A Dirty Business (Kings of New York #1)(55)

“We’re not doing this.” She was trying to be all assertive, putting her coffee back in the cup holder in her car before starting the engine.

I waited until we were in traffic. Less chance she’d punch the gas or hit the brakes when we were merging. “So you’re keeping it?”

“You’re not going to stop, are you?”

“I’ve asked two questions.”

She made a growling sound as she flicked on the turn signal and zoomed into the other lane. “You better not have said anything to Leo. I’m aware you two are like family, but he’s my team leader too.”

My grin wiped clean. “That means you’re thinking of not keeping it?”

I wasn’t referring to the baby as “the baby” out of respect for my partner. Val was all or nothing, so the fact that I even knew about the little beanpole said she was keeping it. She’d probably decided in the back of her mind the second she’d suspected, but Val needed time to come to grips with her decision. It was how she handled everything in her life. Having a kid tended to change things for us, and I wasn’t meaning with our jobs. I’d watched other females have kids. They became human. I didn’t think Val was ready to be human.

Another frustrated growl as she hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand before settling down. She grumbled, “I don’t know, okay? I just want to keep it quiet for a while. I’m cool with you knowing. You can keep your mouth shut, but Jesus. Can you imagine if someone else found out? Travis?” She shuddered. “Just fuck me like a trucker, why don’t you? It’d be all over the office in two minutes. He’d do a fucking TikTok about it.”

“Tell me about Reyo instead.”

She rolled her eyes, another grumble leaving her. “What’s there to say?”

“You two got it on that night at the wedding?”

She got quiet. “Yeah.”

“He must have stamina.”

She snorted, a slow smile lifting on her face. “Fuck you. You know he does if I went back.”

I grinned back. “He seems like a good partner.”

She glanced at me when I used that word but sighed. “He is. He’s like a young eager beaver. Fucking cute with his little dimples in his cheeks too.”

I was not touching that one because I’d witnessed the guy smiling. He did not have dimples in the only set of cheeks I wanted to see on him.

“Oh, Jesus. Fuck me twisted. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

I was. There were two guys walking on the sidewalk, walking within distance of a school, and one of those guys wasn’t supposed to be within a certain distance of any school. She veered over and pulled into the parking lot just ahead of them, and then we were out of the car. One of those parolees was hers, and he was a sex offender.

“Mr. Bartram, why are you within walking distance of that elementary school just a block away?”

“Oh, hey, Officer Hartman.”

Our day had officially started.





CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT


TRACE


I was in the back of my SUV, parked a block from my uncle’s place, since that meeting he’d wanted the other day was happening now. I wasn’t able to push it off anymore, but I was here and it was nighttime and I’d not heard from Jess all day. She’d called last night but hung up.

That’s when the back door opened and a body slid inside, real quick-like and stealthy.

I started to reach for my own gun when her face turned my way, and I expelled a ragged breath.

“Jess.”

Jess was in all black. I was assuming for camouflage since it was dark. She’d gotten the jump on the guys, and my privacy divider was still in place.

“Mr. West?” That was Demetri. He was the driver tonight.

Pajn was out of the car, and as he opened her door from the outside, I was pressing the intercom button.

Jess had her gun out. It wasn’t pointed at Pajn, but it was out.

She was feeling on edge, vulnerable.

I spoke into the intercom. “It’s fine.” I let go of the intercom button, giving a nod to Pajn, who eased back and returned to the front seat.

Jess shot me a dark look before reaching and pulling her door shut.

“We’re beyond that.” I looked down at her gun, which was still drawn. “Also, I know guns. Your safety is on.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she holstered her weapon.

“Why’d you call last night?”

Her jaw tightened.

I tensed, waiting . . .

A sigh from her. “Why does it matter?”

I made sure my tone was soft. “It matters to me. You matter to me.”

I didn’t know why she sought me out. I’m sure there was a reason, but she didn’t look ready to confess to it. Instead, I was going my route.

“Why’d you call, Jess?”

Her head lowered, but she didn’t turn to me. She remained facing the door. “It’s family, right? That’s our code for ‘shitty situations.’”

She was giving me something.

I wanted more. I needed more.

I asked, “What happened?”

“Just . . . my mom being her usual bitch self. She called.”

Right. Some of my tension shifted to sympathy. A slice of pain went through me. “When you looked me up, did the file have what happened with my own mother?”