Page 57 of Endure the Pain

I snorted and shook my head. He really was incorrigible. “I don’t know if I should think up something extravagant to do so you’ll end up spending a shit ton of money or make you take me to McDonald’s.”

Without missing a beat and completely un-riled, Nicoli replied, “Whichever you decide, let me know.”

Conversation flowed a lot smoother for the rest of dinner. Afterward, we did our exchange. I ordered Brenna not to get out of the car. Even though we had discussed trust, that didn’t mean I trusted Nicoli yet and I didn’t want to take any risks with Brenna.

Our goons swapped bags of cocaine for bags full of money while Nicoli and I stood next to each other, watching as they confirmed everything was all in order. I wasbeyond ready to be off my feet and be home curled up in bed.

“You look moments away from eating the pavement,” Nicoli said.

I stilled and did my best to recover from my surprise. I wasn’t quick enough. He had been watching me and I could tell he read every thought that ran through my head.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re pale and the only thing you touched at dinner were the crackers that came with your soup.”

“I’m just tired,” I lied. Something sparked in his golden eyes that gave me the impression that he didn’t believe me.

Thankfully, our goons pulled our attention by telling us everything was good. I walked toward my car, away from Nicoli, and said over my shoulder. “Until next time, Nicky.”

He watched me walk away. “Until next time, Maura.”

CHAPTER 18

Will, Dean, and Asher followed me into the pharmacy.

“I would have preferred to do this on my own,” I grumbled.

“You know why you can’t,” Asher said patiently. They followed me into the feminine hygiene product aisle, which also contained condoms and a large selection of pregnancy tests. When I stopped walking in front of the tests, Asher blurted, “Oh, shit.”

“Well, that explains why she puked on the side of the road,” Will commented.

Dean whipped around to glare at him. “If you fucking say a word of this to anyone, I’ll gift her your tongue.”

Will glared at Dean. “I’m not going to say shit to anyone.”

I tried to ignore them as I read over all the different brands.Which one do I fucking pick?

Frustrated, I grabbed three boxes of three different brands that had two tests in each. As we made our way through the store, I spotted a snack aisle. I teetered in that direction. Even though I’d been sick to my stomachall day, Twizzlers, Oreos, and hot Cheetos were calling my name.

Asher offered to help me carry the snacks. Dean grabbed something from one of the shelves and held it out to me. It was a bag of gummy worms. I smiled as I took them.

“We never did get those gummy worms that night you kidnapped me,” he said with a smirk.

I laughed and headed for the registers. Coming out of the aisle, I almost ran into someone.

A hand came down on my shoulder. “Whoa, there.”

I recognized the voice before I looked up to confirm who it was. Detective Brooks.

“Miss Quinn,” he said, eyes going wide. Then his gaze dropped to the tests in my hands and his surprise showed again. Thankfully, he politely didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked past me, over my shoulder, and his eyes turned cold.

“Gallagher.”

“Brooks,” Dean grumbled back. They stared at each other. It was clear that something was being exchanged. Dean’s jaw clenched and I swore I caught the tiniest smirk twitch at the corner of Brooks' mouth.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Detective. Have a good night,” I said and, not waiting for a response, I walked away toward one of the registers.

I waited until we were driving home before I asked Dean, “How do you know Detective Brooks?”

He stiffened next to me. “We went to high school together.”