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Chapter one hundred two
Reid
Igrab Carrie’s arms and pull her to me. “No. You are not going with me.”
“You heard Blake. I need to be there. It protects you. We protect each other.”
“Carrie, damn it.”
She pushes to her toes and kisses me. “I’m not a naive fool, Reid, but you’re pissed. Do you really want to do this without a buffer?”
“Yes. I do.”
“I’ll get that wire on the way,” Blake says, turning and heading out of the door.
Gabe follows without a word and Carrie grabs my shirt. “I’m going. The end.” She turns and tries to walk away.
I grab her arm. “Carrie—”
She steps into me and flattens her hand on my chest. “I said fight back. That means step away from the past and into the moment. We’re here, right now, and we need to do this together. You know it. I know it.”
I tighten my grip on her arm, my jaw tensing. “She will taunt you. She might even try to make you think I’m fucking her now.”
“You’re too busy fucking me to have anything left for her. If you’re worried about what she’d make me believe, we need to do this, and then go fuck this out of your system so you can focus.”
My anger notches down and my lips quirk. “Is that right?”
“Yes. Very. I think we both just need to be home fucking like rabbits and hugging our kitty, but we can’t. Not yet.”
I soften my voice and stroke her hair. “Anything she says that you don’t already know is a lie.”
“Understood.”
I know she can hold her own, but I also know from my reaction to Tabitha being at our place that she and I are both going to have to face the cold, hard facts. I’m not going to have the clear head I need with her and my sister in town. I’m not going to fight the real fight. A topic for later and perhaps those real handcuffs. I lace my fingers with hers, kiss her knuckles and lead her toward the door.
We head back to the kitchen island to find Blake and Gabe waiting on us. “We have wires en route,” Blake says and then changes topics. “Here’s what I know about the wife. She recently started a cosmetic company. The doorman at her building says that she hasn’t been home in a week. She’s not checked into a hotel or taken a flight or any other form of travel. We’ll have a man at her place of work tomorrow and find out where she’s staying, but I have a good guess based on her call logs. She’s been in heavy conversation with the CEO of Prevalin Industries for six months.”
“Mick Sands?” I ask. “I know Mick. He’s a good guy that I’ve done business with. In fact, I did a deal with him recently. The Mercury deal. We need to look that up but wait—isn’t he married?”
“Separated.”
“So we think she’s with Mick?” Carrie asks. “Then why would Elijah be focused on Reid?”
“He must think I’m the other man,” he says. “But I’m with you.” I scrub my jaw. “Get us where we need to go here, Blake. What are we missing?”
The doorbell rings. “That’s your wire,” Blake says. “And that’s all I’ve got before you leave, but I’m damn interested in what Tabitha has to say. But if she doesn’t give you answers, I’ll get them. I’m close.”
A few minutes later, with wires discreetly placed on both of us, one of the Walker crew gives us a ride to our apartment. Once bundled up and tucked in the back of the SUV, I ask for a moment alone with Carrie. With the heater on and the doors shut, I turn Carrie to me, my hands framing her face. “She was nothing but a one-night mistake. Do not let her fuck with your head or us.”
She covers my hands with hers. “Have faith in us, Reid. I do.”
My forehead lowers to hers, a knife of emotion in my chest. “It’s going to take me some time, baby. I’m living the past in spades. I’m living all the reasons I didn’t think I could do this.”
She jerks back. “You aren’t—”
“Don’t even finish that question. You know I’m all in. I just need you to understand, that this threat is a walk on the dark side for me.”
“I know. I’m right here, and Elijah doesn’t get to take me from you or you from me. We’re good. Let’s go deal with this bitch and get it over with.”
