Page 38 of Exposed

“Yes. In exchange for getting out forever. In exchange for peace of mind. No dream or amount of money was worth the anxiety. I wasn’t ready to leave Miami. I like it here. No, I love it here. I might not have The Pink to showcase my work, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t run Amare outside of The Pink.”

“And how is that going?” I ask, knowing full well how it’s going. I helped fuck it up for her, and now she’s trying to leave and give up for good.

Her eyes narrow as she repeats my thoughts. “You know how it’s going. It couldn’t be worse. I never should have agreed to take you to The Pink. Now I’m back where I was before I handed over what was mine. This time, I’m out of bargaining chips.”

“When you say you signed over your share, what do you mean?”

“I mean, I signed it over. Like, official papers and everything.”

I reach to my side and flip open the folder I brought in with me. “I have a proposal. One I thought would solely benefit me, but now that I know more, I was wrong.”

She frowns. “What kind of proposal?”

I push the wrappers to the side and replace it with papers. “This is a contract, a legal fucking contract, not like what you probably signed for Dex.”

Her frown morphs into an expression of pure disbelief. “A contract to do what?”

I point to the top of the document. “It’s called a confidential informant. I want you to work for me.”

Her tone rises an octave. “For you?”

I shrug. “For the government. But you’ll be mine, so really for me.”

She leans back in her chair. “Do I look like I have a death wish? I’m not working for you or the government.”

“You’re running away from Miami, a place you said you love and where you want to live. You signed over millions to your asshole brother?—”

“Half-brother,” she bites. “I take offense to that on behalf of my mother who has nothing to do with him. She might’ve made a poor decision in my father when she was young, but she has nothing to do with Dex.”

“Sorry. I’d never offend your mother. But you did sign over your entire inheritance to a drug dealer because you thought that would buy you freedom. So, no, I do not think you have a death wish.”

“I think you forgot about the part where I’m leaving Miami and want nothing to do with Dex ever again. Like ever and ever, for the rest of my life.”

Fuck. The woman is like a fairy princess who’s been tossed into the cauldron by the evil warlock. I’ve never met anyone like her.

“Hear me out.” I flip the document to skip the legal verbiage and get to the good stuff. “You’ll be my confidential informant. You know the ins and outs of The Pink. I’ve been introduced as your fiancé. You hate yourhalf-brother. I want him and his organizationtaken down. Then we can work on getting you back your share of The Pink. I challenge anyone to present you a better offer. It’s a win for everyone.”

I take her in as she picks up the contract. Her eyes scan the details—the fine print that outlines what I want her to do.

She drops it and glares at me. “You are dense and didn’t understand the first time. I don’t have a death wish.”

“Since you were running away from Miami with your tail tucked between your legs, I got that the first time.”

Anger emanates from her. “I wasn’t running away with my tail between my legs. You don’t know me. I did what I had to do to be rid of Dex forever. My wedding planning business is failing because Dex makes sure no one in this city will work with me. I’ve done everything I could do. I know when to cut my losses and not because I’m tired or lazy. I don’t give up easily, but I’m not an idiot. I can’t make a living here, and after last night, I’m not safe. I’m up against Dex and his entire organization—again.”

“Cartel,” I correct her. “Don’t talk about it like it’s some CPA firm.”

Frustration bleeds from her. I’m not sure if it’s more directed at me or the shit show that her life has turned into.

But there’s no way I’m giving up on this or her. “Look, I know you’re not an idiot. In fact, leaving Miami is your smartest move if you were on your own.” I lift my chin toward the document. “But you’re not. You have me.”

“Right,” she seethes. “You, the man who lied to me about your identity and tricked me into taking you to The Pink so I’m on Dex’s radar again. You’re the worst thing that’s happened to me.”

I shake my head. “You’re wrong. I won’t go as far as to saydeadwrong, because that’s just morbid given your current situation. If you think you can run off to the boondocks of Virginia to live a less than happily ever after, that won’t happen. I know the Carter Cartel better than anyone on the outside. You think you were freeand clear when you signed a bogus document that means nothing in the real world of lawyers and judges, but you’re not. You’ll always look over your shoulder, and you know it. Do you really want to live like that?”

She goes silent but crosses her arms across her slight frame. A defensive posture. One that she’ll no doubt need if she chooses wrong and tries to go it alone.

“I investigate people for a living, Goldie. Before I worked for the DEA, I did a lot of dangerous shit. You’re no idiot. In fact, leaving Miami would be the smartest thing for you to do … normally.”

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