Page 37 of Justified Fear
He knew that there was nothing in the handbook against him wanting to date Keely and actually doing it.Hell, Adam Lee was married to a woman who had been a victim in one of their cases.But he knew those lines could get blurred really easily.And while he didn’t think Keely was involved with the situation, he knew there was something really off.There didn’t seem to be a reason for the hit.Yes, there was some kind of a connection with the Yakuza, but there wasn’t a reason for them to be slaughtered like that.
He’d learned while he was at LAPD that there was always a chance he could be blindsided by a pretty face and an innocent smile.That his mistakes had left his reputation in tatters, and he had been lucky that TFH had even wanted to hire him.
So, to keep himself, his team, and Keely safe, he would keep his distance as much as possible.The alternative could end in death.
The office wasquiet after Ryan left.Kap looked at his teammates.
“I guess we have a wager on him and Keely?”
“Yeah,” Nikki said.“Emma’s handling it.”
He fought a wince.If the boss knew his wife was handling most of their bets these days, he would probably lose it.Gambling was against the law in Hawai’i, and Del was convinced that it was bad for office morale.Kap thought the opposite.
“Boss ain’t gonna like that.Not at all,” Rami said, voicing Kap’s thoughts.
Nikki shook her head as she smiled.As the only woman on the team, the former Coastie could hold her own with all of them.Truth was, she was probably tougher than all of them put together.She also had a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and her ability to get in and out of buildings was legendary.At one time, she had told him she’d been in gymnastics, and it showed.
“Boss knows.”
“No way, he would put an end to it,” Rami said.
Oh, here we go.Lately, these two had been on each other’s nerves.He just wished they would fuck each other and get rid of the tension.
“How would he do that?”Rami asked.Actually, it sounded more like a demand.
“He would tell her to knock it off.”
Nikki laughed.“Oh, damn, I forgot you’ve never been in a long-term relationship.The boss knows, he just doesn’t give a damn.If you didn’t realize it yet, that man is wrapped around her finger.”
“Oh, yeah?You’ve never been married, so what do you know about it?”
“True, but I’ve been engaged.”
Stunned silence filled the space.Kap eyed his teammates.They were in front of the office door, making it hard to get by them without a tussle.Or worse, they would draw him into their argument.
“When?”
Nikki’s eyes widened, and Kap understood.It was the same tone Rami used when he was interrogating a violent suspect.
“Excuse me?”
Great.Now they were going to fight.Never failed these last couple of months.And he was stuck there.
“When were you engaged?”
“Why is that important?”
“Because I think you’re lying.”
Kap took a step back to avoid the blow zone.Nikki was a small woman, but she was lethal with her hands and feet.There was a good chance she would kill Rami.A movement in the doorway caught his eye, and he realized it was Autumn.Good.Maybe Seth’s crazy fiancée would settle things down.
She was eating one of the cookies Keely had brought.
“Oh, damn, you just told a woman who can kill you with her hands that you think she’s lying.”
Rami blinked as if just realizing other people were gathering around.In fact, Tamilya, a tall drink of water with light brown skin and a killer smile from Team Alpha, and her husband, Marcus, the leader of Team Charlie, joined Autumn.
“What’s going on?”Tamilya asked.
