Page 14 of Ignite

“So, any idea on where this fuckhead’s holed up?” Rev inquires, drawing my attention back to him.

Was he honestly this trusting? Or was this part of the mind games he’d mentioned? I couldn’t get a good read on him. He smiled a lot, but that humor never touched his pale eyes. He probably got away with fooling most people, but I’ve become hyper-critical of others out of necessity. I pay attention to details.

I spit blood onto the carpet and draw my feet up on the desk until I’m curled in a ball, which only makes his smile grow. “So look, I’m all aboutspilling the beans on this dude, but I need reassurance that you’re not going to kill me or toss me out just to get off’d by this guy.”

“A negotiator. Have you considered a corporate job before?”

I fiddle with one of my safety pin earrings. “Suppose I wouldn’t turn it away for the right pay.”

Rev’s head tips back with a musical laugh. “Oh, Cain’s going to have a field day with my summary report on you, kid. You’re something else.”

“Summary report?”

“Yeah, he trusts me to pick you apart. Figure out if you’re gonna be a liability to the company.”

My brows hitch up. “Do I look like a liability?”

Rev’s grin is wicked. “Oh, you’re a liability. Just not in the way Cain thinks. What’s your name, pretty boy?”

“Ezra,” I reply. “Just Ezra.”

“How about this? I go grab my laptop and we pin down where you met this crime lord. Then I’ll talk to Cain about some sort of protection for you and your friend.”

“I’d prefer that in reverse order,” I mumble.

But Rev’s already striding for the door, leaving me to mull over if I’ve made a colossal mistake.

He returns with a laptop, two cans of Mountain Dew, and a box of tacos. Again, I have to wonder if he’s fucking with me. Earning my trust just to chop me up into pieces or something.

However, I’m not going to turn away food. Crunching away at our tacos, we dig up old satellite images of the abandoned warehouse. Rev leans back in his chair. “I’m not good at sugar coating shit. You’re in deep,Ezra. We’ve been tracking this guy for months. He’s rapidly moving up rank on our priority list.”

He clicks through records of Gabriel on his computer. Arrest reports for every kind of crime you can think of involving cars, drugs, and guns.

A sliver of fear burrows into my chest. Did I just permanently etch my name onto Gabriel’s shitlist by giving up his location? What if Sinro isn’t equipped to handle this situation?

“How is he not still in jail?” I ask, frowning.

Rev taps his fingers on the desk in perfect rhythm. “Good chance he’s got the right connections. Might be why police don’t try to fuck with his operations.”

The door to the office opens, and Cain appears. His features twist with barely restrained anger. Rich brown eyes coast over me, then Rev, then the food wrappers from our little gathering.

“You,” Cain says with force, a finger pointed at Rev. “My office. Now.”

Rev closes his laptop and drags it off the desk. Before striding out the door with his boss, he gives me a wink. “Don’t worry, Ezra. I’ll handle the big bad bossman.”

CHAPTER SIX

CAIN

Istorm into my office, ignoring the curious glances from my staff over their cubicle walls.

Closed off from straining ears, I whirl on Rev. “What the fuck are you doing? I asked for a report, not for you to make friends with the guy and buy him goddamn tacos!”

Lack of sleep and chasing around criminals has me in a mood today, though some would argue I’m always in a mood.

Add in the fact that my dick decided to wake up at the worst fucking time possible. Why did the little thief have to have to be so fucking pretty? Who the fuck has a right to look like that?

Failing to restrain his grin, Rev takes my fury in stride. He’s known me long enough to not be afraid. Sure, I’d slugged him a couple of times. He’d swung on me, too. But we’d never raise a weapon against each other. He’s the one guy I can’t shake, no matter how dark I go.