Page 69 of Undercover Desires

I shrug, still trying to process the revelation. “I don’t really know you at all, so how would I know what to expect? Who really knows how your organization works?”

Kobe takes a moment before admitting, “I wanted to kill him.” He seethes, and I can see anger radiating off him at the thought of my ex. He really did.

My eyes widen further in surprise. “Why? Because he dared to be my ex?”

“Because of what he was doing behind your back. There’s no easy way to tell you this, but the creep was stalking you. Not only that, but he had all sorts of stuff on you, Bella. He would have deserved it,” Kobe reveals, his voice filled with a mix of anger and disgust.

“No one deserves to be killed.”

“I didn’t do it,” Kobe insists. “We just had a little chat with him, threatened him to stay away from you. I swear. And I may have messed him up a little when I found him snooping around your place.”

“What?” I ask, mortified.

His caring eyes come to mine. “He was watching you through your bathroom window. I scared him off, but I didn’t kill him, I swear.”

“Why does Reader think there was foul play, then?” I inquire, getting angrier by the second.

“Maybe he had other enemies. He was a stellar guy, your ex. I’m sure we weren’t the only ones after him,” Kobe suggests.

The revelation that Kobe knew about Wyatt stalking me sends a shiver down my spine. “What do you know about him stalking me?” I press. I need to know it all. Especially now that I know Reader has the tapes. I have to know just how bad it is.

“You don’t want the details, trust me. It will make you sick,” Kobe replies cryptically.

My eyes widen, and I feel a mix of mortification and betrayal. “Did you see the tapes?” I ask, my voice trembling. I can’t stop it anymore.

“No. You know about them?” Kobe responds, genuinely surprised.

“I can’t believe you did, and you didn’t tell me,” I say, my frustration reaching a new high. I thought we were building some sort of trust, but he kept this from me.

“Until yesterday, you were the cop investigating us,” he defends himself. “I was hardly giving you all my secrets, just like you wouldn’t have divulged yours. Today is a new day. We’re a team now, and I will tell you everything you need to know.”

He might be right. I can’t hate him for keeping it from me, not really. It hurts, but I was doing the same. I would have screwed him over. I realize the gravity of my situation and how dire it has become. Reader has all the power now. “Well, now we have a really big problem. Or I do. Reader has them—pictures of me in the shower and asleep, and the videos. If this type of thing gets leaked, my career will be over before it’s even begun,” I confess, feeling like I’m on the verge of completely falling apart.

“Did he threaten you with them?” Kobe asks, his concern obvious. There’s a look in his eyes that scares me. He’s protective over me. He wanted to kill Wyatt when he worked out what he was doing, and now I can see it. He will do whatever he has to if it means stopping Reader from messing with me.

“No,” I reply with a heavy sigh. “He’s the kind of guy that if something doesn’t go his way, he will use whatever means necessary to make it happen. He wants info on you guys, and I have one more week. Then, I don’t know what he’s going to do. His original threat was that I would be sent back to LA, but now I’m really worried it will be so much worse.”

Kobe takes my hand in a comforting gesture. “Have you thought about maybe changing careers? Ditching the cops altogether and coming to work for me full-time.”

I shake my head, feeling torn. I have dreams, big ones. “I can’t work behind a bar for the rest of my life.”

“Not in the club, but for us. We could use someone with your skills,” he tries to convince me.

I pause, contemplating his offer for a split second. I don’t even know what it would really mean, but it wouldn’t be what I have worked so hard for, sacrificed for. I want to be just like my dad, show the rest of the world I can do it. “Kobe, while other little girls were using their pillowcases and mom’s shoes to practice being a bride, I was shooting the bad guys with my plastic gun. I was born to do this job, just like my dad was, and I want to make him proud.”

He sighs, recognizing that he won’t be able to persuade me. “I can’t be seen dating a cop,” he says, the weight of the situation bearing down heavily on his shoulders.

I glance back at him. Is he for real? “You don’t want to date me anyway,” I tell him. I know who he is. The player who doesn’t stay with girls longer than a day.

“You have no idea what I want, Bella,” he says sadly.

I meet his gaze. “You want something real with me?” I whisper, hoping to God it’s true, because it’s what I want, and I think it would break my heart if he told me he was done.

“I want it all with you, baby.” He pulls me into him and presses his lips to mine in a soft kiss. “I think we could be good together.” He kisses me again, and I get lost in it. I want to believe we could be. I can feel how right this is when our lips touch.

The front door opens, and Brandon comes through, takes one look at us, and covers his eyes. “Is it safe to come in? I should have knocked.” He groans.

“It’s safe.” I laugh at his silliness, taking a step back from Kobe. This is all so weird.

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