Page 40 of Beneath the Burn

“Let us out.” Nathan thumped a fist on the divider behind the driver.

“I want to know what the fuck is going on.” Laz scowled at her. “You’re dead. Then you’re not dead. Do you have any idea what you did to him?”

Was she responsible for Jay’s damage? By leaving an unfinished tattoo him? Had she made his pain worse by giving him a design he didn’t want? She hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, but a wanting need to fix it pulled at her heart.

She clasped Nathan’s chin and made him look at her. “He just saved our asses from a media nightmare. A nightmare I led us into.”

His jaw hardened beneath her fingers.

“That’s right. I picked the restaurant knowing I might run into them. Iwillsee this through.”

“No. No fucking way.” He shoved her hand away, twisting in the seat and eyes flicking over the surrounding buildings and streets.

She sucked in a breath. “You’re smothering me, Nathan. I didn’t ask you to be here. In fact, I’ve begged you to back off.”

His gaze swung to hers, and they shared a moment of unspoken communication. She knew he walked a razor’s edge between controlling her and protecting her. His obligation revolved around repaying his self-imposed debt to his brother, and in the process, he imprisoned himself as much as her.

Three years earlier, she’d put up with a paranoid life on the run. What did that get her? A dead boyfriend and two months in Roy’s penthouse. No more overbearing men.

She dug deep to not buckle under Nathan’s confining eyes and filled hers with a silent command.Stop controlling.

He closed the pregnant gap between them and patted her cheek. “Fine, but next time you’ll warn me before you parade us into the public eye.”

She nodded and turned to Laz, swaying toward him as if her nearness would convey the prudence of her words. “I think you’ve already worked out that I met Jay in St. Louis three years ago when I gave him his first tattoo.”

Laz leaned back and let out a long resolved breath. Then he jerked his chin at Nathan. “And him?”

“Nathan owns a private investigation firm, but he spends most of his time keeping us under the radar.”

The flicker of passing lights illuminated Laz’s sudden stiffness. “Private Investigation? Are you the asshole who—”

“Yes.” Nathan scooted closer, crowding her.

She tensed against him, preparing herself. “What is he talking about?”

An explosion of fists pummeled the driver’s seatback. Then Laz turned and pointed one of those fists at Nathan. “That bastard told Jay you were dead. Jay went to St. Louis more hopeful than he’d been in his life, only to find out you were fucking murdered.”

“Be careful, Mr. Bromwell.” Nathan’s voice was low, deadly. “The man whowasmurdered meant the world to us.”

His face paled. “The boyfriend?”

“And Nathan’s brother.” She squeezed Nathan’s hand as her words, and the guilt that came with them, pulsed in her chest.

“Shit.” Laz pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, then lowered them and looked at her. “They didn’t catch him, did they? The murderer? That’s who you’re hiding from?”

Her jaw was clenched so tightly, she had to focus to unlock it. “It’s more complicated than that, but yeah.” She shifted to face Nathan. “When did you talk to Jay?”

Nathan’s gaze was elsewhere, searching the passing streets. “I was at the tower when I got the call.”

So he was deep undercover within Roy’s ranks. “And you took the call?”

“Crane said Jay Mayard knew your name. I was afraid…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, shifted his attention to her. “When one of our detectives discovered there was never a body for Sarah Teves, he dug in and connected your real name with Roy. He was hushed. At least, that’s what Roy thinks. The detective is in the witness protection program now.”

Her nod was taut with guilt. Roy would’ve put a hit on anyone looking for her.

Laz’s chest rose and fell, watching their exchange.

Regret over Jay’s involvement simmered through her. “Laz, if Jay was asking questions and using my real name, he would’ve become a target. Nathan shut that down the best way possible and saved his life.”

---