Page 7 of Trust No One

Now she wouldn’t be.

There had to be a way to convince her that this was a bad decision. But she sat across from him, her eyes flinty and her mouth hard. Watching him out of carefully guarded eyes.

This Mel wouldn’t be changing her mind.

But he had to try.

“Tell me what I did wrong, Mel. Give me a chance to fix it. To make it right.”

She studied him for a long moment, and he shifted on the bench seat. This was a first. He’d always been able to read Mel. But right now? Nothing.

Finally she said, “There’s nothing you can say. Our partnership hasn’t been working for me for a while. And I don’t think it can be fixed.” She smiled, but her mouth was a little wobbly. “Sorry, Dev, but you need to go.”

Holding her gaze, he pulled a pen out of his pocket. Stared down at the document as he signed it. Then he pushed it across the table to her and folded the enormous check. Shoved it into the inside pocket of his jacket and slid out of the booth. “I’ll see you around, Mel,” he said.

Her eyes flickered, and she pressed her lips together. As if what she was doing hurt her as much as it hurt him. Finally she said, “You can stay at the compound until you find your own place, wherever you decide to go,” Mel said, her voice steady as a rock. “Just let me know where you are. I’ll send you another check when we get paid for the current jobs.”

“Fine,” he said, instead of railing at her, like he wanted to do. “I’ll do that,” he said, and the words were hard to form. “Take care of yourself, Mel.”

“You, too, Dev,” she said. She put a twenty on the table, stood up, slung her purse over her shoulder and headed toward the door.

Dev watched her go, then finished his beer. Tapped his jacket to make sure that big check was there, then stood up.

His gaze found Mel immediately, as if there was some weird connection between them. She hadn’t left the bar. She was standing next to a guy and their heads were together. They were laughing.

What the hell? He’d never seen Mel in here with a guy before.

Whywouldn’tshe be with a guy? Mel was an attractive woman. Smart. Funny. Capable. She could have anyone she wanted.

Once upon a time, she’d wantedhim.

Until he’d cut her out of his life.

He stared at Mel and the man he’d never seen before, until Mel turned her head and spotted him. She stilled, then turned back to the guy with a smile.

Dev marched toward the door. The check in his pocket weighed two hundred pounds.

He began to open the door, then spun around. Walked back to Mel.

“I’m still partnering with you on the Kingsley job.”

She opened her mouth and he saw the message in her eyes – “no way in hell”, but he held up his hand. “Not taking no for an answer. You want me gone? I’ll go. After we put Kingsley away.”

He turned and shoved out the door before she could respond.

Chapter 3

Mel turned to Sam, the guy she’d been talking to. “Excuse me, Sam. It appears I have some business to take care of. Talk to you later?”

Sam rested his elbows on the bar, his gaze shifting from Mel to where the door had just shut behind Dev. Back to Mel. “If you’re around,” he finally said. He glanced at the door again. “Or maybe I should saywhenyou’re around again.”

He turned away and picked up his beer, taking a deep drink. Mel watched him for a moment, then spun around and headed for the door. She pushed it open and slid through, then let it go.

Dev was heading toward his own car, but he stopped to watch her. Ignoring him, she stormed to her car. She wasn’t going to let Dev give her orders. Tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She put her hand on the door handle, but as it beeped, the signal that it had unlocked, Dev slammed his hand on it. Held the door shut.

“What the hell, Dev?” she said, turning to face him. “Get your damn hand off my car.”

“I’m not letting you go after Kingsley by yourself,” he said. “I’ll leave Blackhawk Security, but not until Kingsley and Larrimore are in prison.”

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