Page 41 of Cocky Brutal Sinner

It doesn’t help that the Peppermint investigation is chugging along at a terrifying speed. Nate’s PI has cleared all the employees at Terrace, UPS, Twisted Devil, and Velvet & Vice. Ryan only employs a small group of people for when he hosts poker tournaments, but they’ve been cleared too. The only hold-up is Sequel’s massive international staff, but even those are chipping away.

It’s only a matter of time before Brinley runs head-first into yet another thing I can’t protect her from.

“Seriously, dude?” Luke’s voice filters through my headphones. “Is that a weighted vest?”

I pull out my earbuds and glance over at him. He’s in fresh gym clothes, with a Twisted Devil T-shirt that reads Worth a Shot. “One sec,” I rasp. “Almost done.”

“Done with working out or with torturing yourself?” Luke raises his brows. He’s the only guy who copped onto my habit. The gym is my punishment. The gym is what makes my brain get quiet. The gym is pain, and pain is good.

I don’t answer him. I just gasp for breath as I sprint to the finish. Almost…almost…almost…

The treadmill clock ticks down. Once it hits zero, it slows me down, first to a slower run, then a jog, then a cool-down walk. Luke hops on the treadmill next to me, strolling slowly alongside me.

“Want to talk about it?” he asks.

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

He snorts. “Now, we both know that’s not true.”

I wipe my gym towel over my face, catching the sweat dripping down into my eyes. I give the only answer I have. “I’m getting a little in the weeds with my Italy trip. It’s stressing me out.”

“Oh yeah, your annual food pilgrimage,” Luke says, nodding. “What’s wrong, your favorite gourmet flour supplier didn’t grind enough this year?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m a food snob, yes, but I don’t buy gourmet flour. I’m not even sure it exists.”

“Of course it exists. There’s a gourmet version of everything. You know that.”

I use the same strategy every year to cover up my weeklong trip with Brinley. I just wax poetic about every boring detail of the food I eat until the guys are exhausted from listening to me. Last year, I almost put Ryan to sleep with my rapturous review of a good zucchini I ate. Nobody bothers to question me about it anymore, which is perfect.

Except this year, I don’t get a week. I only get three days with Brinley, three days where I don’t have to live looking over my shoulder for the next threat to our relationship. It’s not nearly enough.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Do you want some company?” Luke says.

“Huh?” I choke out.

“I mean, if the trip is stressing you out, I’ll go with you on your pilgrimage. I mean, Italy’s great. It’ll be fun. Plus, since that deal with Air Canada fell through, my calendar is wide open,” Luke says wryly.

If it were any other trip, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. I’d always rather travel with someone than go by myself. Obviously, though, I can’t bring Luke on my secret romantic getaway. I have to come up with a believable reason to say no, and fast.

“This trip is really my solo recharge thing. You know, get some time alone to think.”

Hurt flickers across Luke’s face. “Oh.”

Having guilt presses against my chest, ten times heavier than the weighted vest. I didn’t realize how hard losing the deal hit him. He’s been pouring his energy into the Peppermint hunt, and he seemed more angry than anything else. I figured it was just because he was embarrassed by the personal details. Now, I’m starting to see that it’s something more.

“The trip wouldn’t be much fun, anyway,” I add quickly. “I got all these meetings lined up with suppliers and chefs. I won’t really have time to hang out. You’d basically be going by yourself if you went with me.”

“Whatever,” Luke says. “It’s not a big deal. I was crashing your trip, anyway.”

I wish there was a way to distract him, something that could take his mind off the Peppermint exposé. Suddenly, I’m struck with a brilliant idea.

“You remember Giulia from dinner the other night, right?”

“Obviously. A girl who looks like that is hard to forget.”

“Why don’t you take her out and show her around town a little while I’m gone? She’s near the city, and I think she could use a fr⁠—”

“No way,” Luke says, before I can even finish my sentence. “I’m not going there. I saw the way she looked at you, and more importantly, I saw the way your mom looked at her. Mama Bishop would get me if I got in the middle of her perfect matchmaking.”