Page 80 of Undercover Desires

Just so I get the last word in. Nothing bounces back, so I guess I won.

I hope Hazel can convince Arabella to come to the fight. Even I know showing up at her place unannounced today would make the situation worse. I walk into the stadium with renewed determination to give my brother my all. He’s going to win tonight. It’s his time. We all know it.

CHAPTER 33

ARABELLA

I step out ontothe porch in a rush to find Hazel, making sure to close the door behind me. I don’t want her to see the chaos inside; there hasn’t been time to clean up. My morning has been consumed with research into Detective Reader and his family.

“Hey, Bella,” Hazel greets me with a warm smile.

“Hey, sorry, were we supposed to go for a run today?” I ask, somewhat confused as to why she’s standing on my front porch.

“No, I’m heading to Jett’s big fight, and my friend Ruby is coming too,” she replies, motioning to her car, where a pretty girl waves in my direction. “You in?”

“I don’t know,” I hesitate. Until last night, I was curious about the fight, but now I have more pressing matters to deal with. Plus, I’m not ready to see Kobe again. I keep seeing him beating the shit out of that guy.

“You don’t have to hang out with Kobe. He’ll be working, and you can sit with us,” Hazel tries to convince me.

“Did he send you?” I wonder out loud.

She chews her lip nervously. “Look, don’t tell him, but yes, okay, he did. He was hoping to catch up with you after the fight.”

“He can see me at the club, then. I have a shift tonight,” I reply, planning to keep my shift. My stomach was tied up in knots over all of this, but I can’t let my co-workers down.

“What did he do?” Hazel asks, looking me over, her curiosity piqued.

I glance at her, wondering how much she knows. Part of me wants to open up to her and tell her everything that’s been going on with us. She’s been so open with me. But I’m not sure how to put all of this into words. How can I be in love with a man so capable of inflicting harm on another human the way he did? I know in my heart I still love him, but he goes against everything I ever thought was right, and what does that make me? An accomplice to his crimes. I can't be this person, even though part of me understands why he did it.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Hazel responds with a friendly smile.

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. “How do you cope with it, their lifestyle? You seem so easygoing, like it all doesn’t bother you, but it’s a lot to take.”

“I’m not easygoing.” She chuckles. “You should have seen me when I was first hanging around with Jett. I was a psycho. Everyone has their own way of surviving, I guess. For me, it’s easy. I know Jett loves me. He would do anything for me and never hurt me, and that’s all that matters. They’re good people, Bella. They don’t hurt people who don’t really deserve it.” She gives me a knowing look.

I look back at her, unsure of what to say in response. I understand what she’s saying—they don’t go around trying to hurt innocent people, they believe in fighting for what they think is right. But that doesn’t necessarily make them right, either. Does it?

“You don’t know what you would do until you walk a mile in their shoes, trust me,” Hazel continues.

“Did you kill your husband in self-defense?” I ask, diving deeper into her past. We have built up a little trust these last few weeks, and I want to hear the truth from her.

She hesitates for a moment, contemplating whether to tell me the truth. Eventually, she nods. “He had already shot Jett, and he was coming for me. He wasn’t just going to kill me; he wanted to torture me for betraying him. I knew he would have eventually gone too far and killed me. He’d already put me in the ICU, it was only a matter of time. Some people are just pure evil, and it doesn’t matter what you do or say to try and change them. They remain the same.”

“You did what you had to,” I reassure her, understanding the gravity of her situation. No one should have to go through what she did, and I know I would have done the same.

“I did,” Hazel says sadly. “You don’t have to come today but think about what I said. Kobe has a real thing for you, and he’s never even thought about seeing a girl more than once before. He’s all torn up over you. I don’t like seeing the big goof in pain. Don’t make him suffer too long,” she adds with a shrug.

I sigh, knowing I need to talk it over with him, and I want to. He’s literally all I think about. I want to find a way we can make this work, I just don’t know how. He said so himself, he can’t be seen dating a cop, and that’s what I am. I don’t want to change who I am for him, and I don’t expect him to do the same for me either. Our situation feels impossible. “I’ll talk to him tonight, I promise,” I respond with a smile, hoping she understands why I need a little more space to wrap my head around everything. “Hope Jett gets the win.”

“He will. It’s his time. I saw it in his palm,” Hazel says confidently.

“Can’t wait to celebrate with you all later, then,” I reply, my mood lightening a bit.

She makes her way back to her car and offers a little wave before they take off up the road.

With determination, I gather my keys and wallet, locking up my house. Time is of the essence, and I need answers. My phone research has reached its limits, and I’m running out of time before my shift at the club begins, as well as my meeting with Caleb at the new club in an hour. I head out, wanting to do some research of my own at the station. I need more about Detective Reader, something substantial to offer Caleb so he can take him down.

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