Page 51 of Hard Game

That’s why Taron wanted information on Maddox—because he knew he was the informant. And Taron must’ve been working with the traffickers…

My ears ring, and an arm wraps around my waist, steadying me. The scent of wood, spice, and man fills my nostrils as lips graze my forehead. “Stay with me, Detective.”

Maddox. Maddox knows everything. I’ve been with both the informant and the bent cop.

“Lauren,” Elijah says, his voice sounding further away than Maddox’s. “You alright? Speak to me.”

“She’s overcome, that’s all. Get her a glass of water,” Maddox commands, placing me on the sofa. “Hey, Little Fox, look at me. Let me see those eyes.”

My head feels like it’s filled with cotton wool, and lifting my eyelids takes serious effort. But when I do, I’m treated with the vision that is Maddox Moreno, and suddenly I feel better. He’s an informant, and if his best friend’s girlfriend had been killed, it means he’s not a trafficker. “You’re still a criminal,” I whisper as he grins down at me.

“Opposite sides of the law but on the same side, how about that?”

How about that, indeed.

26

MADDOX

Finally, she knows I’m not a fucking dirty trafficker. I mean, she almost passed out when she heard I was the informant, but it’s worth it for her to look at me with respect for once.

Elijah looks relieved when she nods, drinking the water he’s given her.

“Fucking hell,” she says with a sigh, rubbing her temple. “You wear many masks, Moreno.”

I chuckle and study her, wondering if we will work together now. I’m not sure it will work out, but part of me wants to try. Even if she eventually locks me up and throws away the key, she’ll know the real me. Although I shot her ex in front of her, so I suspect she has a clue.

Ha.

“Tassa is messed up,” I tell her, watching her reaction with interest. Her eyes soften, and she nods, her gaze flickering over the room. It’s like she’s drinking it in, absorbing it for future reference. I love the way she looks at things. Fucking hell, what is wrong with me? “So you better leave.”

The Detective frowns and stares at me through her thick lashes. “Leave? Moreno?—”

“Detective.” I smile, giving her a purposeful look. “I know you’ve got questions, and I have some answers. But now is not the time, nor is it the place. I have to put Tassa first.”

She seems to relax when I mention Tassa, and I like her even more for that. Tassa is a bomb waiting to explode, hell-bent on revenge and murder. I can’t blame her—I feel the same, especially after seeing that girl treated like a fucking pawn in their sick game.

“Okay, but you need to call me as soon as possible,” Detective Diess tells me, her gaze sharp. She rises to her feet and jabs a finger into my chest, but not hard enough to hurt. “I’m serious. You can’t shut us out.”

I hold my hands up and smile, unable to take my eyes off her. She’s so beautiful, but when she’s angry and passionate? Jesus, I want to worship her. She gives me a stiff nod and glances at Elijah, cocking her head to the door.

“Tell Tassa I really am sorry,” Detective Diess says as she approaches the door.

Elijah nods his head, jutting his chin. “Me too.”

I salute them and try not to watch the curviest ass I’d ever seen walk away from me, but I’m powerless around her. The door closes behind them, and I sigh, twisting toward Tassa’s room when I find her leaning against the doorway, glaring at me.

“You’re sick.”

I roll my eyes. “Love you too.”

“You aren’t telling her shit, are you?” Tassa eyeballs me with disgust, and I know now is not the time to tell her we need all the help we can get, even if it’s the police, even if our asses end up in jail. Tassa is grieving and isn’t thinking straight. “Maddox.”

I roll my neck, enjoying the way it cracks. I’m so fucking tense.

“Maddox.”

“Fuck, Tassa, I’m not having this conversation with you now.”

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