Page 21 of Duped

With a sigh, Tarek partially lost the battle. “I have no idea, but you’re in my house for no reason, so you tell me. What can you do with a name?”

A tall guy in a very expensive suit stepped through the door the police had left open. He scanned the room and then headed straight for Tarek.

“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me,” Bryan muttered under his breath.

Tarek smirked. He knew Portland would have a lawyer that left people quaking in their boots.

The sound of silverware hitting the floor assaulted Tarek’s ears. Tarek cringed.

Shaw’s gaze shot toward the ruckus. “You’d better take care because you will be picking up whatever mess you make. I can guarantee that.”

Tarek’s smile grew at Shaw’s firmly spoken promise.

He focused on Bryan. “Kindly move away so I can speak with my client.”

With a muscle jumping in his jaw, Bryan moved out of earshot.

Shaw focused surprisingly sweet-looking dark green eyes on him. “Did you say anything?”

Tarek shook his head. “I just checked the warrant and saw it was for only the kitchen. So I made them come in through the side door so they couldn’t claim they spotted something in another room. Then I moved to right here to ensure they didn’t step foot past the warrant’s zone.”

One corner of Shaw’s mouth lifted. Tarek had to tilt his chin up to hold the guy’s stare. He looked smart and capable. Tarek was grateful as hell he was there. Shaw squeezed his shoulder. “Just stay here a minute and let me find out what’s going on.”

Tarek nodded.

Shaw found Bryan. They spoke in low tones for a minute before he returned to Tarek’s side. Tarek took great pleasure in seeing the cops picking up their mess as they went. Shaw hovered over him again. “Do you have any thoughts on who could or would claim they found more than a kilo of cocaine packaged for distribution in a duffle bag in the kitchen?”

Tarek blinked. “What the fuck?” He shook his head. “No one has been here.” His mind reeled and then sped. Holy shit. The duffle bag. There was no fucking way. Who else had even seen it, much less in their kitchen? It hit him. “Wait. I take that back. Our chef. Portland fired him yesterday. Maybe this was his way of getting back at us.”

Shaw nodded. “That sounds good to me. It’s something I can use.” He glanced around. “Why don’t you hang out in another room out of sight? I’ve got this. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure these guys leave and ensure they pick up any mess they make. Nothing will come of this.”

Tarek nodded. There was a huge lump in his throat. “Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you.”

A sexy smile exploded across Shaw’s face. “It’s nice to meet you too and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.”

Tarek nodded again and awkwardly walked away. He was more than a little surprised people already knew about the engagement, and he hoped those nuptials were still a thing. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach said otherwise. He stepped inside the bedroom he shared with someone he feared he didn’t know. His gaze landed on the duffle bag. He closed the door. For much longer than necessary, he stared at the bag before gathering the courage to move closer. He took a shaky breath and grabbed the zipper. He already knew in his heart his entire world would shatter with a single glance. There was no going back from here.

A million thoughts ran through Portland’s mind. He had gotten too comfortable in his own home. That duffle bag was still in the kitchen. He needed to get ahead of that. Why had he been searched in the first place? He was supposed to be protected. That was the first fucking call he made the moment he got off the phone with Shaw. Prince Noir would damn well fix this, or Portland would bring the whole kingdom down. He knew he had made his bed, but Tarek slept in that bed too now. No one would tarnish his angel.

By the time he made it home, the police were gone and only Shaw remained. “Where’s Tarek?”

Shaw motioned toward the hallway. “I believe he’s holed up in the bedroom.”

At least he was here. “What did they find?”

“Nothing.”

Portland swiped his hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry about all this. Obviously, I’ve gotten complacent.”

Shaw made a dismissive gesture. “You never had anything to worry about. The local police are nothing and this Bryan guy who managed a warrant has zero authority. There isn’t a single person of importance we don’t own. This was only a minor inconvenience.”

It was easy for Shaw to say that. The blown apart pieces of his relationship weren’t waiting in the bedroom. He shifted from foot to foot. His gaze slid toward the hall.

“He was brave as hell. You should’ve seen him. They didn’t know how to handle him. He guarded this house like a champ.”

Portland swallowed. “He doesn’t know.”

Shaw winced. He slapped Portland’s shoulder and squeezed. “Well, I’ll let you deal with that one. That’s above my skill set.”

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