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I barge into the meeting room without knocking. No need to, since I knew they’d be in here waiting for me. And now that I’m back here, I’m all pissed off again. That fucker messed with my hellcat. I meet Maddox with a hard glare.
“Calm down, Blake.” He stares me down as I lean against the desk. “You can’t go shooting her ex-boyfriend. He’s a cop.”
“I’m not going to shoot him.” Not to kill, anyway. Pinch closes the door so it’s just the three of us.
“Blake,” he starts as though he’s warning me, asking me to back off, but he won’t make me. Maddox will let me have this if I want it. And God, do I want it. No one’s going to hurt my hellcat and get away with it.
“You telling me you’re not just as pissed as I am that her ex got away with … ” I can’t finish. Fuck! I don’t even know what the hell he did exactly, but I’m going to find out. I’m going to find out tonight. After I get her under me.
“Already a step ahead of you,” Pinch chimes in and holds up her ID. He goes over to the computer and starts plugging in her info.
“You swiped her ID?” Pinch never fails to surprise me. A pickpocket and hacker, he’s a thief in every sense of the word.
He turns in his chair and looks back at me like he doesn’t see a problem with it. “Well, yeah. It’s not like you’d know her last name.” No I don’t, but he didn’t know that. I glare at him and he shakes his head. “Okay then, what’s her last name?” Fucking asshole.
I let out a small growl and say, “Just do what you have to do.”
“So, how are you planning to handle this?” Maddox’s starting in on me again.
“You remember that prick who hit your sister?” I stare straight back at him, meeting his hard glower. “You didn’t have a problem knocking his teeth in.”
“He wasn’t a cop.”
“Since when does that matter?” I shouldn’t be talking back, but I’m furious. I’m so fucking pissed that someone put their hands on Marie. And even angrier that no one helped her. No one was there for her. But I’m here now.
An uncomfortable moment passes before he lets out a loud exhale. “You want help?” he asks like I’m a huge pain in his ass. I pat him on the back in thanks, but shake my head.
“Naw, just get me his address.”
“Got it. You’re gonna want to give his name to Linc though, so he can ask his contacts at the PD for his schedule.” I nod my head calmly, but my gut churns at his words. When I first found out they were paying people off at the PD, I freaked the fuck out. Roger told me he knew all of Linc’s contacts and I was safe. I can’t fucking take doing this anymore. I could be their contact. But it’s too late for that now. I fucking wish it wasn’t. They’re the only family I have. Pinch prints something off and then hands me a piece of paper with the prick’s information.
“Don’t worry,” I say and look at Maddox, “I’ll be discreet.” I turn to leave them while folding the paper, but Maddox’s hand comes down hard on my shoulder. I look back, waiting for him to say something, but he just stares at me.
“Yeah?” The question leaves my mouth after a moment of silence.
He’s holding something back, so I turn to fully face him. “What’s on your mind, brother?” Something’s wrong and I don’t fucking like it. I glance at Pinch. He’s grinning like he always does. My gaze falls back on Maddox. His jaw’s tense; he’s working too hard not to say whatever’s on his mind. “Just let it out.”
He hesitates before asking, “Were you two really just playing around?”
My blood runs cold at the question. I square my shoulders as I feel something shift between us. I stare back at him and keep eye contact while I shake my head. “No.” I can’t fucking lie to him. I’m exhausted from the lies. I just want to get everything off my chest. All of it.
“You lied to me.” It’s a statement, not a question.
I nod my head once and reply in a clipped tone, “Yup.” The room’s silent for what feels like forever. Both of us just glaring at each other with clenched fists, waiting for the other to make their move. “You want to ask me anything else, Maddox?” I may as well give it to him. I’m tired of waiting for it all to come crashing down. I can hear my blood rushing into my ears and my heart’s pounding in my chest. Just ask me. Minutes tick by and he finally gives it to me.
“You a cop, Blake?”
I don’t even hesitate while I look him right in the eyes and reply, “Yeah, I am.” As the words leave my mouth, the printer goes off next to me, making both of us jump.
“Here you go.” Pinch turns in the chair and hands me a piece of paper before glancing down to my hands and saying, “You ripped that one to shreds, so I figured you’d want a new one.” He gives me a huge grin and shrugs as he casually adds, “We already knew.”
What the fuck? I feel like he punched me in the gut. I turn to Maddox, seeing nothing but red and ask, “You knew?”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t change his emotionless expression in the least. “Since day one.” Motherfucker! I clench my fists, ready to punch this fucker right in his smug face.
“All those times I tried to fucking tell you, and you cut me off.” To say I’m pissed off would be a massive understatement. I’ve shared everything with him, everything I went through overseas, and then the shit I came home to. I wanted to tell him every fucking day since we put his old man in the ground, but he kept shutting me down. That motherfucker.
“You have some fucking nerve to be pissed at me!” He puts his face less than an inch away from mine, invading my space and egging me on. “You’re the fucking cop!”
