Page 3 of Single Greatest Threat (Atlantic City’s Most Wanted #6)

Joesph couldn’t stop thinking about Shaw’s expression as he had stormed from the restaurant.

He knew the look of a drowning man. Joesph saw it all the time when he looked in the mirror since getting diagnosed with MS. Something was going on with Shaw.

He felt that in his bones. Joesph hated he hadn’t noticed before now.

He had been trapped in his anger. Now he couldn’t think about anything else.

He kept his office door open for the rest of the day.

Shaw kept his closed until right before closing time.

Joesph gathered his things when Shaw disappeared.

Before he got the chance to head out, Shaw was back with coffee in hand.

He sat behind his desk and got back to work.

Stacks of files filled his desk. Joesph had no clue what he worked on, but it was obvious he intended to stay.

That was so unlike Shaw that Joesph wheeled toward his office—like the fool he was.

“Hey. I’m headed out for the night.”

Shaw looked up. His dark green eyes softened the moment they landed on Joesph. That was why he never stood a chance.

“Okay. Be careful going home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Joesph nodded. “What are you working on? Would you like some help?”

A wry smile touched Shaw’s lips. “No, thank you. You’ve spent way too many long nights here over the years. It’s my turn.”

Joesph wheeled back and forth a hair, nervously rolling in place.

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Joesph headed out with his mind all over the place.

Why was Shaw suddenly acting this way? Was it a ploy?

Why did he have so many files dragged out?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a mystery quickly solved.

Several weeks passed. Each night, Joesph offered to stay, and Shaw declined.

After the first two weeks, Joesph had secretly checked the security feed.

Shaw never left his office until nearly midnight each night and was back at eight a.m. every day.

He was like a man on a mission. More files appeared in his office until they stacked the walls. Six weeks in, Joesph broke.

“I’m headed out.”

“Be careful going home.” Shaw didn’t look up from the paperwork he studied.

Joesph had deliberately waited until Kayla left. He wheeled his way deeper into Shaw’s office. “Would you like some help?”

Shaw finally met his stare. “No. It’s fine. Like I’ve said a hundred times, you’ve done your time. I’ve got this.”

Joesph didn’t back down. “Seriously. What are you working on? This office is out of control.”

Shaw visibly hesitated. Finally, he sighed. “All right. Maybe you can tell me if I’m crazy.” He held up the paper he read. Joesph wheeled to his side, leaning close so he could see. Fuck, he smelled good. It wasn’t fair. Shaw pointed at a few numbers. “Okay. Look at these numbers.”

Joesph nodded. “That seems a little high for our typical fee structure.”

“Exactly.” He dragged his laptop closer. “Now look at the digital copy. The numbers that hit the bank.”

Joesph studied the two, comparing them. They weren’t the same. The numbers deposited perfectly matched what they normally charged.

“I don’t understand. Why are they different?”

“Right?” Shaw really got into things. “When I first spotted this a few months ago, I thought maybe it was a clerical error. I decided to dig out the client’s file and go line by line to see if they were accidentally overcharged.

They were, yet the right amount was deposited in the bank.

So I called the client. The higher amount was paid.

This led me down a rabbit hole.” He swept his arm wide.

“Nearly every file has been the same. At this point, I’m just adding up the overcharge amount and making a list of how much is owed to each client.

” He hesitated again. “I need a full total to prosecute Kayla.”

Joesph’s lips parted in surprise. He didn’t know what to say. “Kayla? Are you sure? She’s been here forever.”

Shaw nodded and picked up a file that had been singled out from the rest. “This is the oldest one I’ve found. The overcharge fees are smaller than the rest and they grew from there. This is from a year after she started working here.”

Joesph was dumbfounded. Shaw was right. The only person it could be was Kayla. While they had several paralegals and a dedicated accountant, Kayla handled billing and payments. She made their deposits and kept the paperwork for the accountant. Literally, no one else touched any of that.

“What do you need me to do?”

Shaw’s sweet smile stole Joesph’s breath.

He didn’t see this real and kind version of Shaw often.

It was the version he loved. “Go home. I genuinely don’t want you to feel the way you did before you quit.

Maybe I’m a slow learner, but I got it. You deserve much better than you’ve ever gotten from me. ”

“I never meant for you to take on everything. All I wanted was your help. You’re helping now. Let me help you.”

“I started counseling.”

Nothing could have shocked Joesph more than that confession.

Shaw didn’t stop. “The night you told me you didn’t want me in your life anymore, I had a huge revelation that won’t surprise you at all. I’m the problem.”

Joesph might have laughed if this didn’t seem so important to Shaw.

Thankfully, Shaw kept going and didn’t expect him to confirm or deny because, yeah, Shaw was the problem.

“I’m cold and narcissistic. My only thoughts are about my happiness.

I refused to help around here once Dad left.

In my mind, I had proven myself and earned my freedom.

But you’re the only opinion I’ve ever cared about, and you said you were done.

” He shrugged, looking uncomfortable now that his confession was out there.

“So, I’m working on me. Though I’m not sure if it’s actually working. ”

A smile pulled at the corners of Joesph’s mouth. He was so proud of Shaw. “It is. The old you would’ve never admitted any of that to yourself, much less to me.”

For a moment, that felt way too personal. Shaw held his stare. “I miss you.”

Damn. He really was screwed. “I miss you too.”

Shaw nodded and straightened in his chair. He heard Shaw’s back pop. Shaw rubbed the back of his neck. “You should head home. I’ve already kept you late. Thanks for validating that I’m not insane.”

Joesph chuckled and shook his head. He wheeled his chair backward. “Don’t overwork yourself too much. Kayla’s probably getting suspicious of all these files.”

Shaw nodded. He waited until Joesph made it to the door to speak again. “Hey.”

Joesph glanced over his shoulder.

Shaw looked uncomfortable. “Can I take you to dinner?”

Fuck. His heart wouldn’t let him say no. “I’d like that.” Joesph knew he was an idiot. He didn’t doubt Shaw would make him regret this. There was only one way to find out. Joesph had to fling himself against the wall again and hope he didn’t break.

Shaw was a little proud of the way he managed to move at a normal pace. He wanted to jump from his desk and rush to the door. Instead, he stood and gathered his phone. He stuffed it in his pocket before locking his office door and pulling it closed behind him.

“Come on.” He took control of Joesph’s wheelchair. It was a move he knew Joesph equally appreciated and hated.

As expected, Joesph argued. “You don’t have to push me. I got it.”

Shaw didn’t stop. “Look, I know you hate feeling like a burden, but I’ve never seen this that way. I love spending time with you and taking care of you. You’re my best friend. I know I should’ve said that a long time ago, so I get it’s my fault you don’t want my help.”

Joesph didn’t respond, but he stopped arguing.

Shaw took what he could get. Joesph set the alarm and then they backed out the door.

He handed Joesph his keys so he could lock the office.

Working together, Joesph was in his passenger seat and Shaw had the wheelchair stuffed in his trunk in no time.

The satisfaction Shaw felt once he was on the road with Joesph trapped was off the charts.

There was no way Joesph knew how much Shaw missed him and wanted him here.

“Where would you like to go?”

Joesph laughed. “I have no idea. You asked me.”

Shaw realized he was smiling and couldn’t stop. “That’s right. You’re the guest. You should choose.”

A humming sound came from Joesph’s side of the car that nearly made Shaw steer off the road so he could jump Joesph.

He hadn’t known a person could miss someone so badly.

Shaw doubted Joesph would ever let Shaw touch him again.

That was okay. He would rather have some of him than none of him.

“Honestly, I’m sick of every restaurant imaginable.

It’s crazy to cook for just me, so I’ve gotten bad about picking up takeout on the way home every night. ”

“It’s less mess and shopping.”

“Exactly.” He heard the commiseration in Joesph’s voice.

“It’s a hell of a lot easier for me to get in the house too.

If I don’t have groceries delivered, which is getting crazy expensive, it’s an exhausting hundred trips between the car and the house, wheeling in two bags at a time…

if I’m lucky. Then I’m so tired afterward, I don’t want to cook anything, which is also such a goddamn chore. Everything is, really.”