Chapter 11
SAVANNAH
I woke up warm and sore, tucked against the solid heat of Kane’s chest. His arm was slung over my waist, and his steady breath stirred my hair with every exhale.
For a moment, I didn’t move. Just listened to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat and tried to figure out how the heck I was supposed to keep my head straight when he made me feel like I belonged here with him.
Like I was his.
And maybe I was. In every way that counted. Especially after giving him my virginity. He’d certainly demanded I say it enough…but it might’ve just been in the heat of the moment.
But I couldn’t forget why I was really here. No matter how possessive his touch was. Or how raw and consuming last night had been. And how easily I melted under the weight of his body or the heat of his stare. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t used a condom when we had sex.
Today was day ten.
That was how long Kane had said he was giving my brother to give him what he wanted. Or he’d keep me—which felt like it meant something completely different now. At least I hoped it did.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself as I gently shifted out from under his arm. His brows furrowed, and he made a soft sound of protest in his sleep, but he didn’t wake. I snagged his tee from the floor, tugged it over my head, and padded into the bathroom to splash water on my face.
When I came back into the room, Kane was awake and sitting up, the sheet barely covering his hips. My pulse tripped over itself at the sight of his bare chest and messy hair, but I forced myself to focus.
“We need to talk.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, instantly on alert. “About what?”
I walked to the foot of the bed and wrapped my arms around myself, heart racing. “Today’s the tenth day.”
He didn’t flinch. “It is.”
“I know that you think my brother is a dirty cop who’s done something to cross you.” I licked my lips. “But I need you to look deeper. Please.”
He didn’t answer right away. Just stared at me like he was waiting for more.
So I gave it to him.
“I’m sure you have reasons. Some kind of proof. But you don’t know my brother like I do. He’s always followed the rules. There’s no way he’s dirty.”
“There’s a fuck ton of evidence that says you’re wrong.” Kane’s jaw flexed. “Maybe you don’t know your brother as well as you think, and he’s exactly who I think he is.”
I refused to believe that. “What if someone set him up to make it look like he was involved in something he wasn’t?”
Kane shook his head, an apologetic gleam in his green eyes. “We haven’t found a damn thing to make us think that’s what’s going on here.”
“Then let me prove it.” I stepped closer. “Please.”
He rubbed a hand down his face and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “You’re asking a lot, Savannah.”
“I know.” I moved to the space between his knees and looked him in the eye. “But you’re not the kind of man who’d let an innocent person take the fall for something they didn’t do.”
His hands settled on my hips. His grip was firm, and for a second, I thought he might push me away. Instead, he pulled me in.
“I’ll consider it,” he finally offered, his voice low and reluctant.
I sagged in relief. “Thank you.”
“Not promisin’ anything, baby,” he warned.
“I know.” I threw my arms around his neck without thinking, hugging him tightly. “Whatever you find, I want to be part of it. I need to know the truth too.”
He didn’t say anything else, but I felt the shift in him. His hand curled around the nape of my neck. For the first time since Kane kidnapped me, I felt hope.
I took the physical comfort he offered, leaning into his embrace and enjoying the feel of his strong arms around me.
Finally, I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. “All the studying I’ve done has made me really good at catching details other people miss.”
His fingers traced down my spine. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“Now that you’ve said you’ll actually think about it?” I shook my head with a grin. “Nope.”
Kane studied me for a long, tense moment. I waited, my heart pounding.
He sighed and captured my mouth in a deep kiss. I thought for sure that he’d done it to distract me, which definitely worked. So I was surprised when he lifted his head and murmured, “Come on. We’ll see if Jax could use help with anything.”
“Jax?” I echoed as I straightened.
“He’s our tech guy.”
He stood, and the sheet dropped to the mattress, giving me an eyeful of his big dick.
I totally lost the ability to think. All I could do was stare at his erection and wonder if it’d be better to climb back into bed with him instead of going downstairs.
Even though Kane was giving me exactly what I’d literally begged for, the memory of what he could do with his thick shaft had me second-guessing if it could wait.
That was how much I’d enjoyed myself in bed with him last night.
After tugging on a pair of boxer briefs, Kane wiped his thumb against the corner of my mouth and teased, “Think you have a little drool there.”
“Whatever.” I playfully swatted his chest before grabbing some clothes and heading into the bathroom to get ready.
When I came back out and he saw that I’d kept his discarded shirt on, his eyes gleamed with approval. “Ready?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Kane grabbed his cut off the back of the chair and headed for the door. I rushed to follow him, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
A few guys nodded as we passed, and I caught snippets of conversation and laughter from one of the open rooms. Kane finally stopped in front of a closed door and rapped his knuckles against the hard surface.
A voice barked, “It’s open!”
He interlaced our fingers, then pushed the door open.
The man seated at the desk swiveled his chair toward us, his gaze curious as it landed on me. “Hey, Prez. Need something?”
“You got anything Savannah can help with?”
Jax blinked. “What kinda help?”
Kane stepped into the room, tugging me with him. “She’s smart. Detail-oriented. And highly motivated since she wants to prove us wrong about her brother.”
“You serious?” Jax adjusted his glasses, then gave me a long once-over. “No offense, sweetheart, but I’m not sure I want you anywhere near my machines.”
Kane’s voice dropped into something dangerous. “You done?”
Jax held up his hands in mock surrender. “All right, all right. You’re the boss. Just don’t blame me if this turns into a dumpster fire.”
I stepped closer to one of the screens, where several files were open. Arrest records. Internal memos. I spotted my brother’s name in the header of one.
Luck was on my side because the date jumped out at me.
“Something is off about this report,” I murmured, pointing at it. “Devon’s shift was over at seven, but this says the suspect was booked almost a full hour later.”
“Maybe he got stuck on a call that put him into overtime,” Jax suggested as he ran a hand through his short hair before grabbing a baseball cap from his desk and putting it on backward.
I shook my head. “No, he had dinner at my apartment that night. We were eating spaghetti and meatballs when this arrest happened.”
Jax frowned and clicked through a few more files. “Shit. That’s a good catch.”
Kane stepped in closer behind me, reading over my shoulder. His hand brushed the small of my back, grounding me. Or maybe branding me.
“She’s right,” Jax muttered, tapping his keyboard faster. “And look here—this signature line is blank. Whoever filed it forgot to finish the paperwork.”
“That happen often?” I asked.
“Never. Not with this guy.”
Kane’s hand tightened slightly on my lower back. “Keep going.”
Jax glanced at me, this time with something closer to respect. “You might actually be able to help.”
A swell of pride rose in my chest. “Guess all those late nights of studying are finally worth something. Especially since I don’t even know if you’re going to let me leave to take my exam.”
Kane didn’t respond right away. His eyes were on the screen, but I felt the shift in the air between us.
“We’ll figure it out,” he finally said. “But you’re not leaving this compound until I know you won’t get hurt.”
I nodded slowly, heart thudding. It wasn’t a promise but felt like the closest thing to one.
Now all we had to do was find out the truth—and hope it proved me right about Devon.