Page 87 of Even if You Fall

Then again, mafia members might . . . maybe Asher was right about them.

The twin seemed to wait for Cameron to continue. When he didn’t, Maverick said, “With the issues you’re having, and what your boss is asking us to do, I’d maybe just be glad we decided to actually come out here.” He gestured for Cameron to lead the way and repeated in a low, dark voice, “Where can I set up?”

Cameron released a heavy sigh and looked past us. With a silent command directed at the Deadly Duo, they left the room with Maverick and Beau close behind them.

Once they were gone, Cameron looked at Adam and me, and asked, “You okay, Chloe?”

My head bobbed long before I said, “Yeah.”

Adam’s fingers grazed mine and gently curled around them at the lie. “Is this changing things?” he asked Cameron.

“Yeah,” Cameron responded after a delay. “We’re not heading out anymore. Not yet, at least.” He hesitated a moment longer as his stare drifted to me before he added, “They’re gonna handle Vance.”

The news sent a jolt through Adam, and he rocked forward a step before stopping himself. “Rush,” he began in disapproval, but Cameron cut in before he could continue.

“This is what they do.”

“And it isn’t what we did for years?” Adam countered.

“That was different,” Cameron argued. “You know it was different. This...” He gestured toward the hidden entryway. “Thatch,thisis what they do. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re sure,” Adam challenged with a disbelieving laugh. “Because I thought it was always just assumptions.”

“Briggs asked if they had a way to prevent more retaliation from Wreckers,” Cameron said, and I knew from his tone and the way Adam’s head slanted just slightly that this was new information for them both. He gestured toward the front of the house. “They said they’d handleallour issues with the Wreckers like it’d be the easiest part of their day.”

A mumbled curse left Adam. “So, we just do business with mafia now?”

Cameron’s hands lifted before heavily falling. “Apparently, we have been.”

“Well,” a masculine voice began before Maverick rounded the corner, bringing him back into the room with us, “if you want a family on your side, I assure you, it’s ours.” He folded his arms across his chest, then lifted one of his shoulders. “We’re stillinout of necessity only, and there isn’t one family in this country who doesn’t know us and know what we’re capable of. So, if your problem thinks you’re aligned with us, you’ll be good, unless they decide they want to take us on too. Considering they’ve avoided Kieran like the plague for years, I doubt that’ll happen.”

I didn’t have to ask which one was Kieran. It was easy enough to assume.

The terrifying one.

“We have a problem,” he continued as if he hadn’t just confirmed they were, in fact, in the mafia, then unfolded his arms and held up his phone. “My wife’s messaging me. She pulled doorbell footage from the surrounding apartments where this girl was taken, since hers was scrubbed. Two of them caught her leaving. One has a perfect view of who she leftwith.” He tapped on his screen, then held out his phone to Cameron.

Cameron released a clipped sigh and scrubbed a hand over his head before giving Adam a look. “It’s Evans’ dad.”

“Did you know Beau Evans’ dad was connected to the Wreckers?” Maverick asked, his voice softer than before.

“Our Evans is solid,” Adam said, quick to defend him.

My eyes widened as I wondered if this day could get any more shocking. There was absolutely no way this was real life?—

That was it.

I’d read Lainey’s text about living my real-life novel, and that must have conjured the most elaborate dream, making my life into an actual novel of my favorite genres into one. Romance. Suspense.

Right?

When Maverick quirked a brow, Adam’s fingers twitched against mine, strong and sure and real, letting me know this wasn’t a dream. And I wondered if I would just start laughing soon because, honestly, what else was there to do with everything I’d learned today?

“We knew,” Cameron mumbled, finally answering Maverick’s question.

“And our Evans is solid,” Adam repeated firmly. “I watch him. He’s been struggling ever since he found out. But he’s too by-the-book; he’d never dip into that world. He’s probably gonna have a massive issue when he finds out what you are, since we’ve been working with you.”

Maverick nodded contemplatively as he accepted his phone back from Cameron. “I’ll let you decide whether or not he knows about this then. But now we know how this girl was taken,” he said as he tapped his phone agitatedly against his palm. “There’s no record of an officer going to her apartment, and she was never booked at the department. But she was in handcuffs and clearly thought she was being arrested.”

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