Chapter Six #2
Normally, I didn’t like going in without extensive planning, but we had Rourke with us and he wouldn’t sacrifice himself. If there was danger and Rourke knew, we’d know.
We made our way from the car on foot. The street was empty except for a dog walker and a pair of kids on bikes, not paying attention to anything but each other. Rourke led us in through the side entrance. The lock buzzed and we were inside.
I watched Rourke the entire way up the stairs while Kass led the way with Finch covering our back.
When we reached Denton’s floor, Rourke hesitated at the door, then opened it with a second keycard. Again, Kass took point inside the apartment, checking the place carefully before giving us the all clear. Finch stayed behind Rourke, gripping his upper arm like a vise.
The condo was expensive but impersonal. No family photos or anything to say I live here. The master bedroom in the back overlooked the river. Just as Rourke promised, we found the safe behind a fake panel in the closet.
Rourke knelt and spun the dial several times, fingers steady now that he was doing something mechanical.
When he yanked the handle, the safe opened with a soft click.
Inside, we found bundles of cash, two pistols, and a stack of passports with different names and faces, all Denton’s.
More interesting was a steel lockbox, small and heavy.
Rourke pulled it out and set it on the bed.
“Open it,” I said.
“I don’t know the code.” Rourke picked the box up and studied the keypad.
“Guess.”
He shot me an annoyed look. “I can try, but I’m not a lock pick.
” Still, he studied the keypad. “Though…” He squinted before finally punching in a code.
The lock opened and Rourke snorted out a derisive laugh.
“Should have known. Fucker uses the same code for everything. Has as long as I’ve known him. ”
We bagged everything, then I scanned the area one more time. “Is this everything?” I asked.
Rourke nodded, eager. “Every time Denton made a deal, it went in there. That’s his whole business. And before you make the observation, yes. He’s stupid enough to use the same passcode or pin number for literally everything. Even something this important.”
I turned to Kass. “If we’re attacked before we get out of here, Rourke dies first, no matter how big or small the attack. If any of this isn’t accurate, and I even suspect he misled us on purpose, he dies then, too.”
“Understood.” Kass gave Rourke a hard look.
We left the condo and walked back to the car. I called Knight.
“You got something for me?” Knight’s voice was neutral, but I heard the fatigue in it. He’d given his all in this, helping more than his fair share. Knight was an invaluable part of my team and Kiss of Death.
“That’s what I want you to determine. I hope I have what is a comprehensive record of Denton’s trades.”
There was a brief silence. “Say that again?”
“You heard me, Knight. I’ll send a couple of my men to you with this.”
“Make a copy of everything you can,” he interrupted.
“Already on it. I’ve taken pictures I’ll send to you while you wait. Kass is dealing with the thumb drive, but you’ll have it in a couple of hours.”
“I’ll keep in touch with Kass.”
“I appreciate your help, Knight. Please give my love to Brynn and Lavender.”
“Brynn got the gaming chair you sent a couple weeks ago.”
I smiled. “Kid’s got more heart than most men I know. She did her post-op rehab like a boss. She also sent me an email thanking me.”
“You catch this son of a bitch, Tonio. He’s preying on women in this city.”
“Oh, I’ll catch him. When I do, there’ll be a reckoning.”
It took the rest of the day and the better part of the night to clean up from our activities.
I was fucking tired, but I still had some loose ends to tie up.
By the time I got back to the house, it was four in the morning.
The lights inside the living area were all off except the one over the stove.
The kitchen glowed with weak yellow light, but the rest of the house sat dark and silent.
I walked through the kitchen to the bar and poured myself a scotch. I needed to shower, but I thought I might need the alcohol worse at the moment. The pull to check on Tessa was almost a compulsion but I resisted.
Taking half an hour, I forced myself to my own suite for that shower. There was no reason to rush to the woman. Tessa was likely asleep anyway.
Once I dried and dressed, I padded barefoot down the hallway to Tessa’s room. I started to just open the door, but I didn’t want to do that unless she gave me permission. So I raised my hand to knock. To my surprise, the door opened before I could.
She started, obviously not expecting me to be on the other side of the door. I thought I saw the briefest flash of hurt before her expression blanked. “You’re back.”
I looked up and nodded. “Just got in.”
She looked away from me, crossing to the sink and filling a glass of water. I waited while she took a healthy drink before dumping the rest in the sink. The tension running through her was nearly palpable. “Did you get him?” she asked.
“We’ll see, but I think we got what we needed.”
“Good.” She nodded, jaw tight as she looked away.
“I thought you’d leave a note or something.
” I paused, the comment catching me by surprise.
She must have taken my silence as censure because she tried to smile and wave off her comment.
“I didn’t really expect you to do that. I misspoke.
” I knew I’d hurt her, but she’d never admit it.
“You’re right,” I said. “I should have left a note.”
She turned back to me, surprise flickering across her face before she could mask it. “It’s fine. Really.”
“No.” I moved closer, keeping my movements slow. “It’s not fine. You needed my reassurance after what we shared, and I should have realized you’d want to know.”
She shrugged, but her gaze dropped to the floor. “We don’t exactly have a relationship, Antonio. You don’t owe me explanations.”
The words stung more than they should have.
I wanted to tell her that we did have something, but the exhaustion of the night and the weight of feelings I didn’t fully understand made the words stick in my throat.
Instead, I reached for her, my fingers brushing against her cheek.
She didn’t pull away, but her eyes remained downcast.
“Look at me, Tessa.” She lifted her gaze, and I saw everything she’d been trying to hide.
The hurt. The fear of being forgotten. The way she’d convinced herself she didn’t matter enough to warrant a Goddamn Post-it note.
What I saw in her expression now was so far removed from the spitfire I knew her to be it nearly broke my heart.
I never wanted Tessa to feel like she was less than the beautiful, brave warrior she was.
She should know how important she was and how much she deserved to have everything that made her happy.
“You matter,” I said. “To me. You matter.” The words came out rougher than I intended, but I meant every syllable.
“I should have told you where I was going. That’s on me.
” I stared at her for a long moment, letting her see I meant what I said. “That’s not a mistake I’ll make again.”
She swallowed hard, her throat working around whatever she wanted to say but couldn’t. Her eyes glistened, and I watched her fight back the tears back.
“Don’t do that,” I said, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw. “Don’t swallow your feelings. For any reason.”
“I’m not --” she started, then stopped. Her lips pressed together, and a single tear escaped, tracking down her cheek before she could catch it.
I caught it instead, wiping it away with my thumb.
“You are. And it’s bullshit.” She lifted her gaze, and the vulnerability in those copper eyes nearly gutted me.
“I don’t know what this is between us,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.
“But I know it’s not nothing.” I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
“Go back to bed. I can stay with you if you like, or I’ll see you in the morning. ”
She shook her head. “No. I’m good.” She really wasn’t and we both knew it. She paused at her bedroom door before looking at me over her shoulder. “You know, I’m not afraid of you, Antonio Miles. I know I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating.”
“I know you’re not. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe I’m afraid of you?”
That seemed to catch her off guard. She jerked, a shocked look on her face.
Then she stiffened and turned, retreating to her bedroom.
I knew I needed to send her back to her sister once this was all taken care of.
But she didn’t want me to. Not really. Tessa didn’t want the power or the money that came with being my woman.
And that was the problem. She saw beyond any glitz and glamour and knew exactly what I was.
More, I thought Tessa might prefer my ruthless side to any billionaire playboy persona I pretended to have in public.
Tess saw the real me in a way no one ever had other than my father.
I knew I had to come to terms with the fact I couldn’t keep Tessa at arm’s length when she kept closing the gap between us herself.
As I stood there, the shut door to her bedroom between us, I understood I had no strategy for a woman who simply refused to be managed.
And that not having a plan should have terrified me a great deal more than it did.