to stop now? Don’t you think hundreds of people have gone to the police about him over the years? And has any of it worked? No. We need to beat him at his own game.”

Karla slumped back into the couch, giving up. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I bother with this job.”

I came forward and squeezed her shoulder. “You do it because you’re a good person who wants to help those who need it. It’s not your fault the system is corrupt.”

She shook her head. “I just don’t understand why you’re trusting Lee.”

“I’m trusting him because he’s got an in. And yes, he might not technically live his life on the right side of the law, but he’s a decent person. He’s got a good heart, and when it comes down to it, he’d never intentionally hurt someone. He’s not like Bruce.”

Karla eyed me speculatively. “You seem very sure about him.”

“I spent a lot of time around him when Stu and I were together. He might not make his money in a legit manner, but I’ve seen him use it to take care of his family. He even buys food for the kids next door whose junkie parents aren’t fit to care for them,” I told her. “So yeah, he’s not perfect, but he’s not a bad person, either.”

Her expression softened for a brief moment before she gave me a sober nod and returned her attention to the TV. I could tell she still wasn’t entirely happy with the situation, but she also wasn’t going to continue protesting.

I’d just changed into a light T-shirt and some leggings when a knock sounded at the door. I called to Karla that I’d answer it, and then hurried to let King in. He’d changed out of the suit he’d been wearing earlier and now wore jeans, a T-shirt, and a khaki jacket. I swear, even with the current circumstances, the sight of him made my heart speed up.

“Hey,” I greeted him quietly, giving him a tentative smile.

“Alexis,” he said, and bent down to press a kiss on my lips. I could practically feel Karla’s eyes bugging out of her head, because I knew she had to be watching us. I hadn’t yet had the chance to fully explain my relationship with King to her, but I imagined she’d put two and two together. We hadn’t had sex in almost two days, and despite everything that was going on, my body longed for his touch. It felt like for the rest of my life, I was always just going to want more of him.

I stroked a hand down his arm before lacing my fingers with his. “How are you feeling?”

“Worried, stressed.” He bent down to whisper the last part in my ear, “Horny.”

A shiver trickled along the back of my neck as I tried to resist the urge to drag him into my bedroom. Instead, I led him over to the couch and introduced him to Karla.

“This is Karla, my roommate and BFF. I’ve already filled her in on the situation. Karla, this is Oliver, my eh, uh….”

“Your boss?” she finished for me, arching a brow.

I frowned at her. “Yeah, my boss.”

Before the conversation could continue, there was another knock at the door. I went to answer it and was met by not just Lee, but his brother, too. Yeah, that’s right, my ex had decided to tag along. Sometimes I wished I had a butler to answer my door and inform visitors on my behalf, I’m sorry, but not today.

Why the hell was he here? My first words voiced that very same sentiment as the two men stepped inside without even waiting to be invited.

“Uh, why is Stu here?” I asked, gesturing wildly.

Lee shot me a grin. “He’s my muscle.”

“As far as I can see, you’ve got enough muscle of your own,” I shot back.

“Ah, yeah, but you know society’s a bitch. Ya have to be a tall bastard for people to be afraid of ya these days. They don’t realise us little guys are quicker on our toes.” He paused, eyes darting across the room to give Karla a wink. “Plus, we have the advantage of a lower centre of gravity.”

Lee wasn’t exactly little, but I got where he was coming from. My ex was well over six feet, the big dumb oaf. I had to resist the urge to laugh when Stu gave his brother a vacant stare at his mention of “a lower centre of gravity.”

“How’s it going, Lex?” said Stu as his attention came to rest on me, his eyes doing a quick sweep of my body.

“It’ll be going a lot better when you piss off out of here. None of this concerns you.”

Lee held up a hand. “Now, now, don’t go getting your knickers in a twist, Clarky. You called me asking for help. I was kind enough to answer, but if you want me to stick around, you’ll have to deal with my brother being here, too.” His voice was hard and broached no further argument. In the next second, King was beside me, introducing himself.

“We haven’t yet had the pleasure,” he said urbanely. “My name is Oliver.”

Lee gave him a quick once-over before glancing at me, his lips twitching in amusement. “Bagged yourself a posh bastard, did ya?” He nudged his brother with his elbow. “She’s moving up in the world.”

“Don’t be an arsehole,” said Karla in an annoyed tone.

Lee seemed to enjoy her barb. “I’ll never be an arsehole to you, Snap. In fact,” he went on, his voice lowering, “I’ll be so fucking pleasant, you’ll never want me to leave.”

Karla rolled her eyes, not bothering to retort. I noticed Stu was now eyeballing King, and I didn’t like the angry slant to his mouth. Jesus, all of this would have gone so much more smoothly if Lee had just left his brother at home. Stu flicked his gaze between me and King.

“You together?”

My posture grew stiff. “And if we are?”

Stu snorted. “If you are, it’s a fucking joke.”

King, who was silently observing the exchange, spoke up, seeming unthreatened by Stu’s presence. “I believe we have more important matters to discuss.”

“Yeah, we do,” said Stu. “Like how you’re trying to take what’s mine.”

Oh, for Christ’s sake. I cast Lee a pleading look while King stared emotionlessly at my ex. Deciding to be less of a prick, Lee nodded to the door. “Eh, Stu, go wait for me outside. Make sure no one tries to come into the flat.”

Stu didn’t look happy about his brother’s order, but he did as he was told all the same. Between the two of them, it was clear who the alpha was. As soon as Stu left, I finally felt like I could breathe. I sent King an apologetic look as he leaned in and whispered, “An old flame of yours?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“He wants you back.”

“Well, he can go on wanting.”

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you,” he went on, and the dark note in his voice made me shiver. I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

“It doesn’t matter.” I paused to eye him meaningfully. “He’s my past.” I left the second part unspoken. You’re my future. If his satisfied expression was anything to go by, he caught my meaning. Turning, I found Lee had plopped himself down on the sofa beside Karla and was sitting a little too close. She shifted away, being none too subtle about putting distance between them.

“Oh, Snap,” he chuckled. “It’s so funny how you want me.”

Karla bristled. “Don’t call me Snap.”

“You don’t like it? It’s short for Gingersnap. I thought you’d appreciate my creative efforts and shit.”

“Well, I don’t. Go focus your creativity elsewhere. In fact, pretend I don’t exist.”

He shot her a heated look, his eyes trailing slowly down her body.

“Sorry, can’t do that,” Lee whispered quietly. Karla took a deep breath, as though summoning the willpower not to slap him. I felt bad for subjecting her to Lee, but I needed her there for moral support.

Tugging King forward, I led him over to a chair and perched myself on the edge. His hand went to my thigh, and I savoured the warmth.

“So, what have you got for us?” I began, looking at Lee. “This needs to be good.”

Lee scoffed. “Don’t insult me with low expectations.” Pausing, he eyed King. “Did you bring the money?”

Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention that Lee wanted 50K for this favour? It was pocket change to a man like King, but still, Lee had some balls asking for that amount. I’d expected it, though. He might have had a good heart, but he was a survivor, and surviving meant making money in any way he could.

King slid a briefcase across to him and Lee took a peek inside, letting out a low whistle when he saw the cash. One eyebrow went up. “Shit, should I have asked for more?”

It must have been Lee’s tone that made King chuckle. Karla let out a long sigh and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re making me be a witness to this. You seriously owe me one, Lexie.”

Lee cocked his head to her. “I’ll owe you one any day of the week, babe.”

She scowled at him and he grinned in delight. I mouthed a silent “sorry” at her and thought maybe she should stop being so disgruntled with him, because it was obvious that he liked it. A moment of quiet passed before Lee clasped his hands together and started to speak.

“So, Mr King, it seems you’re in luck. I’ve done some discreet asking around, and it appears Brucey’s been getting sloppy in his old age. If you ask me, it’s all the prostitutes. Syphilis fucks with the brain.”

King grew stiff at Lee’s words, and I reached over to lace my fingers with his. Silence followed. Lee chuckled. “What? Was that poor taste?” No response. He raised his brows. “Okay, I’ll keep the jokes to myself in future. So, word has it that Bruce shot a copper a couple of months back.”

Karla gasped. “What?”

Lee nodded. “True story. But don’t worry, this cop was dirty. It won’t happen to you, Snap. You’re lily white. I can tell.”

“Fuck off.”

Lee flashed her a toothy smile. “Feisty. I like it. Anyways, shit went down. The cop was on Bruce’s payroll but sold him out to the competition, a bloke named Tiny McGee. Ironic, since he’s a fat fucker. I’ve managed to get my hands on the gun Bruce used to shoot the cop. He chucked it in the Thames, but one of his men, seeing an opportunity for blackmail down the line, as you do, fished it out and kept it for future use. This fella’s agreed to sell the gun to me for 25K,” he said, and glanced at Karla. “See, I’m not completely despicable. Half the money isn’t even for me.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re a real saint,” Karla deadpanned.

Lee brought his attention back to King. “So all you need to do is sit back, relax, and let me take care of the rest. Shooting a cop is bad business, and he’s not going to want this to go public. I’ll give Bruce a little call. Tell him how it’s gonna play out, and see if he wants to be clever or stupid. I can’t guarantee he’ll be clever. Like I said, it’s the syphilis.” He paused, waiting for us to laugh. “What? Still not funny? Fine, I give up.”

Lee stood as King addressed him. “When can I expect to hear from you?”

Glancing down at his watch, Lee answered, “Around this time tomorrow.”

“Very good,” said King, holding out his hand and shaking with Lee.

“It was a pleasure doing business with ya.”

Lee stood to leave, but before he did, he bent over the couch, startling Karla by giving her a surprise peck on the cheek. It might have been a sweet gesture if it wasn’t so brazen. She immediately recoiled, glaring daggers at him. He winked at her. “Little something for you to remember me by, Snap. Until next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” she called after him.

He flashed her one final grin. “We’ll see.”

When he opened the door, I saw Stu standing there impatiently. “I want to talk with Lex,” he told his brother.

Lee put a hand on Stu’s chest, pushing him back. “Nah, mate, you’re good.”

Stu grew irritable. “It’ll only take a minute.”

Lee held firm, eyeing his brother sharply. “If I say you’re good, you’re good. Now come on, she’s not interested.”

I knew Stu wanted to protest further, but he must have realised his brother wasn’t going to budge on the matter. I wondered why. Perhaps Lee saw something in the way I interacted with King. He definitely had an intuitive nature; maybe he’d figured out there was no way I was going back to Stu, come hell or high water.

The door finally closed over, and King excused himself to use the bathroom.

“I’m sorry about Lee. He’s such a flirt,” I said to Karla.

“No worries. I can handle it.” Her voice grew hushed as she leaned forward, eyes flicking to the bathroom door. “What the hell is going on with you and Mr Tall, Blond, and Perfect, though?”

I heaved out a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“I can see that. Isn’t it against company policy for you to be seeing one another?”

“No. He said it wasn’t. We haven’t really discussed things properly yet. I think we’ll wait until this whole thing with Bruce blows over to start figuring stuff out.”

I went quiet when I heard the toilet flush, and then King re-emerged.

“So, I should probably make a move. I need to check on Mum,” he began.

Karla turned up the volume on the TV a little and focused on the screen, discreetly giving us some privacy. Bless her. I walked over to King and took his hands in mine. He raised them to his mouth and brushed his lips across my knuckles. I trembled, remembering our brief time together in Rome. It had only been two days, and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. But I knew now wasn’t the time for sex. Everything was too tense.

God, life, why do you have to be such a cockblocker sometimes?

“Come spend the evening with me tomorrow after work,” said King, his voice hushed. “I’m having someone watch Mum’s house. You can bring an overnight bag. I’ll cook dinner.”

“That sounds perfect,” I replied quietly, shivering when he rubbed the inside of my wrist with his thumb.

King bent in and pressed a chaste kiss to my mouth. Neither one of us dared to deepen it for fear of making things a little too raunchy. After all, we did have an audience of one, who was right at that moment doing her best to pretend to watch television.

“Until tomorrow, then,” King murmured, and left.

As soon as the door shut, I leaned back against it and let out a frustrated groan. Eyes still on the screen, Karla let out a laugh and shook her head.

“Oh, Lexie, you are so fucked.”