Page 73 of The Secrets We Share

The text is from an unknown number.

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING. I CAN HELP.

What the hell? I sit up, staring at the phone screen like more information will magically pop through. I should run out to the living room and tell Harkin, but something in my gut stopsme. It’s probably not the right call. Everything I’ve ever kept from him has made shit worse, yet my body stays glued to the mattress.

Who is this?

I type out with shaking hands.

THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT. WE HAVE THE SAME GOAL. TAKE DOWN DOMENICO MORELLI.

It’s a trap. It must be. Who would think to send me this other than Domenico himself? I can’t do this. It’s not worth the risk. I throw the phone at the pillows, wishing like hell that the text got lost before it landed on my phone.

The what-ifs start the moment the phone bounces away from me. What if it’s not a trap? What if someone already knows what we're planning? What if they have a way to get us out of this?

I scramble across the bed and snatch my phone back, the screen still lit up and taunting. I shouldn’t. This could make everything worse and negate the promise I just made to Stacey. But my fingers have the words typed out on the screen without my approval, but my thumb hesitates over the send button.

My shoulders rise and fall on a steadying breath. And I hit send.

Tell me everything.

THIRTY-THREE

HARKIN

Lifetime - Chris Grey

The water cascades down her body, and steam billows over the fogged-up glass enclosure. Her hands trace against her skin, scrubbing the sweat and cum from it. Mine ache to take their place, but we don’t have time for a second round this morning. I lean heavily into the doorjamb, enjoying the view while caffeinating my system to get through the rest of the day. I’ve been dreading this moment. Stepping into the sterile clinic for her procedure is bound to draw up old memories of the days I was stuck in the hospital after the accident.

Keira's surgery couldn’t have been more ill-timed, falling only days before the job. But it gives me a better excuse to keep her from the excitement. If Domenico demands her presence, it’s not an option. She’ll need to rest, and I’m debating taking the cameras off her plate, even though I know she’ll fight me on it. I can do everything on my own with my system, but he wanted her roped in for his sick amusement.

The water cuts off, and she steps out, noticing me for the first time. Her eyebrow quirks and her beautiful face lights up when I take my time staring down at her naked body.

“Back to your old ways, I see,” she taunts before covering my view.

“Can’t blame a man for enjoying the view when it’s perfection.”

“Oh, and we’re laying it on thick.” She smiles into the mirror at me behind her.

“How are you feeling about today?” I ask, setting my coffee cup beside her on the counter. I draw her hair to the side, taking in her freshly showered scent when my nose runs along her neck before kissing her temple.

She leans back into me, giving me her weight and trusting me to support her. It’s the little things like this that show me just how much she does. Her shoulders heave, and her eyes drop to the sink.

“I think I’m more nervous about this than the job in a few days. I hate that I’ll be weak from the donation, but I know it’s worth it.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. You know I’d never let it. And in three days, we can put all of this behind us and start living again.”

Laughing, she turns in my arms to look up at me. “I don’t even know what that looks like anymore. I need to get a job.”

“You don’t need to get a job,” I reassure her. However, it’s my way of keeping her close.

“I can’t not work, Harkin. I won’t stay cooped up inside your apartment. We’ve had this conversation before.”

“What about school?” I ask.

“School?”

“College. You could go and figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life.”

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