Page 20 of Dutch

Dutch's mouth twitched in a half smile. "One day, that mouth is going to get you in trouble."

I wasn't backing down. "Today might be that day."

Frustration sat on his face. "The video, it ain't pretty."

"Of course, I figured as much."

"There has to be a reason Jahlil wants you involved, and I'm not convinced it's your charming personality."

"I'm confused. Am I in the video or something?" I scoffed.

Dutch's expression was deafening, telling me what I needed to know.

"Shit, I'm in it?" I questioned again as my legs weakened.

Dutch shook his head. "I'm trying to keep Jahlil from getting his hands on you."

"I'm already knee-deep in this shit. Like it or not, Jahlil already has hands on me!"

We glared at each other. This time, I thought Dutch was going to yell at me.

Instead, he backed down. "I know." His admission hung between us.

We glared each other down. Neither of us wanted to look away first. I could see past his rough exterior, and before my brain could catch up, my body was moving. Dutch closed thedistance between us, and our lips crashed against each other, full of separation and fire. Dutch's arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him so close his stubble tickled my face as our kiss deepened, and I melted into him with every nerve ending in my body firing signals.

God, I'd missed him.

As our tongues tangled through pent-up frustration, Dutch’s hands roamed my back, and I couldn't think. Still, a voice asking me what the hell I was doing nagged in my mind, especially a man who would keep secrets.

I broke away, needing air. Dutch licked his swollen lips, and I wanted to pick up where we left off.

"Makari," Dutch murmured, his voice spent.

My name, that one word, snapped me back to reality. "Too much at stake… we can't." I was weak, and I hated how I sounded.

Dutch nodded. "We can't ignore this."

"Jahlil's out there. We have to stay focused on staying alive." I reminded him coldly. For now, the unspoken would have to hang between us.

The burner phone rang just as Dutch opened his mouth. He snatched it off his desk.

"Talk." He barked into the cell. His expression shifted in an instant.

My stomach knotted as he spoke, and I watched Dutch's face darken.

"Let's do it," Dutch answered before he ended the call.

"What? Don't just leave me wondering," I demanded.

"Jahlil wants to negotiate."

I pressed because we already knew that much. "And?"

"Jahlil will only negotiate if you're there." Dutch's words hit me like a bomb.

"Shit." Though I'd just seen him a few days ago, all I could focus on was how Jahlil, a childhood friend turned enemy, had my mind spinning.

"You don't have to," Dutch stated, but we knew that wasn't the truth.

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