Page 33 of The Reluctant Siren
“Okay, but it’s kind of what I need to happen. Look, fromwhat I can tell, nothing really bad goes on until they get shipped to theupstairs business, which I have to believe is the one Daisy sort of took outpart of. I think an American group was working with a Mexican group, and weonly found the ones with cartel connections, leaving a man named Hamilton tocontinue his work. I need to take this guy down, and the best way to do it isfrom the inside.”
What had she said? “Hamilton?”
The name hit him like a sledgehammer. Cliff Hamilton. Theman who killed Tommy Wiley and sent his best friend into hell. Surely she wastalking about another Hamilton. There had to be more than one asshole namedHamilton in the world. There was more than one who had been based in LA andmoved to Dallas. That happened every day, right?
Because if she wasn’t talking about another Hamilton, thenwho was the man she met tonight? The one she was planning on working with?
The one she knew from before. The one who sent her into aquiet spiral.
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “He’s a dirtbag. CliffHamilton. Former thief turned drug dealer. I can’t tell you all the shit he’sdone. I think that’s her. Keep the car going. I’ll help her get her case in.”She was halfway out the door when she stopped. “Crap. I should have known hewould show up. Uhm, you’re about to meet my asshole ex. Don’t worry. He won’tjeopardize our mission. He wants Miranda out, too. Don’t punch him. He’s adick, but I kind of need him.”
Jensen.
Jensen was the ex. Jensen was the one she met tonight rightbefore she started trying to gently break off their relationship. Jensen wasthe one she was going to work with. Jensen was fucking here?
He watched as a man stepped out of his truck and crossed thestreet, making a beeline for Harlow. There was no way to mistake the swagger ofthe man or the broad shoulders. His hair was longer than it had been the lasttime he’d physically seen him a couple of months before.
Harlow stopped in front of the car, crossing her arms overher chest and saying something to him.
Jensen. There he was. He was talking to Harlow, his handsout in apology. They both looked ghostly in the headlights. Harlow simply shookher head as though she didn’t care.
She was going to care. She was going to care a lot whenJensen took one look at him and figured out what had happened between his bestfriend and the woman of his dreams.
He should have found a way to call him.
Fuck. This was going to go to hell and fast.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there kind of frozen andwondering exactly what to do, but when he finally took a deep breath andstarted to get out of the car, Miranda came into clear view.
She dropped her suitcase and started running.
And that was when he heard the gunfire.
Chapter Seven
Harlow wished the man didn’t look so fuckingdelicious. Jensen strode over to her, stepping in front of Niall’s Jeep.
I’m serious about us. I’m serious about you.
Niall had said the words and they meant everything to herand yet here she was breathless at being so close to an asshole who betrayedher. Maybe Deranged Dad was right and she made bad choices.
“I’m sorry. I got caught up in some crap at the club,”Jensen said. “I knew you were picking her up, and I wanted to make sureeverything went smoothly.”
“You shouldn’t have come. You could freak her out,” Harlowsaid, keeping a careful distance between them. The last thing she wanted washer current boyfriend to think she was going to fall back into her oldboyfriend’s arms. Which she wasn’t about to do. No way. No how. “And you shouldknow my boyfriend is here. I expect you to treat him with respect.”
His eyes went soft. “Of course. Harlow, I’m not here towreck your life. I’m here to help.”
“You’re here for you.” And she shouldn’t forget that. Shedidn’t buy his whole “I’ll give up revenge for justice” speech. It was bullshitmeant to get her into a position where she would help him. Where she wouldspend time with him. She wasn’t foolish. The sex had been spectacular.
But it wasn’t worth her soul.
She had to keep reminding herself that she had a good mannow. She had Niall. She didn’t need a gorgeous asshole who could rock herentire world because that was exactly what Jensen Wiley would do. He woulddrive her crazy with pleasure and then send her into a shame spiral because hewasn’t a man who could love her.
“I’m here to get a job done,” he said quietly, his big bodylit with Niall’s headlights. It made him look like some freaking shadow daddy.“I’m tired, Harlow. I want to be done. I want to come home.”
She barely managed to not roll her eyes. “Well, I’ll try tohelp you get out of Dallas as soon as possible. I still think you should goback to your truck. Miranda doesn’t know you’re in the club under falsepretenses, does she?”
“I’ve never told anyone but you,” he replied. “You and mybest friend are the only people in the world who know where I am.”
