Page 92 of Risky Passion

Onyx pressed against my leg as if reminding me of whose side she was on. I scratched behind her ears, trying to find logic in his request.

"You’re being paranoid."

Onyx whined, pressing closer with her tail low.

"Paranoid?" His laugh was hollow. "We've got two corrupt cops that prove paranoia's the only thing that will keep us alive right now."

The finality in his tone made my head hurt. He didn't understand. Whisper wasn't just my colleague; she was the person who'd pulled me through the darkness after my sister blocked me from seeing my parents last Christmas. She'd shown up at my door with Thai food and terrible romantic comedies to make sure I wasn’t alone.

"I'm talking about Whisper and my Border Force team. I trust them with my life."

Something haunting crept into Jaxson's eyes. "I would've said the same about Eddie twelve hours ago."

Pain simmered in his eyes, making me curb any further objections.

Whitney jogged up, wheezing as if he'd run a marathon instead of fifty meters. His evidence kit was clutched to his chest like a security blanket. "Got it, but unfortunately, when everything fell out, my phone was smashed."

"Fucking hell." Jaxson threw his hands up, frustration rolling off him in waves. "Let's go."

He opened the back door to the cruiser. “Onyx, in.”

The dog jumped in, and he shut the door, then he climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut.

Whitney and I shared a glance at each other before he put his kit into the trunk and shut the lid.

“You can have the front,” I said. “I’d rather be in the back.”

He opened the back passenger door for me. “I don’t blame you. I don’t want to sit next to cranky ass either.”

“I heard that,” Jaxson called.

As I smothered a chuckle, I climbed into the back seat, and as Ipulled on my seatbelt, Onyx settled her head in my lap. My fingers tangled in her fur as my mind raced.

What if Jaxson was right? What if B had infiltrated more than just the police? The thought of not trusting Whisper felt like betraying family, but Eddie's betrayal had proved that friendship ties weren’t safe from someone like B.

In my line of work, I'd seen how corruption spread like cancer. Trust was a luxury we couldn't afford to test right now, not when we’d nearly died a few times because of it.

God, I hated how trust could be so easily shattered.

I tallied our resources: three exhausted people running on adrenaline and fear, one German Shepherd, zero working phones, a creepy skull in the trunk, and our only lifeline was a police radio in a dead cop's car. The irony made me want to laugh, and it would be funny if it weren’t true. After finding two corrupt officers in one day, calling for help felt about as smart as flying through a cyclone with failed instruments.

And somewhere out there, B was waiting to shoot us out of the sky.

Onyx shifted in my lap, her warm weight anchoring me as Jaxson put his foot down. The headlights carved through the night, revealing glimpses of dense bush on either side of the narrow road.

"We can't just drive around aimlessly," Whitney snapped. "We need a plan."

“Agreed,” Jaxson said. “First question. Do you two need medical treatment?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “You did a great job bandaging me up. Besides, I'm not sitting this out. Not after what she did to us. I want to help catch her."

"You sure you're okay?" My heart did a little flip at the concern in his expression.

"Absolutely. And I'll be even better once we stop her."

“Same here,” Whitney said. “After that bitch nearly burned me to a crisp, I’m sticking with you two.”

"All right." Jaxson pressed his foot on the accelerator. "Our first priority is to ditch this cop car and hide that evidence somewhere safe."

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