Page 157 of The Forbidden Note

Her lips tighten. “Stop hovering, Zane. I can do this much.”

I know she can. That’s not the freaking problem. I just can’t afford for this woman to break a single fingernail. The protective urge I feel for Grey is as violent as the one I feel for my brothers and Sol. I’d die for them. I’d kill for them. But with Grey, those emotions are… I don’t know. More glittery. More pointed. More explosive.

It’s almost foreign to have a girl in my head like this.

“Show me another box,” I grumble.

Behind me, I feel Dutch, Finn, and Cadey observing us.

“Are those two married as well?” I hear Rick ask Cadey.

“They might as well be,” she responds.

A heavy thump of another box hitting the trolley resounds.

Finn grunts. “I’m done.”

“Wait.” Grey pushes past me and points to a stack of boxes by the wall. “Those too.”

“I’m out of space,” Finn says.

“Me and Dutch too,” Cadey admits.

“Can’t we leave those extra boxes?” Sol grumbles.

Grey plants her hands on her hips. “No. Theyallhave to go.”

“Guys,” Rick has his walkie to his ear and he gives us a worried look, “they’re about to start sweeping.”

“We need to move,” Dutch’s voice booms.

Sol checks his phone and then glances at us. “Time’s up.”

“I need those boxes,” Grey insists. “We don’t know which one has the evidence we’re looking for. And there’s no coming back after Sol does his part.”

Sol grins a little too wide. “She’s right.”

“I say we cut our losses,” Dutch growls.

I purse my lips. There are way too many boxes down here. We underestimated how many trolleys we’d need to get them out discretely.

Cadey places a hand on Dutch’s arm, her wedding ring glinting. “Is there really no way?”

Dutch shakes his head ‘no’.

Grey wilts.

I get an idea. “No, we’ll do this.”

Hope fills Grey’s eyes and I know I’ll do anything to keep her looking at me like that. Like I matter. Like I make her life better. Like I’m not just a screw-up, but someone who can be respected.

“Grey, open the boxes and take out the files inside. Finn, unload the boxes on your trolley.”

Finn gives me a confused look.

I stalk to the boxes and help Grey unload the documents. Then I carry them over to Finn’s trolley.

“Open up.”

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