The sun starts to rise in front of me as I pull up to the empty space that the directions have led me to. There’s not a soul around, the only sounds are the birds chirping and machines working in the warehouses I passed on the way here. Any normal person would get out of their car and wait. Not me though: I’ll be sitting inside my car until I see or hear something that tells me he’s close by.
I thought that Seb and West may be here, but they didn’t even know that Darrell had called me.
That bit of information has me wondering what is going on here. Is it that he doesn’t fully trust them? Or is it another test?
Either one wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. People like Darrell don’t get to where they are without being cautious.
I lean back in my seat, shuffling down and crossing my arms over my chest as I let my eyes shut halfway as I think about Lexi.
I want to say that what we did at the community center was a mistake. But it wasn’t. I don’t regret a single moment of it. In fact, all I want is to do it again… and again. The only thing that I do regret, is not taking her out beforehand. That will change in a few days though, because I intend to be the perfect gentleman.
My lips lift up into a grin when I think of the faces she pulled when she was caught in the moment, not letting anything get in the way of her pleasure.
Shit.
I adjust my jeans, cursing myself for thinking about her right now.
What I felt for Geena was nothing compared to how I feel about Lexi, and we hardly even know each other. I know her past because of the research that I did on her, but I don’t know everything about her. And I want to, not only that, but I want her to know everything about me. The good, the fun, the bad, the ugly, and the sad. I don’t want to leave a single thing out.
I’ve never wanted to tell anyone about my childhood—the one that I had before I was adopted. That part of my life is locked in a safe room of its own inside my brain. I’m almost scared to open it, afraid of what I may find.
Dad and Pop only know what they were told by the social workers and that I was bitten by the dog my birth mother had. They don’t know the half of it.
I shake the thoughts from my head as I spot a big black SUV pull into the open space, the chrome wheels spinning slowly as it crawls to a stop ten feet in front of my car.
I sit up straighter, waiting for someone to get out.
The back door opens slowly, and a couple of seconds later, Darrell jumps out with a giant grin on his face.
He waves his arm at me and walks forward, the white suit that he wears blinding me as I push my door open and step out.
I look around, hyperaware of my surroundings as I swipe my arm to activate the recording device that I always wear.
“Hey,” I say when we’re in the middle of the two cars and standing a couple of feet from each other. He nods in reply and watches me through narrowed eyes.
“I have another job for you.” I open my mouth to reply but he takes a step forward, tilting his head back and looking up at me. “But first… I want to know why you’re pinging our tracker.”
I raise a brow and widen my stance. “The tracker in the cell you gave me?” This time it’s me not giving him the chance to talk as I cut him off. “Listen, man. I don’t appreciate being tracked. The reason that I am who I am is simply because I’m a ghost.”
“I don’t—”
“Hey.” I hold my hands up in the air and shrug. “You don’t like it then I can go. There’s another ten versions of you begging to work with me, but I’m doing this as a favor.”
He tilts his head to the side, watching me, assessing me.
I know for a fact that there’s no way he knows about me being part of MAC Security. I’m good, I know how to cover my tracks, and the only reason that I managed to get back to the community center was because he pulled his goons off me. That reminds me…
“I also don’t like to be followed. I think you may have forgotten who you’re working with.”
“With?” He laughs. “No, Evan. You’re working for me.”
I reel back, letting my arms drop to my sides as I toss my keys in the air. “Nah, I don’t think so. I don’t work for anyone.”
I back away a step, ready to get the hell out of here. I won’t really walk away, and I know he won’t let me. It’s a test of sorts—like the test he gave me when we first met.
When I take my second step, he calls out, “Evan.”
“Yeah?” I raise a brow, waiting for him to talk.
He worries his lip as his eyes flick back to the car and he signals for something. The door opens and I immediately widen my stance, moving my arm back slightly in case I need to grab the gun that’s in its hiding place.
The woman brute steps out, a metal case in her hand. I watch her intently as she walks over to Darrell, placing the case on her forearms as he pops it open and signals me to come closer.
“This is what I want you to work on.” I wait a beat because until he says he’s not going to track or follow me, then I won’t be doing anything for him. He sighs and then says, “I’ll stop following you.”
I step forward, my gaze landing on the open case and seeing a small computer chip.
“This is the job?”
“No.” He laughs, winking at me, and I have to hold in the disgusted look that I want to desperately give him. “This is the pre-job.”
“Pre-job,” I muse. “What is it?”
“The A-320.”
I stumble back, my eyes widening as they swing from him and to the chip, then back again.
“This won’t be on the market for another couple of years,” I say.
“This I know.” He nods, folding his arms over his chest as he turns to the woman brute. “You can close it now.”
I stand still and quiet, waiting for him to tell me what it is he wants me to do.
“I need you to add a tracking code.”
“Erm…”
“As soon as this software is out there, with my tracking code inside it, it’ll allow me to get into anyone’s records, anyone’s personal files. It’s… the ultimate.”
“But…” I frown. “How did you get it out? And the better question, how will you get it back in?”
He pulls the case from her arms, stepping toward me and holding it out. “That you don’t need to worry about. You input your code and you’ll get paid.”
I nod, pulling the case from him and letting it drop to my side. He spins around, walking back to his car, and as he’s about to get in, I call out, “And how much will that be?”
“I think three should cover it, don’t you?”
“Thousand?” I ask.
He shakes his head, smirking. “Million, Evan. Three million.” And with that, he jumps into the SUV, shutting the door behind him as they drive away, leaving a trail of dust in their wake and me standing shocked with the chip in the case.
Holy shit. My mind scrambles as I think about the equipment we could buy with three million dollars.
* * *
I spend my entire morning trying to get my mind to shut up. It swirls with so many thoughts that it’s unreal. One moment I have the biggest grin on my face while I walk to the grocery store to get some food, and the next thing I know, I’m panicking.
Things with Evan happened so fast a few days ago, and although I don’t regret what we did, what I do regret is doing it so soon.
What if all he wanted was a one-night thing? What if that’s all I am to him?
But then I think about him asking me out afterward. Surely he wouldn’t do that if he only wanted one night, right?
I’m teetering, this way and that way, not knowing what to think but knowing exactly how I feel.
He’s the only person that I’ve felt like myself around; I can see myself telling him things that I never told anyone else before. This feels... different.
I think anything would feel different compared to the couple of teenage fumbles I had: none of which made me feel anything like what he did. I thought I was going to burst out of my own body because of all of the sensations that ran through me.
I shiver thinking about it now, my eyes starting to close automatically as I sit on the bench in front of the community center before I make my way home.
Leaning back, I lift my hand to my lips, running my fingers over them and remembering how his lips felt against mine. The way he would rush and then slow right down, pouring everything into one single kiss.
“Lexi?” My eyes pop open at the shouting voice and I search for where it came from. I catch sight of a woman as she turns and says, “It is Lexi!” Her hand extends in the air, waving wildly as she looks both ways before jogging over the road with the someone behind her.
When they get closer, I realize that it’s Kay and Kitty from where Evan works. I sit up, straightening my back and wave.
“Hey.”
“Hey!” Kay leans down and wraps her arms around me before stepping back and smiling wide. “How are you?”
“I…” I bite my bottom lip. “I’m really good.”
“Uh huh.” She grins and turns to Kitty who steps forward, sitting on the bench beside me and turning to face me.
“So…” Kitty’s eyes flick between mine. “How well do you know Evan?”
Whatever happened to small talk?
My eyes flit down, scared that they’ll be able to read me like an open book. I have no idea if Evan wanted to keep it secret: I really should have asked.
“I… We work together sometimes.” I shrug, bringing my eyes back up to hers as hers narrow.
I have no idea what is happening here, but I’m guessing that they’re pretty close to Evan. I don’t want to offend them: I don’t even know them.
They’re both silent for several minutes as they watch me before Kay gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Oh my God! Have you two…” She raises her brows up and down.
“I… What?” I stand up, trying to put a front on of being outraged while inside I’m shaking in my boots. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I step forward, picking all my bags up and walk across the grass that lines the front of the community center. I feel so lost and out of my element here. The last time I had two women talk to me like this, it was under false pretenses and I ended up with a black eye, broken nose, and two cracked ribs.
I start to walk faster as memories assault me; I don’t want to be in that headspace, not here, not now.
I hear footsteps approaching me from behind quickly but I ignore them and continue walking, only it’s not until I get to the end of the street that I realize I’ve gone the wrong way. I spin around, almost bouncing off Kay who is standing right behind me, trying to get my attention.
“Lexi? We’re not…” She flits her eyes between mine. “I’m sorry, it’s none of our business.”
“Hey! I want to know if they’ve had sex!” Kitty shouts, the sound echoing.
“Oh my God, shhhhhh.” My head whips side to side, making sure no one has heard, but when I see Geena standing in the police precinct parking lot, I start to panic.
She may be about forty feet away, but I can see her eyes narrowing on me. Shit, does she know? The last thing I need is a police officer to know about us, especially when that police officer is Evan’s ex-girlfriend. I don’t want anyone to have an excuse to cause me trouble, not here, not in the first place that feels like home since living with Gran.
I can’t do this, I can’t do any of this.
She steps forward, her eyes not moving from mine. My breath hitches and my fingertips start to tingle: she’s coming toward us. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, she’s figuring it out and I haven’t got a clue what to do or say as I hear Kitty and Kay calling my name.
“No!” I shout when I feel someone’s hand touch me. My head swings their way, but I can’t make them out as my eyes start to mist over and my breaths come faster and faster.
I need to sit down, I need go home.
I can feel Geena getting closer, her aura swirling like an angry cloud. She knows, they know, everyone knows. The rational part of my brain kicks in; there’s no way that they can know.
“If it isn’t little Lexi.” My breath stutters as she comes to a stop in front of me, her lips lifted into a sneer.
“I…” I swallow. “I… erm…”
“What’s the matter, huh? Cat got your tongue? Or should I say Evan?”
My gaze moves from Kitty and Kay then back to Geena. Her eyes are screaming at me, the fire burning in their depths trying to scorch me.
“What are you doing, Geena?” Kitty asks, stepping forward and coming to stand beside me and opposite Geena.
I watch intently as her hand flutters down to her waistband, her fingers resting on the gun and I start to panic. She has so much power, the police uniform she wears and the way she stands proud tells me that.
“I just wanted to come on over and say hi.” She smiles sweetly, but from the look on Kitty’s face, I know that she knows that isn’t the truth.
Geena steps forward, moving her head toward me and whispers. “If you think I’m gonna let a little bitch like you get away with what you’ve done, then you’re wrong.” She leans back and smirks. “I’ll be seeing you around.”
My eyes widen at her threat: the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice tells me that this isn’t the last I’ll see of her, and it’s all my fault.
“Lexi?” I hear a soft voice call, but I’m too far gone and before I know it, I’m dropping all the bags and running back to the community center, unlocking the door and slamming it behind me as I lock myself inside.
I squeeze my eyes closed as soon as I see the room: the same room he teaches his classes in, the room we had sex in.
My hands lift to the sides of my head, covering my ears and trying to block out all of the noise that is running through my body at such a high volume I’m sure it’s going to deafen me.
It was a mistake; the whole thing was a mistake. I can feel it in my gut, we shouldn’t have done it. He had a girlfriend a month ago, and then I come along and we do that. I can only imagine how Geena feels right now.
My nose starts to tingle as I feel the tears build, and I wrap my hands around myself, stepping to the side and leaning against the wall.
“Lexi? Come on, it’s okay, come back out,” I hear Kay shout through the glass doors, but all I manage to do is shake my head.
There’s no way that anyone will want me here now, not after they’ve seen what happens when I get inside my own head. What happens when I panic.
I’ve done so well at keeping it under control, at not letting people see that part of me, but now it’s out, and there’s nothing I can do to put it back inside.
It’s like a tube of toothpaste, once it’s all been pushed out, there’s no way in the world you can get that minty whiteness back in the tube.
* * *
“Wait.” Ty holds his hand up in the air, his eyes widening. “He’s gonna pay you three million dollars?”
I raise a brow, nodding my head. “Yep.”
“I don’t get it,” Luke says, leaning back in his chair.
“This software,” I start. “Is the software to all software. It’ll be inserted into cell phones to manage updates, to record all of your information. There’s nothing that this software won’t see of your life.” I let that sink in. “Once Darrell has his code in there, it means he can access anything, anywhere, anytime. Bank details, addresses, records, pictures... anything.”
Ty stands up, starting to pace around the table, his head down as he thinks about what I’m saying.
When I finally got back to the warehouse it was after ten and I’d missed the morning meeting. Kay and Kitty had gone to see Charlie at the precinct with some information he has on a case they’re working, so there’s only Ty, Luke, and me here right now.
I went right to my safe room, putting the case and the chip in there safely before I came here.
The only question now is, will I install what he wants, or not?
“You can’t install it,” Ty says, as if he'd read my mind.
I tilt my head to the side, running my finger along the edge of my laptop. “If I don’t install it, he’ll know something isn’t right.”
“And if you do and we can’t catch him again, then he’ll have access to all of those things.”
I smirk, a laugh bubbling up in my chest as I watch Ty freak out. “Do you not know me?”
I shake my head, not quite believing he hasn’t realized by now. I turn my gaze to Luke, he has the same smirk that I do.
“What?” Ty asks, his tone deeper than usual as his cell starts ringing. He ignores it and continues to stare at me, his hands hanging loosely on his hips. “What are you both smirking at?”
“Do you really think I’d install this and not put a code inside that means I can switch it off remotely?”
He narrows his eyes at me, stepping forward. “Why the hell didn’t you start with that?”
Ty’s cell starts ringing again, the sound echoing around us, but he ignores it once again.
“Well…” I stand up, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s fun to watch you worry.”
“You little—”
“Hey, hey.” I hold my hands up, letting the laughter slip free that has been bubbling up for the last few minutes. “There’s no need for that, I’m anything but little.”
“One of these days, Evan.” He shakes his head, but the grin on his face is at a complete contrast with his words.
He pulls his cell out at the same time mine starts ringing, and when I see Kay’s number, I press the answer button.
“Aloha.”
“Evan!” she gasps and I’m on high alert immediately, my eyes cutting to Ty’s.
“Kay? What’s going on?”
Ty steps forward, his shoulders tensing as Luke stands up.
“Geena, she came over and I don’t know what she said… she won’t come out. I can see she’s panicking. I don’t know what to do, we can’t leave her here like this on her own.”
“Whoa.” I hold my hand in the air. “Calm down, start from the beginning. Take a deep breath.”
“Give me the fucking cell, Evan,” Ty thunders, holding his hand out.
I move the cell from my ear, pressing the speakerphone button and setting it on the table as I lean over.
“Okay…” I hear Kay take a deep breath. “So we were coming out of the precinct and we saw Lexi.” I lift my eyes up to Ty and then Luke, seeing the questions in their gaze. “So we went and talked to her and I think I put my foot in it.”
I groan and rub my hand over my face. “What did you say?”
“I… I erm… I may have insinuated that you two, you know…”
“Okaaay.” I bite back my laugh.
“Then she got really erm, I don’t know… defensive? But she walked away and then Kitty may have shouted that she wants to know if you two had sex.”
“Fuck.” I can’t help the smile that kicks up on my face, imagining Lexi as she panicked about talking about us. There’s no way that I’d keep her a secret, not after the other night. She does something to me, the way she makes me feel. There’s no way I’m giving that up, not after what happened with Geena.
“But Geena was outside too.”
I stand up straight, picking my cell up off the table.
“What happened?” I growl.
“She said something to Lexi, I don’t know what but she ran away and now she’s locked herself in the community center and she won’t come out. I can see her and… she… Lexi?”
I pick my keys up off the table, running out of the warehouse and heading straight to my car, starting the engine and spinning out of the compound.
“What’s she doing, Kay?”
“She’s saying something over and over again. Kitty’s trying to talk her down but we can’t get to her.”
“Okay… just keep trying to talk to her, I’ll be there in a few.”
I drop my cell on the passenger seat, leaning forward and pressing the pedal to the floor as I speed my way to the center.
It takes me a few minutes, and as soon as I’ve come to a stop, I pull my keys out of the ignition and jump out before running over the grass to the doors where Kay and Kitty stand.
“I’m sorry, Evan, it’s all our fault.”
“It’s not, Kay.” I smile and place my hand on her arm, putting my key in the lock and pushing the door open.
“Lex?” I whisper her name as my eyes land on her, sitting in the corner, rocking herself back and forth. “Lex?” I call again, taking a step forward.
She doesn’t look up as she continues to rock herself, her hands over her ears as she murmurs something over and over again.
I crouch down in front of her and lift my hand to her knee.
“Please don’t,” she whimpers, her eyes squeezed shut. The look of pain on her face guts me.
“Lex, baby, it’s just me.”
She shakes her head. “No… no.”
I swallow against the dryness of my throat and look up at Kay and Kitty who are standing in the doorway watching us.
Shuffling closer, I lay my other hand on her forearm, pulling her hand away from her ear. “Lex…”
Her eyes spring open and my head reels back at the torment that she shows me. I can’t even comprehend what she’s been through right now, but whatever it is, it’s haunting her.
“I can’t go back.” She gasps, her breaths uneven. “I can’t, I can’t.”
“Go back where?” I ask, moving even closer.
“Prison,” she chokes out.
“I…” My eyes move back to Kay and Kitty who are now standing with Ty and Luke, all of them watching me, her, us. I start to doubt myself, doubting that I can deal with this, but when I turn back to face Lexi and I look into her eyes, I know without a doubt that I’d do anything for her. “You’re not going back, baby.”
“Geena, she… what she said.”
I shake my head, cupping her face in my hands as I lean forward, my lips a hairsbreadth from hers. “It doesn’t matter what she said, it won’t ever happen.”
“You can’t know that,” she whispers, her eyes not moving from mine.
“I can.” I grin and press my lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss before pulling back and resting my forehead against hers. “Take a deep breath: in, out.”
I watch her chest as she breathes deeply. My hands wander down her arms and to her hands that are shaking. I bring them to my lips, kissing her palms gently before I stand up, bringing her with me.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, tears starting to mist her eyes.
“Hey, hey.” I cup her face in my hands, my thumb wiping away her tears as soon as they flow over her lashes and land on the top of her cheeks. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“There is—”
“No.” I shake my head. “There isn’t, I promise.”
She stutters a breath, letting her head drop to my chest and I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me.
I kiss the top of her head before my eyes wander over to the door.
“Wow,” Kay whispers. “I never realized you two were—”
“Sweetheart?” Ty interrupts, a smile on his face. “Not right now.”
“Right.” She chuckles. “Sorry.”
Lexi pulls away at the sound of her voice, her eyes widening. “Shit, I…” Her gaze flits back to mine. “I look so stupid right now.”
“No you don’t,” I tell her, conveying with my eyes how much I mean it.
“I erm…” Both of our gazes flit to Kitty. “I think you need to get more milk.” She holds up an empty milk carton and chuckles. “It kind of broke when you ran away.”
Lexi laughs, the tinkling sound wrapping around us all as she lets herself go. I can still feel and see the pain that she’s trying to push back, but now that she’s let me see it, there’s no way that I’ll let it go.
I want to know what has caused the anguish that she holds onto, and I’ll stop at nothing to find out because she means more to me than anyone ever has. It boggles my mind how I can feel like this when I’ve known her for such a short amount of time, but I can’t control it. Not that I’d even want to.
I wrap my arm around Lexi, walking her outside of the center and locking up as all the guys leave.
“I’ll take you home,” I tell her, taking the bags off the bench and walking down to my car.
“You don’t have—”
“Yeah,” I say. “I do. I want to.” I pop the trunk and put the bags inside before closing it and turning back to her where she stands next to my car.
“I…” Her eyes flit behind me, and when I spin around, I see Geena standing at the precinct doors, staring at us.
“Come on,” I say, walking toward Lexi and opening the door for her.
Once she’s inside, I walk around to the driver’s side, not taking my eyes off Geena. She still sees me as the man she can control, the one who always did and said what she wanted. I was never myself with her, and now that I know what it feels like to be me, there’s no way I’ll be going back to what I used to be.
I smirk at her even though she probably can’t see me. She may think she has power, but she has no idea the kind that I have.