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“Men like me?”
With a huff, she pushed away from my desk and turned to face the wall of glass. “Men who exploit women for their own gain. Men who think everyone should be on your payroll.” When she turned back to face me, utter hatred flashed in her eyes. “Men who break the law repeatedly but are so squeaky clean that shit won’t stick.”
My chest puffed up a little at that. “You say the sweetest things.” It was so fucking hard to keep up this act. Learning of Hugo’s demise was a fucking kick to the balls. I was down another dealer, and my hold on the drug trade in No Man’s Land was fucking slipping away. But that was something to deal with once Cox was gone.
“One day you’ll slip up, Rivera, and I’ll be there when you do.”
“If that’s what helps you sleep at night, then, by all means, you think that, Detective Cox. But I have no idea why you keep bringing me news like this. I’m just a businessman… a businessman who pays his taxes, treats his employees fairly, and who goes to church on Sunday.”
She sneered. “I’ll be in touch.”
“I can’t wait. And if you do want to get out of the law enforcement game, my doors are wide open.”
She left in a huff, and I collapsed back into my chair. Swiping up my phone, I dialed Dagger.
“Boss?”
“Got eyes on Cox?”
“Yeah, she’s making her way to the exit now, but she’s giving out her business card to some of the Dolls.”
That fucking cunt.
“My girls won’t talk, but make sure she leaves the premises. She brought news of another one of my guys going down.”
“Who?”
“Hugo. Same MO from what I can tell.”
“She’s got nothing on us, boss,” he told me, making my grind my teeth.
“I fucking know that, but it doesn’t help that our guys are showing up with one less heartbeat.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Fuck!”
“We’re tight, boss,” Dagger repeated, and I hung the fuck up on him.
Under normal circumstances, if Dagger were happy we were locked down tight, I would simply leave it, but this business with Wren was coaxing out the beast in me. Dialing Andy, I barked, “Are you there yet?”
“Just walking inside the building now,” he replied. “Is there anything I need to know?”
“She just said she thought someone had been in her apartment. The window in the living room has a broken lock. If they got in, that’s how. Check it out, then knock twice on the bathroom door. I’ll let her know that’s her signal.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hanging up, I dialed Wren again.
“Hello?” she whispered.
“Andy is almost there. He’ll knock twice on the bathroom door. Let him in, then pack a bag because you’re going to my place.”
“Bane, I don’t think—”
“Little Bird, honestly? I don’t give a fuck what you think right now. You’re not safe there, and until I can get you set up in a new, safer apartment, you will stay with me.”
I braced myself for the backlash, but Wren simply said tightly, “We’ll discuss this later. I’ll go with Andy now, but I’m not staying at one of your apartments.”
Curling my hands into fists, I drew in a couple of deep breaths. “If you didn’t want my help, why the fuck did you call me?”
“You make me feel safe,” she replied without a whisper of doubt. “Somehow, you’ve broken past my years of shit-fight-thickened skin and breached my walls. I had no choice but to call you.”
