Page 57 of Even if It Hurts

“Nothing’s happening,” I confirmed. “She just sent a video of Kaia.”

“Right,” he mumbled disbelievingly. “Kaia isn’t why you’re smiling. You’ve been different since the day Lainey walked into your apartment.”

“What, five days ago? Right about the same time my brother died and a baby was dropped into my lap?” I challenged before maintaining, “There’s nothing. She’s Kaia’s nanny.” When Rush’s mouth parted with an obvious denial, I hurried to add, “Nearly every time I’ve seen her, my blood pressure has spiked because of what she’s done to mess up my apartment that day. She’s unpredictable. Even the way Lainey looks is the definition of chaotic.”

It was true. Every word. But as much as it grated on me and unleashed every memory I wanted to keep locked up, I respected the way she kept unintentionally finding ways to push me out of my comfort zone. The rest—her unpredictable personality, unruly curls, and wild eyes—were all things I was attracted to most.

Still, I’d known what using words likemessandchaoticto describe her would mean to Rush. He knew my past. And after a scrutinizing, disappointed look, he nodded and switched gears. “Our Donut closed out about ten minutes ago.”

One of my eyebrows ticked up. “Five days, Rush.”

His head dipped slowly, but he just waited.

“What took so long?”

Rush shifted in the chair in an uncharacteristic move that captured my entire attention. “Gray and Monroe found out the partner had ties.”

From the hesitance in his tone, I had a feeling I already knew what his response would be, but I still asked, “Ties to who?”

“Wrecker, Briggs. Significant ones.”

I swallowed a curse and rocked back in my chair, scuffing my fingers through the growth on my jaw as I did.

To anyone visiting Dallas, Wrecker was a must-visit upscale restaurant and lounge. To dirty politicians, law enforcement, and the like, it was a money-laundering front for the mafia family of the same name.

We only knew because their underboss let us live after an encounter with them.

During a break after our first deployment, I’d gone to Rush’s, needing to vent. I’d had another argument with Wyatt before unleashing all my frustration on his dealer, warning him from selling to my brother again. Few hours later, I’d looked over to find Rush statue-still with a gun aimed at the back of his head.

Neither of us had moved as the underboss of the Wreckers had introduced himself and informed us of a world I’d never expected to know—informedmethat the guy I’d gone after had been so much more than an ordinary street dealer.

We’d accepted the warning. They’d stopped selling to Wyatt. And ever since starting Shadow Industries, we’d beenexceedingly careful whenever crossing a Wrecker because we knew there wouldn’t be a second warning.

Didn’t mean they hadn’t caught onto the work we did against them, or that they wouldn’t soon.

With a harsh sigh, I asked, “How significant?”

“His older brother’s the assassin.”

I nodded, accepting the detail, even as my mind raced. Only worrying about my team for a moment before my thoughts shifted to Lainey and Kaia. This...thiswas why I’d shoved Lainey away and told her to hide when Peyton had unexpectedly come up the other night.Thiswas why I’d been so anxious the day we’d met...because I was known by Wreckers, and even though I’d saved her that day, they’d seen herwithme.

“Maybe she didn’t go to the cops,” I said after a while. At Rush’s questioning hum, I clarified, “The victim. Evans asked why she hadn’t gone to the cops—maybe she never did. If he’s that high up, she would know Wrecker has some of the department on their payroll.”

“Probably.”

“How’d you resolve it?” I asked, needing to know how my team had gotten the victim away from her partner and hating even more that Rush had kept me from the case. “And why are you already here? You said it only closed out ten minutes ago.”

“I handled it,” he said firmly, a look of offense crossing his face at the doubt and concern lining my words. “And I handled it the same way you would’ve—the same way youhavewhen dealing with Wrecker cases.”

I tipped my chin in both acceptance and prompting for him to go on.

“Soon as Gray and Monroe brought me the information, I called that company we’ve used a few times in North Carolina—ARCK. Told them we had a mafia wife that needed relocating.”

“When did they arrive?”

“Late last night.” He lifted one of his eyebrows meaningfully when he added, “Itclosed outten minutes ago because that’s when I got the confirmation she’d been safely relocated.”

My head bobbed subtly as I fought the urge to demand for Rush’s tablet so I could read through his notes before he destroyed them since this was now a Wrecker case. I trusted Rush with my life and my company—I knew he’d done everything the same as I would’ve. I just hated not knowing every detail to make sure nothing had been missed.

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