Page 107 of The Reluctant Hero

She’s quiet for a minute.

“I think I get it. I mean, not really, but you’re convinced, and that’s all that matters.”

I glance at her in surprise. She ain’t pullin’ punches, but she’s thinkin’ it over.

“It takes a strong woman to put up with us. Not many have measured up.”

Her cringe isn’t what I’m lookin’ for.

“I’m sayin’ you’ve passed that with extra miles to spare, darlin’. No one gets to Gabe. No one makes Mik laugh like he has been. And no one faces me on a full-on tear down of rage and yells in my face.”

“That one is stupidity,” she points out like she’s tellin’ me a joke.

“That one is you not givin’ a fuck what’s pissed me off because you don’t deserve to be treated like that,” I grit back at her. “That ain’t stupid.”

She doesn’t answer me.

I’m gonna enjoy killin’ Blake. I wish I could do it now but we need him for more answers. We’re slowly gettin’ somewhere with Amanda’s help. His ties with the judges and lawyers would make it easy to use him as an informant to find out who is controlling the police.

There’s too much crime in this town. Too much violence. The place reads off like a horror story in yearly crime statistics. If we can dig out all the corrupt cops, this place would turn around. That includes takin’ old Matthias’ cops out of rotation, too. I’m not lettin’ him get his hands on Gabe’s soul again.

Blake is a key to somethin’. We just need to figure out what. Everythin’ circles back to those properties he’s buyin’ up.

“I need to think,” she tells me with a sigh. “That’s a lot of info. I can’t imagine any woman would be ready to hear this. Except for my mom.”

I don’t want to but I unlock the door for her. I can’t walk her to the door tonight. I’m too tempted to throw her over my shoulder and take her home with me. But I gotta let her go. She’s fuckin’ fire, and the more I try to keep her hemmed in, the more she’ll fade out until she’s smoke.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, darlin’,” I keep my smile easy as she smirks and closes the door. I watch her ass the whole way to the door and groan in frustration.

A few minutes later, her light comes on. I can see her shadow passing the window.

I don’t want to leave. I’ve spent a few nights in the truck watchin’ out for her. Tonight, I’m goin’ home to jerk Gabe’s chain and tell Mik she thinks he’s sweet. It doesn’t make up for the fact that she’s not sittin’ beside me on the drive, but it helps.

Until I get home and see Gabe’s ashen face staring at his phone. Mikael is behind him with a heavy hand on his shoulder. All my humor washes out as the feelin’ of somethin’ not bein’ right washes over me.

“Gabe?” I ask in a strong tone. Mikael shakes his head in a muted attempt to stop whatever is comin’.

“It’s May first tomorrow.”

The simple observation said in a cold but weak voice has me openin’ my mouth in confusion. Before I speak it snaps shut again.

With Amanda’s whirlwind presence overtakin’ us, I forgot. Looks like Mikael did, too. Gabe is already sinkin’ deep into his memories, and there’s nothin’ any of us can do to stop it.

23

Remember Me

Amanda

Friday finally rolls around, but I can’t enjoy the thought of a weekend of freedom. I’m too busy bouncing between elation, horniness, and defeat.

They share women. Ok, I can handle that. It also eases the guilt of being attracted to more than one person. I know there are limits on how far that goes. He made that obvious when he referenced Jake and Cade as their own unit. The streams don’t cross there.

But what kind of rules do you have to have in place for something like this? Can I demand that no other woman joins in? It doesn’t seem fair to them, but I couldn’t take that. I’d spiral and never come back.

Ace isn’t waiting for me in the parking lot, which is odd, but that’s okay. I still have a ton of thinking to do. Besides, walking to work in tennis shoes and jeans is ten times better than the version in office clothes.

I don’t want to admit Gabriel was right about my discomfort. He already knows based on how he looks me up and down every morning with a smug smirk.

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