Page 12 of Blind Justice

Duncan stepped out of the elevator and glanced left then right. The gnawing edge of being followed tugged at him. Something was off. There was the possibility he was being paranoid, which seemed to arrive with migraines—a side effect of his troubled youth—however, this was more. He hurried down the hall, his footfalls echoing around him while the chatter from televisions filtered through some of the doors. Near his apartment, music, loud, obnoxious music flowed out into the hall, even though he and Thomas paid a pretty penny for their place.

Duncan grumbled to himself. “Just because mommy and daddy could afford to send junior to school doesn’t mean it’s party central.”

Especially after the night he had.

The thought had occurred to him to knock on the door and flash his badge, but he already knew the move would get back to his superiors, and well, he didn’t want to be shipped back overseas to some fucked up prison, or worse, sent to Lorton. He stuck his key into the lock at the same time the door opened. Bella stood before him with a disgruntled expression on her face and her arms crossed. The look was a mix of adorable and exhausting. He didn’t know how he’d tell her or Enzo about their parents.

“You’re late,” she muttered. “We could have been kidnapped.”

He winced internally. She had no clue how true her statement had been. “Sorry, I was held up.”

“Did you enjoy your night?” Did he detect a bit of jealousy or was it his imagination?

Duncan closed and locked the door behind him. “Not as much as I intended.” He placed his bag on the sideboard while dropping his keys on the bamboo bowl under the mirror above the credenza. “How about you guys?”

“Watched movies.” Enzo glanced over the couch. He gave Duncan a shy grin. “I don’t know the last time I’ve been able to.”

“Good.” Duncan grabbed his bag. “Look, I need to make a few calls and then I’m going to bed. Tomorrow we need to have a meeting and discuss relocation to a better setup.”

“A safehouse?” Bella asked.

“Sort of. I’m beat right now. It’s tons of information, and I don’t have the brain power to explain it all in detail.” A total lie, one he could sell with ease.

“But you have calls to make.” She quirked a brow.

“Yep. A check in with Thomas to make sure everything is on the up and up.”

“You talk to him a lot, I’ve noticed,” Bella grilled.

“He’s my work partner.”

“Bella,” Enzo chided. “Stop it. He’s tired. Can’t you see it on his face? Doesn’t look like things went well.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to be lied to again.”

The truth sat on the tip of Duncan’s tongue. However, he knew if he told either of them, they’d leave in the middle of the night while he slept. Even with a generous head start, Raul would find them within two days, and he’d either kill them or have someone else do it.

“I hate lying too. I won’t lie to you, Bella.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, and warmth flowed up his arm. The connection pushed away some of the coldness he’d gotten used to.

“Good.” She shrugged off his hand. Was the feeling only one-sided? “Go to bed then. I’ll make us breakfast in the morning, and we’ll talk then.”

Shit. How had she taken over his domain? Duncan grunted. The thought of eating anything made his stomach sour. “Sure, breakfast.” With a curt nod, he started for his room.

After he tossed his bag and jacket onto the bed, Duncan then removed his cufflinks from his sleeves. As he rolled them up, he kicked off his shoes and went straight for his closet. Stepping into the rectangular box which resembled a small booth, he pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through until he hit Asher’s number. Even though it was two in the morning and Asher would kick his ass, he couldn’t let this go.

“Asher’s line.” Callahan’s voice surprised Duncan. “What can I do for you, Duncan?”

“I need to speak with the Commander.”

“Better be business. You know how he is about his pleasure,” the man goaded.

“It’s business. Might want to make it an all-hands conversation.” Duncan rubbed his hand across his brow, a tick he’d picked up when his headaches became more intense.

“I’ll let Asher determine if it warrants that. Give me a second. I’ll transfer you to his quarters.”

“Thanks,” Duncan replied.

“No problem, hang tight.”

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