Page 49 of Beyond Perfect

Now, her eyes teared. “You think it’s over?”

“You told me it was.”

She burst into tears.

* * *

Jackson was sitting in his office and wondered what Maisy was doing. He’d been used to seeing her every day. He had to stop thinking about her.

Harry knocked and opened the door. “Jackson—"

A man burst into the office. Jackson stood.

The guy said, “I need to see you alone.”

Something niggled at him. The man seemed familiar. He had short dreadlocks and smooth caramel colored skin. He was a big guy with broad shoulders. His clothes were wrinkled and old. “Who are you?”

“Paulie Lomax.”

“Ah. Denzi’s brother.”

“Yeah.”

He nodded at Harry. “I’ll talk to him alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Harry left the door open on his way out.

Jackson didn’t ask the man to sit. “What do you want?”

“I heard on the street what happened to her.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know you had a chance to save her.”

Jackson’s insides froze. He swallowed hard. “I…I tried to get her out of that gang. But Marco had a hold on her.”

“So it’s true?”

“I begged her to come with me. I tried everything.”

Paulie turned and Jackson thought he was leaving but instead he slammed the door. Circled around. With a gun in his hand.

Fuck this. Jackson dove for the guy. The fall knocked his gun out of his hand. He got the guy by the legs, turned him face down. And put a knee in his back.

The door flew open and Nick and his team burst into the room. Harry stood behind them.

Jackson looked up. “Why’re you here?”

“I called them,” Harry said. “They were close by.”

“Why?”

Harry ducked his head. “I had a feeling something was off about the guy.”

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