Page 23 of Blind Justice

Out of the corner of her eye, Duncan moved from behind the island. He took up a defensive position beside her like he was worried Enzo might retaliate. He would, just later…way later, when the agent wasn’t around. Bella smiled in anticipation.

“Coño.”

Most women found that word offensive, but she took that shit as a compliment. Enzo knew it too. She flipped him the bird before digging into her bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich.

“Someone is feeling better today,” Duncan said, teasing Bella.

She covered her mouth with her hand before she spoke. “I’m attempting to pull my head out of my ass.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “Thank you for this.”

“You mentioned the other day about how it’s important in your family to share a meal. I figured maybe this was a way to honor them.”

Bella blinked back the tears at his uncharacteristically kind words. It meant a lot, considering they wouldn’t be able to go home and pay her respects to her mami and Ignacio during a funeral. She rolled up the crinkly tinfoil, tossing it in the bag before she snagged a bottle of orange juice. “We signed those forms like you asked us to.”

Duncan went back behind the counter, removing his breakfast from the remaining bag. “Did you have any questions?”

Enzo took a seat beside Bella and tucked into his food. “We wouldn’t have signed it if we had questions, Agent.” His playful tone surprised Bella.

Duncan narrowed his eyes, taking in Enzo. There’d been a mixture of sexual and irritable tension radiating off of him. Did the agent have the hots for Enzo, after all? By looking at the man, she didn’t think he knew what flirting was or how to do it, yet the heat of his blue-eyed stare spoke louder than words. The agent wanted her brother, yet he made no moves.Pity.She’d love to see the suit get dirty just once. The corner of Duncan’s mouth twitched before his features blanked out.

Silence followed.

Enzo ate two sandwiches before waving a flag of defeat. He continued to sit across from her, playing with the can of cola he coveted. Enzo was a caffeine whore. He drank coffee and cola like it was going out of style. It made him even more annoying than the little pink bunny used to sell batteries. It also made his ADHD worse.

Duncan brought his coffee to the table, sitting beside Enzo. He took a moment, observing them both. Bella noticed yet again that his gaze lingered on Enzo longer than normal. He was definitely feeling Enzo.

Not that she judged him, considering she had fucked a girl on more than one occasion. Love was love, or in her case, sex was sex. Sometimes she craved the softness of a woman’s touch over the roughness of most of the guys who joined them. Enzo wouldn’t care either. He’d already informed the agent he was bi.

Duncan took a quick sip of his coffee. “I need to go over the rules with you.”

Bella snorted. “What are we, ten?”

Duncan sighed, but it was Enzo who spoke up. “Hermana…”

Bella leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Fine. Lo que sea. Sorry for interrupting.”

Duncan told them the rules for the club and for the duration of their stay in his apartment. They’d be trapped like rats in this room with a TV, a half-assed kitchen, and a bathroom. She was going to go bonkers. “I’ll be with you as much as possible. But you’ll be safe here. And, when I’m not around, Omar will be.”

Bella leaned forward. “Not for nothing, Mr. FBI Agent, we didn’t make a deal with Omar. We made the deal with you. It’s not his job to protect us, it’s yours.”

Duncan’s face twisted in anger. “R.O.O.T. and the FBI are working together on this op—”

“Bullshit,” Enzo spat. “We’re not estúpido, Agent. If the FBI was truly working with this R.O.O.T., they’d have assigned more than just you and your partner on this case.”

Duncan shook his head. “This op was a coincidence, a happenstance. Luck was on our side when the call came down the pipeline. We’re just working with R.O.O.T. for now.” Duncan leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. “To be honest, R.O.O.T. is better equipped to help out.”

“And why is that?” she asked, knowing full well whatever response he gave would be standard FBI.

“R.O.O.T has less red tape to weed through than the FBI. They can do what needs to be done without questions or people putting their noses where they don’t belong,” he stated.

Bella watched the agent intently. He was good at being emotionless and keeping his hand hidden, but her gut screamed he’d been telling the truth.

“You trust this R.O.O.T.?” She tilted her head. “With your life?”

Duncan didn’t hesitate, break their stare, or fiddle with his cup. “I do.”

Enzo tapped on the table with his fingers. It was how they communicated with each other. The three taps meant he trusted the agent, and so did she. Bella gave a slight nod to Enzo “What’s downstairs?”

Duncan smirked. “Offices.”

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