Page 44 of Claimed By the Deputies

I take a deep breath. It’s better to be safe than sorry. “Can you look into it? About Trevor, I mean. Can you make sure he’s still in Sing Sing?”

“For your peace of mind?”

“Yes. Just one less thing to worry about.”

“He’d know better than to come after you after everything he did,” Timothy grumbles.

I’d love to agree, but I know my ex-husband. I know what he’s capable of. “Trevor Callaghan is a narcissistic, vindictive son of a bitch,” I tell him. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. Ever. I’ll sleep better knowing he’s still rotting in jail.”

“Alright. I’ll look into it. For you.”

“Thank you.”

It’s latewhen the guys get home, but I am nowhere near tired enough to fall asleep.

Instead, I’ve moved my case file study into the living room, the paperwork sprawled all over the floor. Flames burn slowly in the fireplace while I nurse another hot chocolate.

“Time off is supposed to be time off,” Mitch says as soon as he walks into the living room and takes his coat off.

Tyler and Lucas follow, all three watching me with curious eyes.

“I might’ve gotten carried away,” I mumble, flipping a few photos over to check the notes on the back again.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asks. As usual, he’s quick to pick up on the slightest shift in my emotional state.

“Nothing. I think I’m just overtired,” I reply with a weak smile.

He loosens his tie and steps closer. “No, that’s not it.”

“Something’s bothering you,” Tyler says.

“How was the rest of your day?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from my troubles—real or imaginary. “Did you manage to settle on a deal with Johnson and Jade?”

“Not yet, but we’re getting there. It’s hard for me to make a case with the DA regarding a massive trafficking network with just two small-time dealers under my belt and no real proof. They’ve suspected the Silver Stallions of drug trafficking for quite some time, but the DEA and the ATF already called dibs on them.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we could cross our wires with other agencies and cause conflict,” Tyler says. “They’re big fed guns, we’re small townies. They’d never play with us. I tried reaching out to some of my agency contacts, but I’m getting the same line. Everything they have at this point is circumstantial. They’re waiting for a shoe to drop in order to build a bigger case.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“We continue our own investigation, but it means we have less leverage against Johnson and Jade without help from the federal agencies at this point,” Mitch replies.

I nod slowly.

Lucas sits beside me and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. I welcome the warmth of his lips on my skin and close my eyes. When I look up again, Mitch is giving me a quiet look of longing. We’ve yet to get close enough to take things to the next level, but we’re getting there. He’s biding his time, and I don’t mind the slow burn.

“What’s going on with you, Tassia?” Lucas asks in a low voice. “You know you can talk to us about anything. It’s obvious something is on your mind.”

“I know,” I sigh deeply. “And I will tell you, eventually. I promise. It’s nothing for you to concern yourselves with right now, not when we have so many disconnected pieces of the puzzle on the board.”

Tyler pours himself a scotch and points to an empty glass for me. “Want one?”

“You know what? Yes, I do,” I reply and chug the rest of my now-tepid hot chocolate, then set the mug aside. “And speaking of disconnected pieces, I think I may have found something that might help us bring everything together.”

That piques their interest and the three of them gather around me. The case files are wide open between us. I use a roll of red thread and sticky tape to connect various elements.

“I’m all ears,” Lucas says.

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