Page 20 of Trust

“Loyalty means nothing to pigs like that cop, or to…” I shake my head. “Never mind. But if it is so bad with that man, then I can’t sit here and do nothing. I will not allow Micah to be hurt.”

“We have a good alliance, Ilya. We could potentially work out a deal to help you investigate this,” Cristiano says. “But it would need to be handled delicately.”

Silvano waves his hand dismissively. “I don’t need a deal. I’ll help you, Ilya, as a friend.”

I inhale sharply.

I would not have considered Silvano Cresci a friend. An ally, or a colleague, but not a friend. I’m more suspicious of this offer than one that comes with strings.

Not being able to see the strings doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

After all, Artyom had called himself a friend too.

Still, I’m not in a position to decline the offer. The Crescis have far more contacts in the NBPD than I do.

It would be stupid to refuse their assistance.

I swallow my misgivings and nod. “All right. And Micah said he had no home, after the break-up. I was going to let him stay in my spare room.”

Now Silvano and Cristiano both give me surprised looks.

“After one meeting?” Silvano asks. “Isn’t that a bit… fast?”

Is it?

I have never wanted to move anyone into my space. I never understood why other men would go crazy for women, to the point of stupidity, going so far as to buy them entire condos.

Wanting to move Micah into my own condo after only one meeting might be crazy to the point of stupidity.

“Not to fuck him,” I say quickly. “He was hurting. I wanted to do something good for him.”

“Something good,” Cristiano repeats. I can hear the skepticism in his voice, but he continues, “That’s very kind ofyou, Ilya. But you don’t know the first thing about someone you just met. What if he’s a conman or a thief? I…” He pauses, then huffs out a laugh. “But then, what do I know about taking someone home right after meeting them?”

Silvano laughs too. “At least Micah isprobablynot an assassin.”

I don’t know what the two of them are talking about, but I do resent the implication that Micah could be a thief.

“Micah is none of those things,” I growl. “He’s gentle. He needs caring. You heard his music, Silvano. That’s not the sound of a man bent on destroying others.”

Cristiano purses his lips. “Don’t come on too strong and scare him,” he cautions. “Don’t get him into trouble with his boyfriend. Talk to him, let him come to you. If he does, then you can make that offer and see what happens. If he doesn’t, you have to leave it alone.”

“And if all else fails, you can always do a bit of light stalking,” Silvano adds with a bright smile. “It worked for everyone I know.”

“Light stalking?” I repeat. I don’t understand how stalking can belight.

But they aren’t wrong.

I need to know more about Micah. I need to go slow and gentle. My fish also need to get acclimated to their new homes. Doing things too fast can cause a shock to their systems, and they fail to thrive.

I don’t want that for Micah.

“All right,” I agree. “But now, is that enough about my personal life? You said something about a business opportunity, Silvano?”

Silvano nods, still smiling brightly. “Of course. If your head is in the game now, let’s discuss…”

I let him tell me about his business ideas, and I nod along, forcing myself to consider things rationally.

In truth, the only thing I want to do is track down Micah.