Page 54 of Bite the Bullet

I ignored the sexual innuendo and moved on. “Okay, let’s say that I befriend her. How exactly does that help me? From what I can tell, she has nothing to do with Rico or Baz. She knows nothing.”

“Maybe not, but she lives here, and like it or not, she has a connection with Rico,” Jason said.

“And if Baz wants you to keep an eye on Rico, it might come in handy to keep an eye on his grandson also,” Rae added.

“You want me to spy on the kid for Baz?” I asked incredulously. “I’m sorry, but there is no way in hell I’m giving him access to that kid.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rae said. “I mean that Baz clearly has an interest in what Rico does. So, you said that he broke into her house and stole from her. That’s something to keep in the back of your mind, and the next time Baz asks you what’s going on, it might be useful to point out that Rico is stealing from the kid.”

“No, that puts her on his radar even more,” I said immediately.

“We’re trying to help you out,” Johnny said angrily. “These aren’t your friends!”

“No, but she’s innocent. I’m sure of it. And I won’t use her or that kid to get to Baz. That could get them both killed.”

“By his own grandfather?” Jason asked.

“Maybe not the kid, but what if he decides to remove Parker from his mother?”

None of them looked convinced, but I knew this was the right decision. I would never put her in danger to take this guy down.

“Okay,” Rae sighed. “If getting to Baz through the ex is off limits, then you have to find another way to get inside.”

“I know,” I snapped. “What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing around here? I’m telling you, I don’t have a strong foothold right now. He’s not going to bring me in anytime soon.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” Johnny snapped. “Just come home.”

“Just leave?” I argued. “If I leave now, what the hell did I ruin my life for?”

“That’s a good fucking question,” Jason snorted.

My phone rang and I turned away from them, checking the caller ID. “Yeah?”

“Hey, the car’s ready. The battery was dead, but there were some other issues with the connections. I fixed it all up, and you can pick it up whenever you want.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in a little bit.”

I hung up and turned back to my team who shouldn’t be here. “That was the mechanic.”

“Is that the name of a killer?” Rae asked.

“No, it’s literally the mechanic in town. I have to go pick up Skylar’s car.”

Rae’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Her…car?”

“Yeah, it was dead. I had to take her and the kid to preschool and work for the past two days.”

I already knew what they were thinking without them saying a damn thing.

“Don’t,” I snapped.

“I didn’t say anything!” Rae laughed.

“You think this is funny.”

“That you’ve already started doing shit for her? Yeah, I think it’s fucking hilarious. The man I knew didn’t help anyone.”

“And you said that you weren’t bringing her into this,” Jason added, hiding a grin.

---