Page 33 of One Step Sideways

He shook his head. Not that I was about to offer him much except soup, but he might feel better if he ate. “Then how about you get some more sleep? When you wake, we can tell you more about what we do, and talk about what you want to do when you feel better.” His eyes were already closing as I checked his dressing and IV and decided he was okay on his own.

Kane followed me into the kitchen, and I filled the kettle automatically. We both heard the door open and by Sadie’s complete disinterest, I knew it was Diesel. Attuned to body language as I was, I felt rather than saw Kane stiffen warily and for the first time my heart hurt for him. I’d gone from suspicion and resentment to tolerating him to some sort of compassion in the blink of an eye.

Did the almost-kiss cause that? Or was that a result? On a totally theoretical level, I knew I had distanced myself. Once upon a time, both before and after I’d been captured, I’d have been attracted to Kane. Aesthetically he was big, strong. Emotionally protective, as he’d demonstrated with me when I’d had the panic attack and with Tony. Withdrawn, obviously, because his trust issues were naturally a huge part of him, and…was he even gay? In the whole ten seconds before I had panicked, he’d kissed me back, or tried to. Well, he hadn’t been repulsed or tried to hit me. But maybe he was in shock? He’d been inside since he was sixteen and from the sound of it, his life before that wouldn’t have involveddating. Did that make him desperate? Me an experiment? Not that I blamed him.

In a lot of ways, the same could be said of me. Well, not the gay thing. That had always been nailed on, but when I got out, I was a completely different person. Probably Kane felt the same way.

It was like we’d both been in prison. But Kane had been there half his life. By comparison, my three months were pitiful.

“How’s Shae doing?” Diesel asked as he walked in, setting two paper sacks down on the table.

I filled him in briefly on Shae’s medical status while I emptied what Diesel had brought and knew he’d been to the small Italian restaurant, which was about the only place I would eat takeout from.

“This is from Mama Imalfi’s,” Diesel said to Kane as he got plates and silverware out. “Been eating there twenty years, on and off. Her son is the only other one she lets run the kitchen and that only happened once she passed eighty.”

I watched Kane stiffen slightly and knew he didn’t like having his food issues pointed out, even though I knew Diesel was trying to reassure him. “I can eat their food and I’m not a fan of eating out,” I offered softly, not sure if it would help. I’d hardly given him a reason to trust me.

Kane pinned me with his gaze and weirdly I seemed to hold my breath as if I was waiting for a decision. Kane broke the stare and sat his ass down at the table. I followed after getting the tea and the water. Diesel didn’t stand on ceremony, just helped himself to the huge pan of tomato rigatoni, some salad, and tore off a large piece of garlic bread.

I reached out without even looking at Kane and helped myself, then I just left the dish in the middle. I didn’t push it toward him or make a comment. You could lead a horse to water and all that.

Diesel swallowed his mouthful and glanced at me. “I might have found someone willing to do the prison gig.”

“Yeah?” I asked casually, knowing Kane’s gaze was laser-focused, and danced internally as he served himself some pasta.

“Basil Cartwright. Petty criminal. Got himself in debt and has a sick mom. Willing to do what we need for a clean slate.” I frowned, but Kane beat me to it.

“Petty won’t get him where we need him to be.”

Diesel shrugged. “Beggars and all that. We can beef it up a little. Point is that he will report in.”

“Enhanced?”

“Regular,” Diesel answered.

I could see Kane struggle with the answer and damn Diesel for guilting him. Diesel glanced at Kane. “Look, I don’t blame you for not wanting to go back inside. Of course I don’t. But the thing is, we need to continue with the op. This isn’t a guilt thing. It’s a business thing. If my original idea won’t work, I have to come up with alternatives. That’s what I do.”

Kane gazed at him for a couple of seconds, then nodded. “Which prison?”

“We don’t know yet. There are four suspects. Hancock, Ware, Macon, and Montgomery.”

“Which are medium or top security,” Kane said, disbelief coloring his words. “How’s a petty criminal getting in there?”

“With help,” Diesel said. “We’d appreciate you talking to him before he goes inside.”

Kane jerked his chin in agreement, but it didn’t take a mind-reader to know he wasn’t happy. But I suppose any solution to getting intel from inside was a bad one. None of this was good. Diesel’s business was really specialized. We weren’t mall cops. We weren’t anything in plain sight. The people who hired our services definitely stayed in the shadows, and I knew that because of my role. We didn’t just skirt the line, we often pole-vaulted over it, and I could live with that. Diesel was always about the greater good, it was just how he arrived at that good that was a circuitous and often dodgy route.

“I think,” I said, drawing the word out and trying to get my thoughts together, “that what happened at the gym is something deeper. I’m not saying it’s connected, but—" I proceeded to tell Diesel what Shae had told us.

“You think the only enhanced that got the text was Shae? That he was set up?”

I nodded. “I can check his phone records and do some digging. Try to find the origin and who else got the message. The trouble is, I have no idea from names and numbers who’s enhanced and who isn’t.”

“It’s a start though,” Kane said thoughtfully, his agreement shocking me. “The whole thing was weird. Like you said, why would a seven-time champion cut off that source of income?”

“If he got a better offer,” Diesel said, “or one he couldn’t refuse. Ringo’s trying to locate him so we can have a chat.”

“Shae also has another ability,” I said reluctantly, feeling like I was betraying Kane. Diesel glanced at me but carried on eating. “He said his dad didn’t know, but everyone in the ring saw how fast he was, which means there has to be something else.”

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