Page 37 of Bad Men

But aside from that, I wasn’t ready to lose her. I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye. We were supposed to have more time with her.

“I didn’t,” he murmured so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. “I went back to take care of … things, but she saw me. She looked right at me with all this trust and … I couldn’t. I couldn’t hurt her.”

Maybe it was the relief of it all, or the adrenaline wearing off, but I dropped into the sofa with a jarring thump. My face mashed into my palms and I offered a silent prayer of thanks before peering over my fingertips at the other man.

“Okay,” I mumbled against my sweaty palms. I lowered them and repeated myself. “Okay, well, we have to figure this out, but we both agree that we don’t tell Eduardo about this, deal?”

Nero nodded.

I pushed back up to my feet and started around the table. “I’m going out.”

“What? Why?”

I stopped in the doorway and glanced back. “I’m going to talk to Mia, see how much she’ll tell me and determine how much we can trust her.”

Nero frowned. “She’s going to tell you everything. She knows you’re my partner.”

I shrugged. “Well, let’s hope she doesn’t.”

“I’ll come with you.” He started to follow me towards the bedrooms.

“No.” I stopped and faced him. “You’re going to stay here and take a shower. Then you’re going to get some sleep. I’ll call you when I know anything.”

I left him standing in the dimly lit hall and hurried into my room. Within minutes, I had on a top and jeans. Stuffed my feet into socks and my docs and was hurrying back out to find Nero still standing where I’d left him. Without a word to him, I grabbed my keys and sprinted to my car.

It was all a matter of time now. She’d had plenty of it to tell someone about what she’d learned. Odds were, she’d done it in passing or to a very close friend. Maybe her parents. She wouldn’t think anything of it, or perhaps she was scared and the guilt was eating her alive. Whatever the case may be, the window of opportunity to keep things contained was closing. I had to get there before it was too late.

At the stop light at the end of our block, I pulled out my phone and found her number. In a series of quick jabs, I sent her a text.

“Where are you?”

Seconds passed. I rolled through the sign and headed in the direction of her house, guessing that was the best place to start. I was occupied thinking of all the things I had to tell her, all the ways I could warn her to keep her mouth shut when my phone chimed in the cup holder.

“Working seven to three today. Why?”

Good enough. Terrible because there were too many people, too many snoops and snitches, but I couldn’t afford to wait until three.

I turned the car and headed towards the city.

She was standing over a table with two old guys holding coffee mugs. One was talking, gesturing wildly with his hand while Mia laughed. The sight of her halted my movement, stopped me from bulldozing inside and demanding a conversation. Her hair was down but pulled back at the temples by silver combs. There was a glow in her cheeks, the radiance of a woman who’d been fucked and fucked thoroughly the night before. It danced in her eyes and glowed in her smile. Even the stance of her body was different. There was a fluidness to her every movement that spoke of lax muscles. It looked hot as fuck on her.

I pushed inside.

Mia’s head turned in my direction and her smile widened. She said something quickly to the two men and hurried over to me, coffee pot still in hand.

“Hey!” She went up on her toes and brushed a quick kiss across my mouth. “You didn’t say you were visiting.” She turned and started for the counter. The pot was set down. She dusted her hands and faced me once more. “I hope you’re not going to sit here with me until three.”

I hadn’t planned on it, but seeing her, I was severely tempted. It probably should have terrified me how little the idea of simply sitting there with her bothered me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Just wanted to see you.”

She grinned beautifully before filling me a cup of coffee. It was placed in front of the stool I’d claimed the last time I was there.

“Well, you’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.” She watched me slide into the seat. “Did Nero make it home all right this morning? I asked him to stay, but you know … the rule.” She rolled her eyes at the word like it was the silliest thing she’d ever heard. The whole matter was too complicated. I didn’t have time to get into it with her, but her bringing up Nero and the previous night left the doors open for me to wedge my foot in.

“Yeah, he got in pretty late.” I pulled the mug over to me and wrapped my hands around the scalding ceramic. “He told me you guys hung out for a bit.”

Her head tilted to one side. “Do you mean at my place? Yeah, he came by for a bit.”

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