Page 92 of Creed

“Why?”

“Just do it, Devin. You know, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

As I stood there, trying to make sense of what he was asking and why, it hit me. He didn’t even blink when I told him that Brian threatened to take the kids. “You knew… You knew he’d threatened to take them.”

Again, no reaction.

He stood there staring back at me.

“But how?”

“Just promise me that you will keep your distance, and if he tries to pull anything, you call me. Not the cops. Not your folks.Me.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

“I don’t want any of this, but it’s the cards we’ve been dealt and I’m playing to win.”

I wanted to push and ask that he tell me everything, but the look in his eyes said he was already dealing with enough. I didn’t want to add to whatever he was dealing with. So, I nodded and asked, “Do you have time to come by the house? I could fix a bite to eat or…”

“I wish I could, but I’ve gotta get back to the clubhouse.”

“I understand.” I reached out and placed my palm on his chest. “When will I see you again?”

His jaw tensed as he looked away, and for a moment, I thought he might lie and say something just to appease me. But when his eyes found mine again, I found only truth there. “I’m not sure. We’ve got a lot going on, but I’ll call or text when I can.”

“Okay.”

He reached up and placed his hand under my jaw, pulling me towards him for another kiss. I closed my eyes and let his touch push back the fear and uncertainty rushing through my mind. After a moment, he lowered his mouth to my ear, and I felt the warmth of his breath on my neck when he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

It was soft but desperate, like he was trying to memorize the feel of me, like he didn’t know when he’d get to touch me again. I kissed him back, hoping it would be enough to keep him there just a second longer.

But then, he inevitably pulled away. “I’ll call you.”

I nodded, then held back my tears as I watched him walk over to his bike. And then he was gone, and the emptiness I felt in that moment nearly swallowed me whole. When I couldn’t stand it a second longer, I got in my car and drove home.

When I walked in, the house was quiet. The kids were in their rooms,

watching TV and playing video games, so I used the time alone to make dinner and to pull my shit together. I was done with the pity party.

If Brian wanted a fight, I’d give him one, and I wouldn’t have to do it alone. I didn’t just have my folks. I had Jameson, and he would do everything in his power to make sure me and the kids were taken care of.

That thought sparked another.

I might have the means to help Jameson and the brothers, or at least, try to. I’d spent almost twenty years on the force. I had some connections, and some of them owed me and they owed me big. It was time for me to make good on them.

I picked up my phone and started making a few calls.

It didn’t take long to discover that Brian was behind the investigation against Fury, and he had little to no evidence that they were involved in trafficking or anything else for that matter.

I had no idea how he’d managed to get a judge to approve the search warrant. He must’ve pulled a lot of strings, but it got him nowhere. They didn’t find a single thing. But I knew Brian well enough to know that wouldn’t stop him from pushing forward.

I feared if he managed to get a search warrant for the clubhouse, he would do whatever it took to make sure they foundsomething, even if it meant planting it there. Brian was known as a good, standup cop. He’d solved a lot of tough cases and put a lot of bad people behind bars. Everyone believed that he was a man who always played by the rules, and maybe he did.

But there were times when I had my suspicions that he didn’t.

The man didn’t like to be proven wrong, and because of that, he solved case after case. Everyone thought of him as a hero. I didn’t. I knew better.