Page 76 of Sweet Temptation

Blazer hooked his right thumb deliberately into his jeans pocket, which pushed his jacket open, exposing the Secretary patch on his vest. Which meant he was one of the Kings’ officers.

Not a casual social call, then.

Big surprise.

I should’ve fucking known that Jude wasn’t gonna leave this to me to handle.

“Jude tells me you’ve got a situation,” Piper said.

“Not one I can’t handle.”

Piper grinned slowly, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and it made the scar down the side of his otherwise handsome face look even more unholy. “Humor me. Jude says this Sanchuk kid is a Sinners hangaround?”

“He’s thirty-six,” I said, deadpan.

“And yet he’s acting like a punk.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

“He broke into Summer’s house?”

It was instantaneous, the way my back got up when he dropped her name like that. “You know Summer?”

“We’re friendly,” he said, not really telling me a thing. Had to hand it to him, he had the dead-eye thing down. That look probably made lesser men shit their shorts.

But since I was dead inside myself, it didn’t really do much for me.

“How friendly?” I inquired.

“She doesn’t send me titty pics or anything. If that’s what you’re gettin’ at.”

“I wasn’t getting at anything. Just asking.”

“My brother has concerns,” he informed me. “His job is keeping Dirty and their families safe. He considers Summer part of that family. Which means I’ve got concerns of my own. He’s far the fuck away right now. Put you in charge. He needs my help, I’m here to help.”

Yeah, I got that. Brotherhood and loyalty and all that shit.

But I wasn’t so naive to believe that brotherhood was all this was about. The fact that the Sinners were somehow involved, however indirectly, was what had him here bright and early on a Sunday morning getting up my ass.

“Appreciate it,” I said. “Right now, I’m looking at anyone and everyone in Summer’s world, assessing the situation so I can keep her secure. And Blair Sanchuk didn’t break into her house. He climbed the wall to the balcony off her bedroom. That’s as far as he got before the VPD canine unit tore into him.”

“Fuck, I love dogs,” Piper said.

Blazer smiled. He hadn’t taken off his sunglasses, but he was definitely staring me down this whole time.

“How’s the good ol’ VPD handling things so far?” Piper asked me. “You get that restraining order yet?”

Jesus, did Jude tell him everything?

Yup. Of course he did.

“Not yet,” I said, carefully, wondering how much I was gonna tell him. “We’re waiting for it. I’m hoping Sanchuk will just sign the peace bond so we don’t have to go to court.” If he voluntarily signed it, agreeing to abide by the terms of the restraining order, it ended there, no need to press the matter.

That was our best case scenario.

“He’ll sign it,” Piper said.

I studied him. What the fuck was he planning?

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