Page 41 of End Game

She didn’t miss his slight hesitation. Or the fact that he didn’t confirm whether or not he had new information. What was he keeping from her?

This was where Sybil would want her to use her female wiles to tease it out of him. Kayla’s stomach roiled at the thought.

Grabbing her mug, she turned to go into the house. “Stop by my office on Monday.” She slid open the sliding screen door. “I’ll try to squeeze you in.”

“Kayla.”

The low hammer-drop way in which he said her name made her pause and look back.

“The Bureau received a complaint. About you.”

“Me?” Somehow she managed to inject the right amount of incredulity into her features and voice.

“I’ve been tasked with investigating the complaint. I’ll hang here until you’re”—he waved toward her robe—“decent.”

She studied him for a moment. “Curious.” Striding across the porch, she unlocked the door. “Have a seat. Crispy will keep you company.”

19

Despite the wise voice in his head, warning him to look away, Ash couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tear his gaze from what he, in his professional career as a full-blooded male, considered a perfect ass.

The lightweight robe Kayla wore barely reached mid-thigh, exposing well-toned legs and incongruous blue, gray, and white striped crew socks. Her hair fell in sloppy waves around her face and over her shoulders, sealing her warm, fresh-out-of-bed look.

In the dark, primitive depths of his lizard brain, he knew it was a sight he would never get tired of seeing. Not in a day, a year, or by the next ice age.

He’d tried like hell to ignore his attraction to the lobbyist. After all, she was the architect of his current misery.

For the most part, he’d been successful, until the incident with his brother Rohan and his girlfriend, Lena, when Kayla had helped them corner a killer and take down a vindictive hacker. And the time she’d used her connections to assist Liv in shutting down a high-profile drug scheme, which had the added benefit of helping Zeke track down a priceless family heirloom.

She’d put her life and reputation on the line for his family, making it impossible for him to dislike her.

He muttered a curse and scrubbed a hand over his face. He’d hardly slept last night, worried about how he would balance the demands of his job with the duty he owed his family. A position he’d prayed he would never be faced with, but seemed to fall into every time he turned around these days.

Whether either of them liked it or not, Kayla was an honorary Blackwell now, deserving of his protection, no matter the cost.

Family first.

Through blood.

Through hate.

Through fear.

Through joy.

No exceptions.

Zeke and his brothers had come up with the mantra, not long after Ash had left for the FBI. At a time they’d needed it most, the mantra had bonded the brothers together. Gave them the reassurance they needed to run the family business without Ash.

He’d been both proud and envious.

He’d tacked on the Through joy after overhearing them chant the mantra one day. Zeke had nodded his acceptance at the time, but Ash was under no illusions that his contribution had survived longer than that moment.

Although he would never regret his decision to leave, he was keenly aware of the many degrees of separation between him and his family now. That mound of uncertainty, awkwardness, and distance he experienced every time he went home made him want to return to the city, to his job. To safety and familiarity.

He wished he could find the balance between being a Blackwell and being a special agent. But Ash knew that day would never come until he and Zeke had a long, hard talk.

He’d hurt his brother—his best friend—when he’d left. The way he’d left. They both had things for which to apologize, things to get off their chests. Things to forgive.

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