Page 33 of BounBound By Scars

I blinked. “When’s the warrant being issued?”

Inez cocked her head toward Seb. “She new?”

He sighed. “Let’s move this to a meeting room.”

We walked in silence. But I didn’t miss the way Seb kept glancing at her. Tense. Uneasy. Something simmered there, something unspoken—and definitely unresolved.

Once we were all seated, Seb broke the silence.

“Detective Grayson is… a reluctant ally. She keeps us in the loop. Since Officer Lee’s passing, she’s been our go-to for this precinct.”

“Reluctant?” Inez raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Don’t be like that, Blackthorn. Baby, I’msowilling. Don’t reduce what we have.”

Damien snorted quietly and rested a hand on her shoulder. I watched Seb immediately tense at the contact.

Oh.

He straightened, trying to collect himself. “Amelia is special ops. She’s a guest. That’s all you need to know.”

They nodded, then shifted into briefing mode. Between sips of coffee, Inez and Damien laid out the details of the attempted warrant. They had a plan to sway the higher-ups and delay the process.

I stayed quiet, taking it all in.

Blackthorn Security operated in grey areas—I’d known that. But hearing it laid out in plain terms, seeing Seb navigate it so fluidly… it was something else. He was sharp, composed, and incredibly annoyed anytime Inez opened her mouth.

It was petty. Juvenile even.

But his ears flushed every time she spoke.

And after they left, as we headed back to his apartment, I finally broke the silence.

“So. Inez Grayson, huh?”

He avoided my gaze. “What about her?”

“She gets under your skin pretty fast,” I said, amused.

“She’s the devil in blue, Amelia,” he muttered. “I use her. I don’t have to like her.”

“She’s not in blue anymore,” I reminded him. “Detective, remember?”

He groaned. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, but that woman has caused me nothing but headaches. I only work with her because Lee’s gone. That’s it.”

But I wasn’t buying it. I saw how he leaned in whenever she spoke, how his eyes traced the movement of her mouth—whether he realized it or not.

His scowl didn’t fool me.

He noticed her the way I noticed Kabir.

And there wasnodifference.

By the time we reached his apartment, the silence between us was heavier than it needed to be. I paused near the door, hand on the knob, ready to bolt.

“I’ll head back—”

“Stay,” Seb interrupted, voice calm but deliberate. “Just for a bit.”

I turned, raising an eyebrow.

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