Page 65 of Enforcing the Rules

She shook her head. “No. I’ve just been trying to follow up on leads, talking to people he used to know—”

“The guy from the hardware store.”

“Yes.” She frowned. “How did you know? Is that why you went there?” She sucked in a breath. “That’s why you were at that bar that night. You were looking for him, same as me.”

“Seems we’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“Seems so.”

“Your father… Is he a big part of your life?”

She shook her head again. “Not since I was in first grade when he and my mother divorced. We talk once in a while, but it wasn’t like I knew he’d been arrested until the skip came into our office.”

“You love him?”

She shrugged.

I sighed heavily. Goddamn it to hell. Could this get more fucking complicated?

“Please, Utah,” she whispered, staring at the floor. “Please don’t kill him.”

“Only thing I can promise you is I’ll let you bring him in for the bounty after the club gets its money.” I stared at her. “Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it.”

“So, tell me about the money he’s talking about in that text.”

“Bill and I made up a story to—”

“Whoa, back up. Who the fuck is Bill?” A surge of jealousy ran white hot through my veins.

Kate rolled her eyes. “My boss.”

“How old is he?” That still didn’t ease my fears. Bosses came on to hot employees all the time.

“He’s like a father to me. And ew, no.”

I grinned. “Finish the story.”

“We made up a lie to get my dad to meet me. Only thing I could think of that would be sure to lure him in was money. I made up a story about winning on a scratch-off ticket, saying I needed help with taxes on it. “

“And he bit. So, that son-of-a-bitch would steal from his own daughter?”

“Probably.”

I filed that away. “Maybe we can still use that.”

“Maybe. If he hasn’t gotten suspicious. The sooner I take him in, the sooner I can get the bounty.”

“Why is that money so important to you, babe?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“More secrets?” I cupped her chin, bringing her face to mine.

“My sister’s in trouble. That’s all I can say right now. Maybe later I can share the whole dirty story.”

I suppose I’d have to be satisfied with that, at least until she felt ready to share more. My eyes dropped to her mouth. If we stayed in this room, I was going to fuck her, and I knew she wasn’t up for that right now. “So, you hungry?”

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