Chapter 34
T he crash that had alerted us to Adam’s PTSD-induced, sleepwalking episode had been a door opening...
By way of Adam kicking it down.
Asher had surprisingly—and mercifully—appeared wholly unaffected by the sight of his destroyed door. He’d just inspected it, then given a little huff that I assumed was his version of a laugh as he’d glanced at Adam and said, “Brings back memories.”
With nothing more than a pat on Adam’s shoulder, he’d asked, “Dinner?” before walking away.
Then again, the irritable man who seemed to live in tactical pants and tees also chartered jets and booked trips to Aruba as a diversion. So, I guessed replacing a door wasn’t that big of a deal for him.
The fact that it happened at all was a very big deal for Adam.
It was evident in how silent and tense he stayed all throughout us driving to Huntley Square and eating. But then the Shadow team received a group text that sent a shockwave of uncertainty and alarm rippling through every one of them. The reaction so palpable, it had chills rising on my arms.
“Who’s that?” Mallory demanded.
“His mom,” Asher and Cameron answered at the same time.
“What does this—” Hudson paused and looked around the table. “That doesn’t mean...”
“They weren’t in,” Adam said, simultaneously leaning forward and wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me closer while I tried to figure out what they were talking about. But when Adam continued, my confusion only grew.
“I looked into them after everything happened a few months back. His dad was in their pocket—that’s all.”
Asher released a frustrated sigh and tossed his phone onto the table. “He’s almost here,” he muttered, as if informing the team of something else, then pointed at the dark screen of his phone and focused on Adam. “That isn’t what the picture looks like.”
Adam held out his free hand, then let it fall to the table with a thud. “I looked into them.”
“Not saying you didn’t,” Asher said placatingly.
“Briggs is just saying they might’ve been more involved than we realized,” Cameron explained for Asher.
I shared a look with Lainey and was grateful to see I wasn’t the only one completely lost in their rapid conversation.
“We have evidence of Corporal Evans using Wells’ personal car,” Cameron began, making my stomach knot when I realized this was about Beau’s dad—again. When he continued, he sounded only partly unsure of himself. “Wells wouldn’t let just anyone use his car. Maybe the Evanses were in deep with them for a long time but never fully got in so Corporal Evans could slip through unnoticed.”
Asher considered it for a moment before mumbling, “It’s possible. Either way”—he gestured to his phone again—“this doesn’t just happen for anyone.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever been more curious about a text in my life.
“What’d Evans say?” Adam asked after a beat of tension-filled silence. Jerking his chin toward Asher’s phone, he clarified, “You said he’s almost here. So, what’d he say?”
“Just asked where we went,” Asher answered as he glanced quickly around the open square. “He must’ve gone back to the house.”
When he twisted to talk quietly with Lainey, I took the opportunity to ask Adam, “What’s going on?”
His head shifted my way, his gaze sweeping over my face again and again before he sat back so we were side by side. Grabbing his phone, he unlocked it, showing me the text thread he’d been on. With a tap, he enlarged the photo they’d received.
I looked at the handful of people in the photo, wondering if I was missing something so incredibly obvious, because they were just standing around talking.
From the way they were standing, it was possible it was two sets of couples talking with a woman, but I couldn’t be sure of that, considering one of the men was gently and affectionately holding that woman’s arm.
Just as I was about to ask what I was looking at, Adam pointed at the picture. “That’s Evans’ mom. That’s the boss and underboss of the Wreckers, and their wives.”
Oh.
“Question,” Hudson said suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. “This scare from our ARCK friends...does it have a time limit on it? Or are we cleared from any Wrecker dealings for life? Because we know we’re safe from the corporal and Vance’s deaths—sorry, Nerd.” He tossed me a look that appeared vaguely sympathetic, but it was the tightening of Adam’s hand on my waist that fortified my mask in place, all while that ridiculous, hidden part of me wrenched and ached. “But this won’t be our last Donut involving Wreckers. So, what happens the next time we do something to stop them or save one of their wives?”
As the rest of the team considered and discussed, I let my gaze dart around to the people walking between shops in the square and ordering food from the trucks near our table.
Weekdays had much less traffic than the weekends, and the after-work rush was only just starting to pour into the large square to enjoy the many things this adorable part of Huntley had to offer, but I was still surprised at how freely Hudson and the others were using the mafia family’s name.
I would’ve thought that was something people only uttered in fearful whispers or in the confines of safe places—like homes or businesses. Not out in the open. But what did I know? Suspense books had probably ruined me for the real world just as much as romance books had.
My fingers trailed over the well-loved cover of the hardback resting beside me and curled around the spine just as Adam tipped his head close to whisper, “What are you thinking about?”
The curve of my lips shifted into something softer, less practiced, and much more genuine when he brushed a kiss to the sensitive spot beneath my ear. “That I might read too much.”
A hushed laugh left him and vibrated against my skin before he placed another kiss there. “Then why are you grabbing your book?”
“To read,” I said impishly as I brought the book in front of my waist.
Amusement hummed from him, only to abruptly end. “That isn’t what you’ve been reading.”
I glanced at him, my brows lifting. “Surprised you noticed what I’ve been reading.”
He gave me a look like I should’ve known he was paying attention to everything I was doing, then tipped his chin toward the book. “Where’d you get this?”
“My bag.” At the surprise on his own face, I informed him, “The only time I go anywhere with only one book is when I know I can easily grab another. Plane rides and ‘Aruba’ require preparation.”
“Of course,” he whispered, but the tease in his voice died as his stare darted past me and narrowed seconds before someone dropped to the bench beside me and said, “Aruba.”
I’d jolted into Adam the instant I felt the bench shift, but my head snapped toward the rough voice when he echoed the place I’d just been talking about.
My shoulders sagged when I found Beau, looking like the weight of the world was bearing down on his shoulders, head bobbing quickly. “You really booked those rooms, yeah?”
“What happened with your mom?” Asher asked instead, but Beau’s head just started shaking.
“Did you actually book rooms at the resort?” Beau asked again, tone holding an edge that showed just how close he was to breaking.
Asher drew in a deep breath, then released it with the words, “I did. Now, what happened?”
“So, why aren’t we there?” Beau asked. “Why are we here when you’ve already paid for everything? When we could be gone?”
“Evans,” Cameron began softly, and Beau snapped.
Slamming his hand on the table and seething, “Get me away from here. Get me away from—” His jaw ticked as he fought some unseen battle. “She knew. My mom knew what really happened with my dad and why. And I—” A sound of desperation and loathing built in his chest.
When he continued, his words were softer and darker than before as he spoke directly to Asher. “My entire life has been a lie. My dad and grandpa were in law enforcement for a reason . They wanted me to follow in their steps for a reason . I thought my dad was disappointed when I started working for you after the academy, but apparently, it was more than that because he’d failed in one of his assignments. He was allowed to let it go for a while because they knew I could be used against you .”
Asher didn’t say anything for over a minute as he studied Beau. The open air around us felt thick and suffocating as everyone digested Beau’s words—probably much faster than I did, to be honest. Then again, to my credit, I was a little stunned because this was more than I’d heard Beau talk in the weeks I’d known him combined. But I thought I got it...maybe.
Beau came from a family of dirty, mafia-friendly cops. Right? Right.
Yikes.
“How’d you find all this out?” Asher finally asked.
“They told me,” Beau nearly shouted as if he thought it had been obvious. “‘It’s time,’” he quoted on a scoff. “Like I’m just expected to fall into line now that my dad’s gone.”
At that, Asher glanced at Adam expectantly, only to ask Beau, “What do you need from us?”
“Just get me away from here,” he nearly begged.
“What you’re wanting...” Asher’s head slanted. “A vacation doesn’t last forever. You’d still be coming back to the same issues.”
A twisted kind of laugh wrenched from Beau as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Yeah, but I’ll miss having to stand next to my mom and pretend like my dad was a good guy when everyone from the department comes to pay their respects. I’ll miss having to pretend all the key members of the mafia aren’t at his funeral, keeping my mom standing and waiting for a different answer from me.”
“And you’ll miss his funeral,” Asher said pointedly as if wanting to make sure Beau thought that part through.
Beau swallowed thickly, his head moving ever so subtly. “If he’d been the man I thought he was, you wouldn’t be able to pull me away from that house or keep me from that funeral for anything, but he wasn’t.” His hands curled into fists on top of the table. “He and my mom made their choices. I’m making mine. But I need...I need to get away from here. I don’t care where I go, just let me go so I can forget. At least for a little while.”
Silence once again engulfed the bubble we were in as Asher thought before tipping his head toward where Lainey was snuggling Kaia close. “What do you think of Aruba?” he asked her.
The corners of Lainey’s mouth tipped up, but she still narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve heard this before.”
“I already paid for it,” he said in lighthearted defense.
Her smile widened. “In that case . . . when do we leave?”
“Everyone pack,” he said without looking away from Lainey. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”
Shock stole through me, making my mouth pop open before I could snap it shut because I had also heard this before. Twice.
Twisting to face Adam, I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Aruba for real , for real this time?”
His handsome face lit with amusement that almost managed to mask his worry for Beau. “How many books are you bringing?”
“All my favorites,” I said without hesitation, forcing a hushed laugh from him that was still dancing on his lips when he captured my own. Stealing a kiss that was soft and slow and had wings unfurling in my stomach as the world around us faded away.
I inhaled softly when he nipped at my bottom lip, then looked up to find golden eyes on me. His voice was a low, rumbling promise when he said, “Looking forward to it.”