Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)(53)

I twisted my hair up into a bun and made my way back to Knox’s bedroom with every intention of putting some space between us for a few days.

“Hey.” I froze mid-step, my brows pulling together. He was completely dressed.

He glanced over his shoulder as he slid his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. “I need to head out, but you can stick around and help yourself to whatever you want.”

“Oh, okay.” My stomach dropped. I should’ve been happy I didn’t need to come up with an excuse not to spend the day with him, but I wasn’t. “Did something happen with Representative Lang?”

“Yeah.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “His housekeeper found him dead this morning.”

“How?” I asked, feeling disoriented and more than a little dizzy.

“A self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, or at least that’s what it looks like.”

My eyes widened as my whole body sagged. “Holy shit.” I’d worked for Miles for over a year. Most of our missions centered on gathering information. I’d never been involved in anything where someone ended up dead; at least to the best of my knowledge.

He caught me around my wrist and gathered me close to him. The palms of his hands moved in smooth, even strokes up and down my arms. “Hey. It’s okay. I should have warned you this was a possibility.”

“You knew he’d kill himself?” I sounded lost and vulnerable. I didn’t even understand why I cared. I’d seen a few of those photos on his computer. Lang was a child predator. I knew that, but his death made everything seem more severe, more inescapable. The reality of it hit me with the force of a ton of bricks.

His hands framed my face. “I didn’t know anything for certain. Are you upset?”

“No. Not really.” I pushed away the uncomfortable feeling in my gut. “Just shocked.”

“Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”

“Really. I’m fine.” I swallowed, my throat feeling unbearably dry. “I’m actually going to head home today and clean up the mess. Maybe I can get Leslie to help me. It’d be nice to spend the afternoon with her.”

I’d been living with Knox for over two weeks. Other than stopping by her bar before we had dinner, I hadn’t made any effort to see her. I dodged her phone calls and ignored her texts because I didn’t want to explain my actions or my relationship with Knox. She wouldn’t approve, and I cared what she thought.

He nodded. “That’s a good idea. I had someone clean up your place, but he left your clothes in a pile. I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable with a stranger organizing your closet and drawers.”

“Thanks.” I lifted onto my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. My fingers curled around his neck, holding him like he was a lifeline. Like I was drowning, and he was the only thing keeping me above the surface. Even though I needed space to think, I didn’t want to let him go.

He stepped back, eyeing me through the fall of his thick lashes, the smallest smirk on his face. “I need to get going, but I’ll see you tonight. You’re coming back here, right?”

I shifted my gaze to the floor, studying the chipped baby blue polish on my toes. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good.” He reached around me, grabbing his keys off the dresser. “I don’t think you should stay at your townhouse alone. Not until we figure out who’s threatening you and your sister.”

The minute Knox walked out, I fired off a text to Leslie asking her to stop by my place. By the time I arrived at my townhome, my thoughts were bouncing all over, and I felt like an emotional wreck.

“You beat me here,” I said as I padded up my front steps.

“Hey.” Leslie lifted her head, a huge smile on her face. “I’m glad you texted me. I was starting to think you were mad at me.”

I jammed my key into the lock and pushed the door open with my hip. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I’ve been really busy.”

She slung her tote bag over her shoulder and followed me inside. “I noticed. I stopped by two nights ago, but you didn’t answer the door.”

I paused in the entry. Knox’s guys did a good job. My house smelled fresh. Everything was back in order. Even the sofa looked normal. They probably flipped the cushions to hide the damage.

I dropped my purse on the long console table and retrieved a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen. “I’ve been staying with Knox.”

“Wow.” She blinked. “Things are moving fast between you two.”

“It’s not like that.” I poured the wine into the glasses, then rubbed my hands together, deciding what to tell her. I settled on a half-truth. “Someone broke into my house, trashed everything, and my cat is gone.” My voice shattered on the last word, and I silently prayed she wouldn’t force me to go into the gory details. “I didn’t want to stay here alone.”

She frowned. “What the hell, Trinity? That’s crazy.” She paused, then her eyes widened. “Wait. What do you mean Max is gone? Gone as in missing or gone as in dead?”

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes for a second, fighting back tears. “He’s dead, but I can’t talk about that right now,” I pleaded, my voice low and urgent. “Not yet. Okay?”