Page 85 of Tricked By Jack

Her mouth curves, not quite a smile. “With you? Yes.” She quickly demolishes another two slices. “Pancakes and bacon would’ve done wonders for my mood two mornings ago—when I spent hours scrubbing paint out of places it had no business being.”

I just grin, still remembering how annoyed she got when I refused to help her. What can I say, I loved that small fleck of orange paint on her ass.

After taking a sip of her coffee, she grimaces. “What the hell? This is not nearly as good as the delicious goodness you left for me to wake up to while you were gone.”

Just as I’m about to ask her what the hell she’s talking about since I never left her any coffee, my phone buzzes across the counter. Nick’s name flashes across the screen, and the air curdles, the easy rhythm of the morning snapping like a bone under pressure.

“Don’t tell me you called because you can smell the bacon all that way at—”

My brother’s voice is clipped when he interrupts me. “Someone burned down one of our fucking hotels.”

“What?”

“Did you not hear me? I’ve already spoken with the three, and they swear they haven’t heard anything.” He pauses long enough to snap at someone for spilling something on the floor. “I hate asking, Jack. But—”

“Fuck you,” I snarl, the rot already spreading, coiling under my ribs like it’s looking for a way to split me open. “I know what you’re about to fucking ask. And no, I haven’t done anything that would get anyone to attack our properties.”

He exhales audibly. “Sorry, but…” Luckily, he doesn’t spell out the many ways I’ve fucked up over the years.

I’ve previously gambled hotels away like it was Monopoly and not backroom poker. So it makes sense he’d want to ask me. Especially when his infamous three crime lords of NYC haven’t heard rumors or whispers about a new player on the scene.

But it’s still fucking offensive—like he can’t see the monster straining at the leash, foam on its mouth, teeth aching for flesh. And I’ve kept it there, barely, without letting it tear free.

“Want me to go check it out?” I ask, looking down in surprise when Eve places her hand on top of mine.

Nick offers to meet me there, but when I explain I prefer to go alone, he just tells me what hotel before hanging up. In big brother language, that was both an apology and his way of saying he trusts me.

When I look up, Eve’s gray eyes pin me—annoyance sparking there, sharp enough to cut. “You’re leaving,” she accuses, and the unspokenagainhangs in the air.

“You could come with me,” I offer, surprising the hell out of both of us.

Fuck, I don’t know what I’m walking into, and the last thing I want is Eve caught in the blast—her body wrecked where I should’ve shielded her. The mere thought of something happening to yet another woman in my life is fucking sickening.

She arches a brow, chewing slowly. “Really?”

I lean across the counter, my palm braced near her plate. “Really,” I confirm. “I want you with me.”

While it’s reckless and beyond stupid, it’s also needed. It’s becoming abundantly clear that I’m not giving up Eve. Fuck, I think I’m addicted to her. Sleeping next to her keeps the nightmares away, and every minute I spend with her feels right.

And that means sooner or later, I have to drag her straight into my world and let her choke on the smoke like the rest of us. Because the only alternative is letting her go, and that isn’t fucking happening.

“Okay,” she agrees, lips curving in a smile sharp enough to feel like surrender and defiance all at once.

“You need to promise me something, though.”

Her chin tilts. “What?”

“That you’ll stay at my side,” I growl. “No running. No tricks. No bullshit. You move when I move. You breathe when I allow it. Do you understand me, Eve?”

She rolls her eyes. “Anything else?”

My gaze softens, and I cup her cheek. “I’m not trying to control you, wife. But I can’t stand the fucking thought of anything or anyone hurting you.”

Her gray orbs lock onto my green ones as she swallows thickly.

“I don’t know what we’ll be walking in on. Could be fire, could be bullets. Could be worse.”

“I’m not a fucking damsel in distress,” she snips. “I can hold my own, Jack. Don’t forget what I told you about ending bigger monsters than you.”