Chapter 27
Monica was stunned when Kane took her hand. The kiss had rocked her and had her still tingling in places she shouldn’t admit out loud, but this…this was more intimate.
A kiss could be an impulse, but a man like Kane choosing to hold hands? That was deliberate. And she’d bet every penny she had that he wasn’t the hand-holding type.
Kane opened the door and guided her inside, still holding on. The house itself looked new, but inside it was bare, with just a couch, two recliners, and no personal items that she could see. Val stood in the kitchen, talking to another tall guy who was watching them with a smirk.
Both men were handsome, annoyingly so, but neither came close to Kane. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on his hand as they walked over.
“You must be Monica,” the man she didn’t know said. He shot Kane that same smirk before adding, “I’m Charger.”
She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she felt the tension rolling off Kane like a warning.
She felt like there was some inside joke she was a part of.
Deciding to rely on her smartass side, she smirked back at him, then looked around at the nearly empty house. “Nice place you’ve got here, Charger.”
Val’s grin widened. “Beautiful with sass. And for the record, I think my new favorite color is blue.”
Monica held back an eye roll. “You use that line on every woman with blue eyes?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.
“If it works,” Val shrugged.
“It doesn’t,” she informed him flatly.
Charger laughed hard. “Damn, Kane. Gorgeous and quick. Not usually your type.”
Kane sighed but gave Monica a look as if apologizing for his friends before turning his attention back to Charger. “Okay. What was so important that you dragged me here and risked blowing my cover?”
“Your cover sucks,” Charger shot back.
“My fault,” Monica said, wiggling her fingers in mock guilt.
“Oh, I know,” Charger raised one brow at her before turning serious. “King’s on his way. Says it’s something we need to hear, and he doesn’t sound happy.”
Kane finally let go of her hand to grab two beers from the fridge. The loss hit way harder than it should have. When he came back and handed her one, she wondered if it was him who actually lived here. Realizing she knew very little about this man, she frowned.
“Thanks,” she said quietly, not asking the dozen questions sitting on her tongue. Later. She’d ask later, when they were alone.
The door swung open, and more tall men filled the space—along with a stunning woman who beelined straight to Charger and kissed him like she owned him.
Monica quickly looked away, only to find King pinning her with a stare.
The same stare he’d given her at the hospital.
She offered a small smile. He didn’t give one back.
Her stomach clenched painfully. Did he still think she had something to do with Joey? The idea made her sick. King stalked toward her, his expression dark. She instinctively stepped closer to Kane.
“I’m sorry for the loss of your sister,” King said, and surprisingly, she knew he meant it.
Monica let go of the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you.”
“Whoa, who’s this?” another ridiculously handsome man asked as he approached.
“Back off, Creed,” Kane snapped, voice dropping an entire octave.
Creed lifted his hands, but the look he gave her said he’d be back the second Kane wasn’t blocking him. “No worries. I’ll just wait until you’re done with her.”
Everything exploded at once.
Kane lunged before Monica even processed the insult. Chaos erupted with men grabbing, cursing, and pulling them apart. Monica felt a hand tug her backward and turned to see the tall woman smiling as if this were all perfectly normal.
“Don’t worry. This happens a lot. Pretty much normal,” the woman said. “I’m Raven. And hey… I heard about your sister, Monica. I’m really sorry. We’re going to find who did this to her and make them pay.”
“We?” Monica repeated, thrown off.
“Yeah, we,” Raven said just as Kane and Charger rejoined them. Kane still looked like he wanted to murder Creed. “You’re not alone in this.”
Those words hit Monica like a punch. For so long, she had been alone—fighting, questioning, and searching. Hearing someone say they were standing with her made her knees feel unsteady. Guilt suddenly hit her hard. Maybe she should’ve trusted Kane a long damn time ago.
“King,” Charger barked, shooting Kane and Creed twin death glares, “what’s so urgent it couldn’t be a text? I’m not cleaning blood off the floors again, so get on with it so these guys can get the hell out.”
“Again?” Monica whispered to Raven.
“Normal,” Raven murmured the reminder with a pat to her arm.
King pulled something from his back pocket and tossed a rolled-up newspaper onto the kitchen island.
“Daniel came to me last night,” King said. “Told me Griffen was dead. Said to watch the papers. This is today’s.”
“Who’s Daniel?” Monica asked, confused.
“That,” Val muttered, “is the question of the damn year.”
Kane unrolled the paper and turned it toward Monica. Her stomach plummeted. John Griffen’s photo stared back at her above a headline she didn’t want to read.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “He was found in the same area as my sister… in the river.”
Kane’s arm immediately came around her, solid and steady, while her insides crumbled. “Any leads?” Kane asked.
“Nothing yet,” King said. “Sloan and Duncan are on it.” Then his gaze locked on Monica. “Do you know anyone who might have taken Griffen out?”
“The only person who comes to mind is my new boss,” Monica said before she could filter it. She looked at Kane. “I think you’re right. Something’s off with Farrar. I still haven’t gotten anything about where I’m supposed to go tomorrow. No contact since he called the day of Beverly’s funeral.”
“He called the day you buried your sister?” Raven hissed. “What an asshole.”
“He actually showed up at her visitation, talking to me about this new job and informing me that Griffen sold the business, but was starting a new one, and he was now my boss.” Monica frowned, still angry that he decided the day of her sister’s visitation was the best day to inform her of all this.
Seriously, who did that? Her eyes went back to the paper lying open with Griffen’s eyes staring at her. A killer, that’s who.
“Well, even if he’s not part of all this, he still needs his ass kicked,” Val frowned, glaring at the paper.
Should I call him?” Monica asked Kane. He didn’t look thrilled. “I mean, I start tomorrow. If I don’t reach out, it’ll look suspicious.”
“Makes sense,” Raven agreed, folding her arms. “I agree with her.”
Kane glared at Monica like she’d suggested walking into traffic. “I still think you working for him is a bad idea, especially since we know he’s the one who's been having you followed.”
“But he doesn’t know we know,” Charger pointed out.
“And if he doesn’t mention Griffen on the call,” Raven added, “that’s basically confirmation this whole thing is a setup.”
The room fell silent, heavy and tense.
“Call him,” Kane nodded, then frowned. “On speaker.”
Monica pulled out her phone, searched for the missed call, and then hit it before turning it to speaker. Ringing filled the room as everyone stared at her phone except for Kane. His eyes were on her. After about five rings, the voicemail came on. It was Farrar’s voice and then the beep.
“Mr. Farrar, this is Monica Vail. I’m sorry I missed your call, but that was the day of my sister’s funeral.
” Her jaw tightened, but she forced politeness through her teeth.
“Again, I apologize. I hope I haven’t hurt my chances with the new company.
I really need this job. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you.”
She hung up, pulse thrumming.
“And now we wait,” Charger muttered, glancing around the room like waiting was a sport he planned to win.
Monica didn’t answer. She stared down at her phone like it might bite, her stomach twisting with a mix of dread and fury. She finally lifted her eyes.
Kane was watching her closely, intensely, like he could read every thought she was trying to bury. His fists were clenched at his sides, like he was barely holding himself back from taking that phone and dealing with Farrar his own way. And a part of her wanted to let him do just that.