Page 99 of Even if It Hurts

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide as she studied me. “What?”

“I packed some things when you were packing for Kaia.”

Relief visibly poured from her, but a shaky smile still crossed her face as she teased, “You can’t keep me like this either. You have to let me go at some point. It’s unhealthy. People will think you’re controlling and get worried.”

A brief smile of my own mirrored hers as I dipped down to kiss her forehead. “Just for a night or two. Until I feel more comfortable with what’s going on.”

A disbelieving hum left her even as her eyes danced with adoration. “Speaking of...will it always be like that whenever we go somewhere public?”

“Like what?”

“Where you can’t relax,” she explained gently, clearly trying to seem understanding. “Where you’re worried something will happen or someone will be there.”

I thought over the few times she’d been in public with me. Other than tonight, once had been when I’d watched Wreckers put a tracker on her. The other had been on her family’s farm. Not that I’d been worried about anyone being there, but the week had been stressful and the day even more so.

Realizing it was only yesterday that we’d been picking blueberries on the farm made me even more exhausted, but sleep deprivation wasn’t anything I was unfamiliar with, and I wanted this time with her.

“No,” I finally answered. “It’s just with everything going on.” A sound rose in my throat as I released her enough to lead her to the living room and conceded, “I’ll always be on alert—that’s ingrained in me. But tonight...” I dragged a hand through my hair. “My office wasdestroyed, Lainey.”

Her eyebrows were drawn close in sorrow and worry when she sank to the couch beside me, even though that detail wasn’t news to her.

“The front windows were all shattered. Every computer and screen. The phones.” I gestured to the coffee table. “Nearly all the desks were broken beyond repair.”

Lainey’s lips had slowly parted as I’d talked. “How did they do that much damage before cops arrived?”

An edgy laugh built in my chest because that had been one of the first things I’d asked the cops on scene once I’d finally gotten there. From the way Rush had been standing apart from them, arms crossed over his chest and expression guarded in a waythat was so unlike him, I’d had a feeling he’d been thinking the same.

“We’ll get to that,” I muttered, then swallowed past the knot of fear that had been quick to rise all day. “After the cops left and pictures were taken for insurance, the rest of my team and I were cleaning up sometime this morning when the underboss of the Wreckers walked in, stepping over the broken glass and debris like he wasn’t even seeing it.”

Lainey’s eyes were wide when she softly mumbled, “Underboss, as in—wait,Wreckers? Is that their name?” At my confirming hum, her head jerked back as she quickly blinked. “Isn’t there a restaurant near your apartment calledWrecker?” When I just lifted an eyebrow, her expression fell. “Oh my gosh...”

“Exactly.”

“But theunderboss?” she asked on a whisper. “That’s...why would he come see you?”

“He’s the one who came after Rush and me years ago.”

Even in the dim light of the room, I watched Lainey’s face pale. “Asher...”

I lifted my chin in acknowledgment to the fear and worry practically pouring off her, and reached forward to brush a few of her curls back as I explained, “I knew back then that we’d never get another warning from them, so whenever we do anything that involves a Wrecker in any way, we wipe all trace of it. We did that with the wife this time too.”

“Then why’d they destroy your office?”

“Wells, the underboss, said they’ve been keeping tabs on us because of our history and what we’re capable of. Heinformed meone of their own had a wife that just went missing, and the husband’s sure we’re responsible.” I gave her a look and explained, “Couldn’t get a read on whether Wells thought it wasus or not. But he was shameless when he said they hacked my server to go through our files.”

“Yesterday,” Lainey said as if remembering our conversation, but the word came out a stunned breath as if she was still struggling to make this real in her head.

“Right,” I muttered. “But the husband wasn’t convinced when they didn’t find anything.”

“So, he destroyed your office?” she asked on a disbelieving huff.

“He coulda done worse than that,” I reminded her and watched her expression sober. “Wells offered to pay for theinconvenience, but I don’t wanna be in debt to him for anything, so I declined.” There was more, and from the inflection in my voice at those last words, it was obvious, but this was what I didn’t want to face.

This was why I wanted Lainey to choose anything other than me. This was why I wanted her to take Kaia and go.

Lainey’s eyes searched mine. “And how did he take that?”

“He seemed surprised but impressed,” I told her, then tipped my head in the direction of where Kaia slept. “When he turned to leave, he stopped and said, ‘Cute kid. Where’d you find her?’”

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