Page 109 of Torched Spades

I’m in the middle of texting back that I don’t give a fuck when the three dots flash indicating he’s typing again.

Someone ID’d you fighting with him at the docks. Reese is coming after you. What the fuck did you do?

I want to laugh. Not because any of this is funny, but because I handed this to Reese on a silver platter at the diner. I have no one to blame but my own damn ego.

Tuck your balls, Owen. Ledger wanted to swing his dick around about the fire in South Providence. Seems he thought I may have had something to do with it.

I did, of course. Fried that Irish fuck like a plate of fish and chips.

And that’s all?

Jesus Christ.He knows better than to ask me stupid questions that can be traced back and used against me.

Of course. I’m onprobation.

Tucking my phone in my pocket, I put Jack Ledger out of my mind and head toward the warehouse.

Because if he is missing…?

Good riddance.

* * *

As I step inside the warehouse office, Alice glances up from her chaos-riddled desk and gives me a tight smile. “Make it quick, Malone. I have a meeting with the powers-that-be.”

Gritting my teeth, I say the words that will sever the ties to my life in Providence. “I need some time off.”

Her smile fades. “I’m short-staffed all next week.”

“I know, and I’ll work overtime when I get back to make up for it.” I won’t. It’s a lie I tell both of us to pretend I’m not the shitbag who will have a bag packed and a tank full of gas at the end of the day.

Alice tucks a pencil behind her ear and narrows her eyes at me. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I answer, the lies piling up under my feet. “Yeah, everything is fine. Family issues.” It’s the first truth that’s come out of my mouth since I walked inside.

“Fine,” she sighs, scrubbing a hand through her silver hair. “But when you get back, we’re having a long discussion about a few things, you hear?”

Right. When I get back.

I’m halfway toward the door when my phone rings. Assuming it’s Owen again, I tug it from my back pocket and start to answer when I catch a quick glimpse at the caller ID.

It’s Becca again.

This time, there’s no doubt in my mind what she’s calling about. I’m sure Reese took great pleasure in giving her the news about Ledger.

“Everything okay?” Alice calls out behind me.

“Yeah,” I lie. “Personal stuff. It can wait.” I don’t give her a chance to ask any more questions. Closing her office door behind me, I walk down the steps into the warehouse, my mind reeling.

Becca is an intelligent woman. She won’t stop digging until she’s uncovered every dark and twisted root I’ve buried. When I came to Providence, I made a promise to myself to never let anyone get close enough again to destroy me. Then, a tenacious woman who didn’t take no for an answer blindsided me, and not only did I let her in, I let an out-of-control attraction take over. I opened a porthole to my past, and now the only way to close it is to leave both her and the life I’ve built.

I almost chuckle as a struggling burst of warmth envelops me the moment I exit the warehouse and head toward the cargo ship. It’s almost spring. I guess I won’t have to worry about Becca forgetting to wear a coat anymore.

Or ever.

A few feet away from the forklift, my phone rings again.Fucking hell, that woman doesn’t give up.I let it go to voicemail, only for it to start again.

Cursing, I dig it out of my pocket, ready to block the number, when I see it’s not Becca but Owen. I stare at the screen, more than adrenaline pumping through my veins. It’s trepidation. It’s anticipation.It’s fucking acknowledgment.Because even though the line is still ringing, somehow, I know what he’s going to say.