Page 26 of Wicked Games We Play

“Yes, sir,” I told him, laying on the professionalism, even though him snapping in my face made me want to break his fingers off. “How can I assist?”

Wes looked around us and dropped his voice slightly. “Are you okay, brother? You had a look on your face that tells me something’s eating at you.”

Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m good,” I muttered. “Nothing new, man.”

“That girl of yours still not taking your tenacity seriously?”

I huffed, giving him a look of exasperation. Wes knew most of the story between me and Lily, although I hadn’t told him the recent details, such as our date last night. But he knew enough. “Still fighting me every step of the way.”

Wes shook his head and sat the case file he was holding on the stack of others piled on my desk. “Look, this is either going to be great timing or terrible, but I’ve been thinking a lot about our meeting. Sending you undercover within the next month or so is a real strong possibility. You gonna be ready for that?”

Would I be ready to leave in a month? To say goodbye to Lily for who knows how long?

The very thought made my heart tug and my stomach dip. Not to mention, if I went undercover in a month, there would be a possibility that I would miss my best friend finally marrying the guy she’d fallen for when we were teenagers. Then again, I could very well be back in time. There was so much unknown surrounding this undercover operation.

Could I leave in a month?

The answer was simple. The answer was no, yet I heard myself telling Wes, “Should be good for me, Chief.”

He knocked twice on my desk, tipping his head in a nod. “I’ll set everything in motion then,” he told me before he retreated to his office.

I raked both hands down the front of my face, knowing I had completely fucked myself. Swiping my phone off the desk next to me, I pulled up my messages between Lily, suddenly desperate to talk to her.

Me: I need to see you. Free tonight?

It sounded as desperate as it was, but I didn’t care. I missed her. It had been less than 24 hours from having my arms wrapped around her and I fuckingmissedher. Relief flooded my body when I saw the three dots appear at the bottom of the screen.

Lily: I’m not. My weekend with Jordan.

I knew I shouldn’t be mad, but I couldn’t stop the feelings from rising in my chest. She shared her son fifty-fifty with her ex, splitting the weekdays and alternating the weekends. She still hadn’t introduced us, so while I had hoped she would invite me over anyway, I knew she wouldn’t.

Lily: Everything okay?

Me: Yeah.

The message was curt, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else. There was nothing else to say when she wasn’t free.

“Need some water, bro? I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears.” Aaron’s voice filled the space behind me, making me inwardly groan before I slowly turned in my desk chair. Facing him, I sat quietly without offering a response. His brows pinched with concern when he took in whatever look I was giving him. “Yikes. What’s up?”

No use hiding it from him. “Wes is sending me undercover in about a month.”

“And that’s bad news because…?”

Giving him a pointed look, I readjusted myself on the chair, crossing my left ankle over my right knee, relaxing further into the chair. “Because, dipshit, I barely have a handle on my love life. Leaving for who knows how fucking long isn’t going to do me any favors.”

I had barely finished the sentence before Will rounded the corner, stopping beside Aaron. “Hey, fellas. Whitlock, what’s with the sour face? You look like someone’s pissed in your Cheerios.”

“His girl’s still not wifing up for him and now Chief’s making him go undercover.” Aaron mock pouted, and I flipped him off.

“Aww, Noie,” Will cooed, reaching his arms out in front of him like he was going to wrap me in a god damn hug or something.

“Fuck off, William,” I said through gritted teeth, my jaw tightening. The guys were just messing around, but knowing that I wouldn’t get to spend any time with Lily this weekend was already pissing me off. They were just adding to the irritation.

Aaron snickered while Will tossed his head back, laughing loudly and drawing a few looks from around the station.

“Beers tonight?” Will asked once his laughter died down. Aaron nodded his head enthusiastically while I grimaced, although I knew that I’d be there too.

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