Page 57 of When He Defends

Her eyes weren’t on Cass. They were on Gray. He could see that she’d shielded herself. As if she expected him to take Cass’s side. To tell her that this was not her affair, even after he’d had her coming beneath him moments before.

“I came out to protect you,” she told Gray with careful dignity.

His chest ached. “I appreciate that.” His head inclined toward her. “Thank you, Emerson.”

“You think I don’t ever follow orders.”

Could she be more adorable? “I know you don’t.”

“Tell me to walk away. I will.”

“Yeah,” Cass muttered. “I need to get down to business. Don’t have all night. Time’s ticking. My bike is stashed around the corner, and I had to sneak around to make sure no nosy neighbors spotted me.”

Gray caught Emerson’s hand. Rubbed his fingers over her knuckles. “Emerson, don’t you dare walk away. You stay with me.”

Her eyes widened.

Maybe that was a bit too intense.Screw it. Her taste was still on his tongue, and if his annoying visitorhadn’t been there, he would be buried so deep in her that they’d both be lost to paradise. “Cass is my cousin.”

“What the hell?” Cass exploded. “Look, man, there is her guessing, and then there is youconfessing.Big difference.”

He kept staring into Emerson’s eyes. Those incredible eyes. Had he ever told her how bewitching he thought they were?“He’s also a gang leader, so, yeah, just know that family or not, he’s trouble. Dangerous to his core.”

“Aw, thanks for that,” Cass told him. “I’m flattered. Means the world coming from you.” A brief pause. “Why are we over sharing with her? Want to explain that?”

He already had. Gray tugged Emerson closer. “Because she’s my partner.”

“Yeah, got that.”

He angled his body a bit toward Cass. “She’s going undercover with me on the case you insisted that I take.”

“Again, got that. Still doesn’t mean you give out secrets to her that you haven’t shared with anyone else. I mean, the next thing I know, you’ll be sharing with her about—” But he broke off. Because there were lines Cass would never cross, and Gray knew it.

So Gray crossed the lines for him. “Sharing with her about my bastard father? Been there, done that.”

“Oh, shit.” Cass’s gaze swung to Emerson, and he was suddenly looking at her in a way different light.“Partner.”

“Right,” Gray told him grimly. “Now why the hell are you here? This meeting is unnecessary.” And a bit reckless. Especially after the public showing outside of O’Sullivan’s. “I told you already, I’m taking the case. I’ll find out who killed Anzo and Kim. I will make the perp pay.”

Cass was still staring at Emerson, though now he eyed her more like she was a bug under a microscope.

Gray waved his fingers in front of Cass. “Yo.”

Cass slanted him a frown.

“There more intel you want to give me? That why you showed up tonight?”

“Wanted to meet tonight…” He rolled back his shoulders. “Because this bastard can’t just go free, Gray.”

Hell. He’d feared this. “Cass, I’m going to get him dead to rights. He won’t be seeing the light of day again.” But he worried that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Cass. Cass had been walking deeper and deeper into the darkness lately.

“You alert me when you have him in your sights. I can handle things after that. I just need his location.” Cass smiled, all innocence. Except Cass had never done innocence particularly well.

Then again, neither had Gray.

“There’s playing a role,” Gray reminded him flatly, “and there is sinking straight into the dark and never surfacing again. Don’t forget who you are.”

Cass backed up a step. “You really are sharing all with her, aren’t you?” He jerked a thumb toward Emerson. “You might trust her to keep your confidences, but I don’t trust her with mine.”