Page 50 of An Eye For Illusion

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

He gives me a long hard stare before he answers. “No. I mean, yeah… I do, but I can’t. I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

“I’m a pretty smart guy. If you tell me what’s going on, maybe I can help.” We give each other a hard time, but Donovan is family to me. I’ll do anything I can to help him, as he would me.

“It’s not like that. I can handle it, and it’s nothing for you to worry about,” he says.

“You’re my friend, Donovan. I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you. If there’s something else that needs your attention, go handle it. I’ll be fine with the case.”

His eyes cut to mine, and his hard glare does little to intimidate me. I’ve been on the receiving end of that glare too many times to count. It is impressive, though.

“Don’t give me that look, Mr. Dark Eyes. You know what I’m trying to say here. If something else needs your attention more, I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay and babysit me.”

His stare only intensifies, reminding me how he got that nickname to begin with.

About a year ago, the sister of the client I did all the car intel for called him Mr. Dark Eyes at her ex-fiancé’s arraignment. Her ex tried to kill her multiple times. Donovan learned that, since Andrea Shaw didn’t know who he was, she gave him a nickname for the only feature she remembered vividly. It was the first thing she recognized when she saw him in court that day.

We had a mighty big laugh over the nickname she gave him, but we’re all used to Donovan’s nature and heavy glare. Andrea Shaw was not and experienced Donovan Blake’s glare firsthand.

He wasn’t there to harm her, but he’d had caught wind of what Andrea was about to get mixed up in and tried to warn her, or really, scare her off. It worked to an extent, which earned him the now infamous name, Mr. Dark Eyes.

He sighs. “I hate that fucking name. I should have never told you guys about that.”

“You didn’t have to tell us anything. We were all there for it.” I laugh at the memory. The shock on Andrea Shaw’s face rivaled Donovan’s when she called him out that day.

“You guys are never going to let me live that one down, are you?”

“Never. We’re going to put it on your tombstone.”

“Figures.”

I laugh again, thankful to break up the tension that surfaced just moments ago. As a team, we don’t keep things from each other. It’s imperative we don’t keep things from one another because secrets can get us killed. If Donovan’s issue was something that would endanger any of the rest of us, he’d let me in. But it still bugs me he doesn’t trust me with whatever it is.

“Seriously, man. I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”

He drops his head and rubs the back of his neck. “I know, and I appreciate it. This is personal, not business.”

Whatever it is, I hope he deals with it quickly. I know I said I could do this without him, but it would be a hell of a lot easier with his help.

“Yo, boss, what’s up?” I say to Liam as I fix myself a sandwich. I just got home after a long boring day of following Moore around and making a million phones calls trying to find some kind of lead on this damn car. I stopped by Dunn’s warehouse on my way home to switch to another vehicle to drive. It’s easier to stay hidden in plain sight if I’m not always in the same car or truck.

Just because I’m trying to get another way in to get the dirt on Moore doesn’t mean I’ve given up on finding something the tried-and-true way. My years of being a PI have proven that sometimes it’s the simplest things that lead to your answers, and I won’t give up on that possibility yet.

“Donovan tells me you guys might be in over your heads with this one. I need to make sure you’re solid on this. I don’t need any missteps with this case.”

My eyebrows furrow. That fuckhead Donovan said we were in over our heads?

“I’ve got it handled.” My response is prickly because what the fuck, bro? I’m calling him as soon as I get off the phone with Liam.

He’s quiet for a moment. “I need you to tell me the truth, Colin. If this goes sideways, it’s not just you guys who are affected. It’s Dunn Security as a whole. We’re a team.”

“What in the hell did Donovan say?” I’m honestly shocked that Donovan is trying to sabotage the case before we even have a real shot at cracking it.

“Not much, but it was enough to make me worry,” Liam replies with a sigh.

I push my sandwich away, suddenly losing my appetite. “I have this handled. I’ve been working all day with my contacts, and I’m sure one of them will come through for me soon. In the meantime, I’ve continued to tail Moore, hoping he slips up on his own.”

“Maybe that’s how we should be playing this whole thing.”

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