Page 25 of Barrett

“Do you really think that little of me?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know you. I just know how I feel when I’m in front of you and that has me putting my guard up. It’s you. If you pushed hard enough. If you got me to say things I’ve never told anyone. If you cracked my chest wide open.”

“I don’t know you either. You give me a sliver of you, and all that does is piss me off.”

“Is that why you’re always mad?”

His foot pressed the brake, and we slowly came to a stop. Usually, I got irritated by the traffic, but I found I wanted more time to talk to Reghan, which was fucking foolish on my part.

What did I think was going to happen? We’d pour our hearts out and fall madly in love? That my superiors would find out I was dating one of Jordan Altair Sr.’s guards and throw a party? Or that Jordan himself would raise a glass and toast us for getting together? No, none of that would happen. Quite the opposite would.

Reghan raked his hand through his hair and settled his elbow on the door while his other hand stayed on the wheel. “I’m mad because you can’t be serious for one second. Then I saw you in the café, and it was the first time the other side of you was visible. I knew there was a person with feelings in there. I wanted to help you.”

“If you did, I would have shattered.”

Dark eyes met mine when he turned my way. The cars in front of us hadn't done more than crawl. “Would it have been that awful to let go in front of me?”

“What would have happened after? There’s no chance of a future for us. And not for nothing; there’s zero chance of one night of us being together and working it out of our systems. This thing between us has been going on for far too long.”

“Agreed. So, you don’t hate me, and I don’t hate you. Yet…”

“Yet, there’s nowhere for us to go. If we climb into bed together, things will get messier.”

“Yeah.”

There was nothing left to say. We knew the score and couldn’t change the plays. No matter how we looked at it, there was no happy ending for us. We led different lives that intersected when shit had to happen, like today. I couldn’t forget about the reason we were together. We could get intel up here that could help me solve the case. My superiors didn’t need to find out what I was doing.

We drove slowly along the highway, past construction, past an accident, until we finally made our way out of the congestion and started sailing again. By the time we got to the town where the man was taken, I felt as if I’d gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. There were no marks on my body. Inside, I was bruised and vulnerable. I didn’t divulge everything to Reghan, but I told him enough. He wouldn’t hold it against me. That much I knew for certain.

After the years I’d worked with Jordan, he was aware of my brother, and not once had he thrown Marshall’s name around as a threat to me. Some lines weren’t crossed. I wouldn’t go after Jordan’s son, partners, or Ava. I’d sooner go out of my way to protect them. Jordan had good people in his life. I’d noticed him slowly changing. Would he suddenly decide he wanted to stop being a criminal? Fuck no, although he wasn’t the same man I met that first time, either.

As Reghan parked the Jeep and we got out, I kept my brother’s face in my mind. He could have been the one taken. I had to find the person responsible for this and stop them. And I had to keep Reghan in a little box in my mind because we couldn’t be anything but cordial to one another.

12

REGHAN

I’d lost count of how many people we’d spoken to. People were coming and going. Some were curious about what we were up to and approached us. Others we had to knock on doors near where the victim was last seen. The longer we were here, the more frustrating it became. No one had witnessed anything. The people who had cameras had limited visibility in their footage.

Barrett had tried to go into cop mode repeatedly by asking questions that sounded right out of training he’d received years ago or honed from being on the job for so long. I had to keep interjecting and putting myself in front of the people while he hung out behind me. It didn’t matter what the plan was; as soon as local citizens started talking, Barrett tried to dig a whole lot deeper, even though they didn’t have any information.

At least no one figured out he was a cop, not with me standing beside him. Nothing about me screamed police. I kept my gun hidden under my coat and didn’t stand stiff and proper. I stayed relaxed so no one thought I was there to interrogate them. I was just trying to solve what happened as a concerned citizen and a friend of Barrett’s.

By the time we said screw it and knew we weren’t going to get any further, we were starving. There was a diner a few streets over that we’d passed.

We entered and were greeted with the scent of cooked meat and a dessert case that was packed full of pie and cake slices. There was a sign on a gold pole stating we should wait to be seated. A waitress breezed by us carrying a tray of food and said she’d be right back.

The looks we got from the locals were nothing I wasn’t used to. Not being a small guy, people tended to stare. Add on that Barrett was fucking beautiful; yeah, we were going to be talked about once we left. Not only by the people we spoke to but the ones in here too.

While we waited, I texted Lawson so he could get into those personal cameras to make sure the footage of us disappeared. He would also comb social media to ensure videos hadn’t popped up of us. We didn’t need Barrett’s boss wondering why he was walking around with me. And while Barrett should get a medal for how easily he pissed me off, I had no desire to see him lose his job. By the sounds of it, he needed it. I was glad we used fake names when we introduced ourselves earlier.

The waitress returned and led us to a table in the corner. Barrett and I both went for the back seat to face the diner. My jaw ticked, not liking the idea of being unable to protect us. Barrett must have seen it because he relented. I was able to have a view of everyone, including the door.

“What can I get you to drink?” she asked.

“Tea with honey,” Barrett said.

“Coffee, please,” I told her.

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