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Chapter Twenty-Six

JOSHUA

She stares at me, her lips pressing into a thin line like she’s not sure what to say.

I back out of the driveway and turn onto the street, waiting for her to break the tension.

It’s choking in the car, and I can’t breathe. The hand that’s been wrapped around my chest for days tightens.

Skyla clears her throat. “What do you have to tell me?”

My knuckles turn white as I grip the wheel, heading back to the penthouse, though it’s going to be a slow trip with all the traffic out on a Friday night.

I merge with a lane, trying to think of the words to say to her.

As honest as I want to be, I know that she’s not going to see me the same once I tell her what I’ve been hiding.

Her family may be as fucked up as they come, but even they have limits.

She reaches out and puts her hand on my thigh, her thumb brushing up and down. “I just walked out on my family for you. You need to tell me the truth, and then we can start to move past everything. Or figure out how to rebuild from this shitstorm that seems to keep coming our way.”

I clear my throat, glancing over at the harsh shadows cast across her face from the neon lights shining in the windows.

How do you tell someone the worst parts about yourself?

How do you show them all that darkness and then hope that they don’t leave?

If I tell her the truth and she wants to leave me, I’m not going to ask her to stay. I’ll let her out of the deal, and her family can continue on with their dealings.

But it will kill me.

I clear my throat, rolling down the windows to let some of the cool night air into the car. “Well, drugs aren’t my only business.”

Her gaze is curious, her hand stilling on my leg. “I didn’t think it was.”

“I’m not talking about any of the legitimate businesses.”

“Okay.”

We come to a red light, and I reach down to put my hand over hers.

Her fingers and mine slot together like we were made for each other.

It’s an odd sensation, knowing that a person who could be akin to your missing piece is sitting right beside you, but you might be about to lose them.

Her thumb brushes against me again. “You’re starting to freak me out.”

“I don’t want to, but I know there are things your family tries to avoid.”

Skyla pulls her hand away from mine. “Are you talking about kidnapping?”

“No.” I swallow hard, running a hand over the back of my neck.

The light turns green, and we continue forward, though it’s slow going.

I wish I had chosen somewhere else to have this conversation with her. Somewhere I didn’t have to worry about being trapped with her and feeling the weight of her disappointment.

“Then what?” Her voice cracks a little. “What do you think is so horrible? I told you what I am and what I’m capable of. I think you should be able to do the same, don’t you?”

“I know.” I drum my fingers on the wheel before slipping my other hand away from hers.

I have to let her know. If we want to have any chance of ever moving this relationship forward, this needs to happen. No more secrets.

I take a deep breath. “I smuggle people across borders internationally for different reasons.”

“Sex trade?” There’s venom in her words as she shifts.

Her glare burns into the side of my head, making me feel sick.

I hate that she thinks I’m capable of that.

She shuffles as far from me as the car will allow, disgust in her eyes. “I think you should let me out here. I can walk home.”

“We’re on the other side of the city. You’re not going to walk home.” I clear my throat. “Besides, it’s not the sex trade.”

“You’re not capturing women and forcing them over here to pimp out? You’re not sending them overseas for that either?” She stares at me like she has the power to see straight through me.

And maybe she does.

“No.” I pull the car off to the side, turning to face her. “Not even close. I may be a shit man, but that’s one of those things that I don’t get involved in. Just people who are looking to get into a country or out of it.”

She makes a noise in the back of her throat like she’s thinking it over, taking her time to decide whether I’m telling her the truth or not. “No sex trade?”

“No. I have no interest in that, and I never have.”

Skyla lets out a shaky breath. “Then why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“It’s the part of my business that nobody knows about. Not even Logan.”

“Why doesn’t he know?” Curiosity shines in her gaze as she relaxes back into her seat.

The serial killer judging the smuggler. The irony of our entire situation isn’t lost on me.

I pull back out into traffic. “There are some things I’ve never been able to trust him with. That was one of them. If something went wrong and he decided not to cover for me anymore, then what information do I have to make a deal with anyone about? I’m the top of the food chain.”

She glances out the window. “You know, it’s funny that you’re able to smuggle humans, but you’re not able to move your own product across borders.”

“Which ties back to the entire, what information do I have to make a deal with?” The corner of my mouth twitches as I look over at her. “That, and Grady has connections that I don’t. He’s close with the leader of the cartel down in Colombia and doesn’t worry about getting screwed over.”

“And you don’t think you’d be able to get the same deal?”

“I know I wouldn’t. I’ll be looked at as if I’m going behind his back and turning against him. Loyalty is a big thing to the cartel.”

Skyla nods. “You need to figure out a way to be able to get rid of Grady without losing your own business.”

“Correct.”

I turn onto our street, already thinking of the moment I’ll have her in our room, stripped down in front of me, the last of the secrets between us finally melting away.

My phone starts ringing, Grady’s name flashing on the dash.

I sigh and press the button on the screen, the sound of heavy breathing filling the car.

“Joshua, we have to meet. I don’t have time for your arguments right now, so don’t even think about doing it.”

“I’m out right now with my family.”

“Fuck your family. Get your ass to my house now. We have business to discuss.”

He ends the call without another word.

I sigh and scrub a hand over my jaw, pulling alongside the curb in front of our building.

Skyla pauses after reaching for the handle and opening the door. “Stay alive, okay? I’ve gotten kind of attached to you.”

My heart skips a beat before galloping in my chest.

If only she knew just how attached I am to her.

I lean over, hand cupping the back of her head and pulling her into me.

Her lips are urgent against mine, teeth scraping and tongues tangling.

It’s the kind of kiss that makes a man want to promise insane things. Like cheating death to come back home to her after dealing with an unpredictable drug importer.

“I’ll do my best.” I pull away from her, wishing I didn’t have to leave.

If I could, I would stay here with her forever.

It scares the hell out of me.

I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. And it scares the shit out of me.

Because I’d walk through fire to get back to her.

Skyla gives me a warm smile before getting out of the car.

I pull out my phone and watch the cameras through the building, waiting until she’s in our apartment before I tuck the phone away.

As I pull away from the curb, I look at the rearview mirror, at what I’m leaving behind.

I can’t wait to get back home to her.

Grady meets me in the driveway, a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth, the cherry glowing. “You took your sweet time.”

“I got here as soon as I could. It’s a Friday night, and the damn city is gridlocked.” I slam the car door, staying close to it in case this meeting goes south.

“You know, secrets travel fast in this city. Really fast.”

I shrug, leaning against the car with my arms crossed over my chest. “You’re going to have to clue me into what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” He smirks and pulls the cigarette from between his lips, flicking off the ash.

He takes another long drag, blowing out the cloud of smoke. “You don’t want to come here and admit that your marriage has been nothing but fake this entire time?”

My stomach plummets to my feet. “Odd story for you to be spreading around.”

Grady flicks the cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath his foot. “Funny. You know what I think? I think you found a Lynde and thought she would serve whatever purpose you have. Of course, you picked the most unstable one, thinking that would keep me from digging for the truth.”

“And what truth is that?”

“You don’t have a marriage certificate filed with the city.”

Fuck.

He laughs and shakes his head. “I trusted you. I thought you were telling me the truth, but if I had done my due diligence, I would’ve checked into the marriage earlier.”

“Is this going to be the part where you kill me for lying to you?” I reach for the gun at the small of my back.

“Don’t even think about it.” His voice takes on a deadly tone as he looks at me. “If you pull that gun, it’s going to be the last thing you ever do.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m a kind man.” Grady smirks as he looks at me. He paces over in front of me, stopping a few feet away. “Now, since this marriage is nothing but a scam you came up with instead of being a man and marrying my daughter, we’ve got to come to an agreement.”

I can see it in front of me without him saying it.

Everything I’ve worked for is on the line. Everything I had to do to keep my family going, the way I built the family business back up from the ground after my father went to jail, and then again after I had him killed, it’s all hanging by a thread.

This is the moment I could lose everything.

But I’m not going down without a fight.

I push off the car, standing up straight, hands hanging loose at my side. “If we want to talk about trust, then maybe we should talk about why a hitman tried to kill Skyla.”

Grady smirks and shrugs. “Figured it would be a good way to send her a message. It looks like it was.”

“And now you think I should continue to work with you? When you decided that trying to kill my wife would be a good idea?”

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Now, now, Joshua. We both know that she’s not your wife. It’s time that you give up the act.”

I press my lips into a thin line. “Yes, she is. I forgot to file the damn papers here. Still, what is it you want to leave us alone?”

“It’s not that simple. And I don’t believe you. As I see it, you took the working relationship we built, and you decided it wasn’t worth enough to you. Which means, I have a decision to make, too.”

Grady paces back and forth in front of me, each step making me feel sicker.

Grady stops in front of me. “The hitman was just a warning. You have twenty-four hours. You marry Emily, I continue to supply you, and Skyla lives. You choose not to marry Emily, and I kill you all. Simple choice.”

Scoffing, I rip open the door to my car and get in, slamming it shut.

There’s a rap on the window and as I roll it down, Grady leans closer, smirking, the scent of stale cigarettes on his breath.

The corner of his mouth curls. “If I were you, I would think about what you’re willing to do to keep that fake little wife of yours safe.”