Page 56 of H E R

Redemption

The surveillance on the trailer lot is finally up and running, and I swipe my finger over the screen of my phone at the different angles and points of view around the property. The job required a couple of men because I wanted a view of the roads before the entrance, the perimeter, the trailers, as well as Noah’s side of the lot. I didn’t want anymore fucking surprises.

Then I check on Niki. She’s accompanied by her adoptive sister and Sara, Jasmin’s girlfriend, and they’re safe, shopping in the city. I assigned a bodyguard to my little fox and made sure he understood that a safe distance was key. She’d soon catch on that she was being followed, my clever girl.

“Alright, the device that pinged inside Justice’s trailer was a cell phone that she purchased for her brother. It’s got a block on it, so we don’t have access to its contents, but we can track it. I dropped a pin on his location and sent it to you.”

Jason can’t see me nod. “High school.”

Jason lets out a breath that turns into one long whistle. “Your girl knows someone. This block isn’t one that just anyone can install.”

“You think you can figure out who coded it?”

I can’t see him, but I know he’s smiling. “Already on it.”

I guess I’m lucky Jason thrives on a good challenge. “I have to go. Let me know when you figure something out.”

“Busy again tonight?” There’s still typing in the background, and I catch an amused tone to his voice.

I place the phone on top of my dresser and strip the t-shirt off my back, then toss it into a black clothes hamper in the corner of my bedroom.

“The mayor is a guest atNym-Photonight. No way am Inotgoing.”

“Come on, D. We both know who your eyes will be on the entire night. And it won’t be Carlton.”

“That’s why Olivia will be there.”

His typing stops and now it’s me who’s smiling.

Jason’s words struggle through a tense jaw and tight lips. “MyOlivia atNym-Pho? Doing what exactly?”

“What do you think?”

The noise in the background tells me he’s moved away from his computer and he’s rummaging through stuff. “Absolutely fucking not, Dylan. No. She’ll stay and work on uncovering the block and I’ll go toNym-Pho.”

My lips tighten so as not to leak my laughter out loud. “And what sort of help canyouoffer? Olivia can at least gather intel by offering a private dance and—”

“I said no. I’ll see you there.”

Jason hangs up, and I burst into laughter. I wouldn’t ask Olivia to go in as an undercover atNym-Pho. She’s one of the best cyber scientists I know. If anyone can find out who placed that block for Niki, it would be Olivia, with her hands tied behind her back. And I needed another set of eyes in the club tonight. Jason was my first choice, but seeing that he enjoys giving me shit about my developing obsession, I thought I’d pay the favor back.

Jason and Olivia have been together since they met in college; they’re inseparable. And he is as tormented as me, if not more. The reciprocated infatuation makes their relationship sizzle, ignited by a twin flame and captivated by their appeal to one another. Neither of them fight it. Not for a long time, at least. I remember a time when Olivia would scurry away from Jason. Not anymore.

My situation differs, in that Niki is a force of nature all on her own. I don’t want to capture or contain her. Soon she will understand that, and then she will accept us.

Not before.

Since my fox released explicit information on one of the most beloved political leaders around and would no doubt continue to chase her lead, I won’t allow the risk of that son of a bitch touching or grazing a single hair of hers. Knowing she will throw herself at another opportunity to catch him in activities that will further tarnish his reputation?Fuck.

I can’t promise her safety if she keeps throwing herself into the pit of hell. Stopping her will only inhibit an integral part of who she is. It’d be crushing her. But if I allow her to do what she does best,andkeep her safe—the best of two worlds, if you ask me.

“Damn, Prada over here clocking in to work the night shift?”

The detectives’ laughter makes its way to my ears and the hairs on my arm stand at attention.

I stifle a growl and lift up a black binder. “Just dropping these off.” I toss it on the Lieutenant's desk. “Noah had nothing to do with the burnt down warehouse. It was an electrical fire, and the forensic analyses notations state that there was a shootout among the men pronounced dead at the scene.”

“You sure? What about the witness that states they saw Noah leaving the scene?”

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