Page 91 of Love Undercover
Chase’s mouth twitched into a grim smile.
“That’s why you’re here. Well, shit.” He pushed himself out of his chair, rubbing a hand over his stubbly chin. “And what does the girl have to do with it?”
Sadie’s hands twisted in her lap. “My ex-boyfriend is mixed up in it, and—“
“Let me guess,” Kesterson interrupted dryly. “He dragged you into the toxic cake mix. What did he do? Blackmail you?”
She shook her head, pink blossoming in her cheeks. “He dumped some of the evidence on me.”
“Glad he’s an ex, then. You got mobsters on your tail, I’d bet.”
“Yes. The only reason I’m still alive is because of him.” She jerked her thumb toward Chase, a shy smile ghosting across her face.
Kesterson’s gaze sharpened as he analyzed how close she sat to Chase, though they weren’t touching. Not that he didn’t want to. The way Chase’s skin craved hers was not something he could deny anymore. Especially after the way she’d kissed him in the car.
He’d experienced every bit of her body, her words, her hands the night before. But that kiss had seared him like a brand, and he knew there was no going back. It was more than what it had done to him physically. Because with that kiss, she’d sealed what her words had already done—made him feel seen. He’d said there was no after, but he wasn’t sure he could commit to that now.
Kesterson said nothing about what he’d clearly figured out was going on between them. “So what evidence you got?” he asked instead.
Chase bared his teeth, watching the older man pace across the room. “Not enough to nail them. But enough to make somebody nervous.”
Kesterson stopped in front of the window, staring out. He must have been immersed in his own thoughts because there wasn’t much of a view besides the brick of the next row of townhouses on the other side of his fence.
“So you either need hard evidence. . .” he mused, rubbing his chin again. “Or.” He turned around suddenly, and despite the wrinkles on his face, he seemed younger. Like he’d just needed to get back in the game to bring himself back to life.
“Or what?” Sadie asked.
“You have to get them to incriminate themselves.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Chase heard the edge in his own voice. He was grasping at straws, and even if Kesterson had an idea, desperation was crawling under his skin.
“You gotta make them think you have the hard evidence. Nothing like a little poisoned sugar water to bring out the creepy crawlies.”
Chase shot to his feet, the unease becoming too toxic and heated within him. “Yeah, and what’s the bait?”
Kesterson looked at Sadie. His expression made it clear the man knew what he was asking and how Chase would react. But Chase couldn’t help the explosion inside of him anyway.
“No fucking way.” The words snapped on the air like a whip. “She’s already been in enough danger, roughed up too many times by these assholes.”
“Listen, kid. You’re at the end of the road for this. You gotta do what needs doing, or you disappear. By choice or because Zimmerman’s guys take you out.”
Chase threw his arm out in her direction. “But she has nothing to do with any of it.”
“I get it. You feel all responsible for her because she’s got a pretty face and a nice ass. But you have to remember thejob.”
It wasn’t a conscious decision, though the rage roared inside of him, that dragon bursting to life. It wasn’t until Sadie was screaming in his ear to let Kesterson go that he even realized he’d shoved him up against the wall, his hands fisted around the guy’s shirt.
“Chase, stop it! Let him go!”
Kesterson didn’t look fazed, though his words were strained. “Use that, kid. You gotta make her the bait then use that instinct to protect her and keep her alive. It’s your only shot.”
“I’m not putting her at risk for this.” Chase almost spat the words in the guy’s face. And admittedly, there was a part of him that felt some kind of latent anger that this man represented what had taken his father from him, too.
“Chase.” Sadie’s hand landed on his forearm, and a slow-moving balm soothed over his frayed nerves. “He’s right. It’s worth it if we can bring this whole thing down. I’m not safe until they’re all behind bars anyway.”
He hated that it was true, hated that they were both right. It was exactly the reason he’d come here—to get advice, an idea, a direction to go. Some part of him had known this was theonly answer, but he’d hoped that Kesterson would have another option. That maybe he had some connection Chase didn’t.
With a deep breath and very deliberate concentration, Chase released his grip on Kesterson. Heat still cascaded down his arms, but he stalked away.
