Page 15 of Entwined With You

He could tell from the expression on Cami’s face that she understood just how deeply seeing Sabrina’s face on another woman had cut him.

“Brax … I’m so sorry. That’s—wow. I mean, that’s unexpected. Which I guess is the understatement of the year.”

“That about sums it up.”

“She showed up out of nowhere? What happened? What did she say?”

He told her. Everything from getting the text to shutting the door behind her when she left his apartment last night.

“Holy shit.” The word hung in the air. “How are you doing? That’s such a lame fucking question, but seriously—how are you doing?”

He waved the words away. “I’m fine.”

“The hell you are.” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

“I do,” he said. “Why do you think I’m here?”

She hadn’t taken Sabrina’s place in his heart—no one could ever do that. But she’d filled a gap that had desperately needed filling. In a way, they’d saved each other when they’d bonded in the back of a van after being pulled in for “police questioning” that had turned out to be a secret government recruiting program.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re right. I’m not fine. I’m ripped up all over again.” He sighed and rubbed his temples. “On the one hand, I don’t want this assignment. On the other, if it leads me to whoever planted that bomb, it will be worth it.”

“She thinks you had something to do with it. Maybe even planted it. Who knows what she’s got planned, but have you considered that she may not be looking for the killer. She may just be looking for revenge.”

“I know.”

“There’s another possibility, too.”

“She may not even care about revenge,” he said. “She may be planning to steal the Sisters herself.”

“Exactly. You don’t know a thing about her, and the fact that Sabrina never told you about….”

“What?” He heard the accusation in his voice and wished he could call back the word.

She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. “Don’t play naive. You never saw Sabrina’s body. Maybe she and her sister were pulling some sort of long con. Maybe they were aiming to grab the Sisters, and it all went bad. Maybe her current plan isn’t to figure out who planted that bomb. Maybe that’s just a ruse to steal the stones now.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Is that your heart, your head, or another part of your body talking?”

“Dammit, Cami.” He realized he’d pushed back from the table and was standing. “Don’t play shrink with me.”

“I’m just saying out loud what you already know, even if you’re not admitting it to yourself.”

He paced the length of her kitchen, from the little door that opened onto her small garden, past the long counter with the sink until he paused in front of the stove. He turned the knob, then stared into the blue flame that burst out from the nearest burner.

“I have to know,” he finally said. He turned off the flame and turned back to her. “And since me knowing is completely in-line with the mission, none of your questions really matter. Do they?”

He met her eyes. She held them, her chin lifted, her arms still crossed.

“I want you on my team, Cami. Not just on the op—that’s Ryan’s call. I need you on the inside, too. Part of the heist crew.”

“Yeah, about that. What did Ryan say when you told him you were involved in the original job.”

“Not a thing.”

She rolled her eyes. “You have to tell him.”

“No.”