One of my men?

No fucking way, I vet each man myself. I do not have a mole amongst my ranks.

“Tell me everything,” I angrily demand Harper.

Harper starts trembling as tears fill her eyes, spilling more with each passing second of her story. She completely breaks down when she says her dad worked with the cartel in some capacity.

“He said my dad was in deep with them.”

“It’s okay, Harper. He could be lying.” I calm down a bit, trying to soothe her.

“You don’t actually believe that,” she cries.

I don’t answer. She knows—we both know—he was involved with the cartel. We just don’t know in what capacity. When she finishes, I’ve turned to stone, unable to move. I’m so angry I want to tear apart her apartment because he touched her. Guilt consumes me. I shouldn’t have left her alone. Fuck.

“Why do you think it’s one of my men?” I ask, my voice rough and hoarse from anger.

“He said he has his sources, right after he repeated something I told you.”

“What did you tell me?” I ask, confused.

“He knew I told you I was worried if my dad was involved with the cartel. Did you tell anyone?” Harper asks us.

“Not a soul,” James replies firmly.

“All my men have been briefed on the situation, every detail. Including that detail. They were digging for information about your dad and the cartel. James was asking around, too,” I confess.

Harper pulls her hands away from mine. “How could you not tell me?” Her head swivels from me to James. “So, you have told people?”

“No,” James says calmly. “My questions don’t involve you. The people I’m asking don’t know you exist. We’re leaving it that way.”

“I wanted to know for sure before I gave you any information on your father. I didn’t want to upset you if he wasn’t involved,” I explain.

“You can’t keep making these choices for me, Roman. This is my life. You being here is temporary, you have no say in what I decide for myself. We are a fling.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” I explode. Leaning toward her, I stare hard into her eyes. If she calls us a fling one more time, I’ll go off like a stick of dynamite.

“Not the time, you two. Fuckin’ Christ,” James grumbles. “Those cops were dirty.”

I’m still staring at Harper when I answer James. “Betting they’re not the only ones in his pocket.”

“They were assholes but how do you know they were dirty?” Harper asks.

“After a while, you just get a sense for these things.” James shrugs.

“When we found out Santiago’s death certificate was incorrect, I knew he had people in his pocket. It made sense to me that the cops who got here—right after he broke in—would be on his payroll.”

“The short one was wearing a gaudy Rolex. It was real, not fake. Can’t afford that shit on a cop’s salary.”

Harper looks at James, stunned. “Who are you?” she whispers.

James ignores her question, firing one back to her. “Do you know what he wants?”

“No,” she says. “He thinks I have something and that I know what it is. I really have no clue. He said we have one week and that we’ve received many warnings.”

“Fuck.” I lean back in the couch, trying to figure out where to start in search of my mole.

“You didn’t hear anything before he came in?” James asks.

“No, I was sleeping, I wasn’t feeling well.”

“He disabled your security system and used a key to get in. Y’all will need to stay somewhere else.”

“I’ll find a place,” I say. Harper starts shaking again, looking around at her apartment.

“I’ll never be able to come back here,” she says quietly. “How the hell did he get a key?”

“After this is done and you’re safe, you can come back. We’ll find out.”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I won’t. I couldn’t even get my stuff from the old house. James did it for me.”

“I’ll do it again, Harp. If that’s what you need,” James says in his firm tone.

She looks up at him, smiling. I hate that she’s gone through so much in our time apart. She’s filled me in on the situation with Savannah’s ex, everything Savannah went through and how it affected her.

“I’ll check in later. I have an idea for a place,” James says, walking to the door. He looks back before he exits. “Don’t trust a single one of your men, including Kiernan.”

Dammit. He’s right. I’m going to have to dig into Kiernan, even though he’s been with me for a decade. Being tight for a decade could be the perfect cover.

“Let’s go to the hospital. Get you checked out.”

“I’m fine.”

I stare at the deep purple bruises blossoming on her neck. There’s a bruise the size of thumb on her pulse point. I lean in, kissing each bruise softly. “You’re not fine.”

“I’m only sore, nothing else.”

“He kissed you.”

She nods, looking down.

“Do you swear that’s all?” I ask, lifting her chin with my finger to meet my eyes. My body is coiled tightly waiting for her answer, terrified he did something more.

I want to burn him alive at the stake for laying his lips on her like that but I will do much, much worse to him if I find out he touched her in another way.

“I swear, baby. That’s all.”

We stare at each other, taking in this morning’s events. “Need to run an errand. I’d like to do it now, but if you’re not up for it and still aren’t feeling well, it can wait.”

“I’m okay.”

“It won’t take long,” I take her hand and lightly kiss her fingers.

After Harper gets dressed, she manages to convince me she’s okay and doesn’t need to go to the hospital. We head out to Kiernan’s motel.

I park the car in front of his door and jump out. I jog to Harper’s side and help her down. As we walk the few steps toward the door, I use my body to shield her. I’m on an even higher alert than before. My fist pounds on the door until I hear the chain clink.

He opens the door with a smile that falls when he sees Harper’s neck. His hard, enraged eyes turn to me, ready to accuse me of something I would never do. The words he would’ve said as he started opening his mouth falter—when my fist lands square in the middle of his face.

He leans back from the force of the punch, and I grab his shirt, shoving him inside the room. “Come in and shut the door,” I tell Harper.

Harper follows behind me, shutting the door. “Roman, stop it,” she yells.

I need to know if he did this. “How dare you fucking betray me. Betray her.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kiernan yells, wrestling with me, but I have him pinned with my knee on his neck.

“Did Rafael sway you to be his rat with money? Did you do this for fucking money?” I scream in his face, hitting him again.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kiernan roars beneath me, rolling us until he’s on top. I flip him again, making him land hard on his back.

I take my knee from his neck, fisting my hands in his shirt, bring his face close to mine. “Tell me why,” I demand. “Tell me why you would betray me.”

“Fuck you, Roman. Get the fuck out of here. I would never and you damn well know it. Get the fuck out. Fuck you for even thinking it. I’d lay down my life for you and for her,” Kiernan yells in my face, pointing at Harper. “If I ever find out that it’s you who put those bruises on her, I’ll fucking end you. No brother of mine would do that.”

“She pissed me off,” I lie, testing him.

Kiernan roars as he flips us, wrapping his hands around my neck. “Fucking sorry excuse for a man.”

I punch in him in the jaw, rolling until I’m on top of him. “She betrayed me, just like you, you piece of shit.”

“Fuck you. She would never and I wouldn’t, either.”

I relax, pulling him up for a quick hug. If he’s concerned about Harper in that way, it can’t be him. “Fuck. Sorry about that, brother. I had to make sure it wasn’t you.”

Kiernan pushes me off him. “Fuck you. What the fuck are you talking about?”

He’s still pissed, but I can’t stop the grin taking over my face. I look over at Harper; she’s sitting on the bed, staring at us with exasperation. “This is ridiculous. Kiernan wouldn’t do that.”

“I had to make sure,” I say, getting up from the floor and kissing Harper in celebration.

“Again, what the fuck is going on?” Kiernan yells, wiping the blood from his face. “Did you fuckin’ do that to her?”

“Of course not, I wouldn’t lay a hand on her. We have a mole,” I inform him, sitting down on the bed next to Harper. “Get cleaned up and I’ll fill you in.”

“I’m going to get you back for this, motherfucker.”

“I’m ready to go, anytime,” I say grinning, feeling immensely lighter that Kiernan isn’t the rat—and that he cares enough about my girl that he would take me out without hesitation.

Kiernan walks into the bathroom, turning on the faucet. I gather Harper in my arms, rubbing her back in small circles. “Are you sure you’re okay, Sugar?”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “Just scared and heartbroken.” Her eyes well with tears.

“Sweetheart, your dad and Santiago may have done things that neither one of us understands, but they are still the men that you love. Your dad is still the man who raised you.”

“How can the man who kissed my bruises be someone that most people would consider a monster?”

Kiernan steps out of the bathroom, denying my chance to answer Harper.

“Now tell me. What the fuck was that?” Kiernan demands, sitting in a chair at the small table in the corner.

“We have a rat problem.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I went to the gym this morning, Harper stayed home. It’s the first time I left her alone in months. Rafael showed up, Harper woke up to him in her bedroom.”

“What the hell,” Kiernan says, looking at Harper with wide eyes.

“He says she has something of his. Motherfucker choked her.”

Kiernan closes his eyes, softly cursing, then looks back to Harper. “Are you okay?”

“A little sore, but yes, I’m okay.”

“He said some things that only I knew, things I told all the guys because I’ve had y’all looking for info. We have a rat. I’m sorry, man. I had to make sure it wasn’t you.”

“You know I would never betray you.”

“If it was anyone but Harper, I wouldn’t even question you. It’s her. I take no chances.”

“Understood, man. Any ideas?”

“Nope,” I admit, feeling pissed I don’t even have a clue. “Everyone is a suspect. Even Dawson.”

“I’ll see what I can dig up. How do you want to play this?”

“I don’t want to tip off Rafael that we know it’s one of my men. I don’t think he knew Harper would figure it out. We’ll let everyone know he broke in, but we won’t say there is an issue. Until he’s cleared, Dawson doesn’t go near her. I know he was going to come out with us, but find an excuse. He doesn’t even lay an eye on her until we’re sure it isn’t him.”

“Agreed. Let’s find the bastard.”