Page 28 of Devoted

My sleep is shit.

How did he become my sleep charm so quickly? I never needed a sleep aid. When did I level up to needing a whole-ass person?

I flip over.

I let out a sigh and open my eyes. A shadow in the corner moves. I fly up and off the couch, a scream wrenching from my lungs.

This house was supposed to be safe.

Another shadow moves in the hallway, and I scream again. All the self-defense techniques Cannon taught me vanish from my brain.

I press into the wall and circle away from both shadows, my heart pounding and a scream clawing at my throat.

The first one I saw raises his hands. “Sorry for the scare. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t tracked.”

His voice is familiar, and he’s not lunging for me. I can make out Cannon’s figure in the hallway. Tension bleeds out of my muscles. “Kase?”

“What the hell, dude?” Metal clinks as Cannon does something with the gun I didn’t notice in his hand. Where did he have that one? It’s not like he had time to go downstairs and get one from that secret room. Then what’s in the room? More guns? He flips on the light. “I could’ve put one between your eyes.”

“Eh, I knew you wouldn’t. Your training’s too good.” Kase pulls off his black-and-gray face mask. The blend of colors conceals him better in the shadows. His inky-black hair sticks up in different directions. “Seriously, I would’ve called, but I also wanted to prove a point.”

That Roman could sneak up on me in the middle of the night and wouldn’t need a hit man? I’d die of fright.

Cannon holds up his gleaming black gun in one hand and waggles what I guess is the ammunition in his other. “I’ve gotta put this away.”

He disappears, and Kase roams around the living room and peeks into the kitchen. “Nice. I didn’t picture this.”

“Me neither.”

He glances at me, then at the couch. He keeps quiet because he’s a smart man.

I don’t know much else about him. Now I know why Cannon was able to successfully rescue me from Roman’s place. “Thank you. For, uh, getting me out.”

“No problem. I’ve never had to break anyone out before. Kinda liked the new challenge.”

I nod like this is an ordinary conversation. I’ve had some doozies lately.

Cannon returns. “Do we need to go into my office?”

“No.” Kase taps his head. “I’ve got it all in here.”

I gather my pillow and my blanket and huddle in the corner of the couch. My heart rate is almost back to normal, but I can’t relax completely. Kase is here for a reason. Cannon sits on the other end, and Kase takes the love seat that hasn’t been sat in since I’ve been here.

Kase perches on the edge of the cushion. His dark eyes are serious and he’s dressed for breaking and entering, but he speaks like we’re in a board meeting. “Roman’s a smuggler.”

I recoil. “What?”

Kase nods. “He was small time. Until he married you.”

“We thought he married Penelope for her father’s business, but it wasn’t just the money,” Cannon says. “It was the access. What does he smuggle?”

“Is Father involved?” I ask over him. Devastation hovers on the edge of my brain. He can’t be.

Kase lifts his hands. “I don’t know, Penni. I didn’t find anything directly linking your father, but I can’t say for certain.” He shifts his gaze to Cannon. “As far as what he smuggles, what’s most profitable?”

Cannon’s grim tone whips the acid in my gut to a frenzy. “No.”

“Afraid so. With Cowles Shipping under his umbrella, he’s able to position his people in the organization. He can place the right people and get access to logs and time lines. He gets key insight into how the port authority and inspections operate.”

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