Page 10 of Hart of Redemption
“You mean my sex appeal.”
He cringed. “I’m not naive, Fallyn. Agents have done what was necessary while undercover to get close to the source and find evidence. Jason comes to mind. Not to mention, men like Duke Hart don’t get to the top without knowing how to manipulate people. On top of that, you’re beautiful, and?—”
“Dad, I’m not a teenager anymore, and Duke isn’t that drummer I dated, if that’s where you’re going with this.” My dad had wanted to hunt down Axel after he’d broken my heart during my first year of college. Dad also knew the type of men I was drawn to—bad boys with that air of confidence, ready to conquer the world. In a way, Duke was that type. “Besides, Duke is the enemy.”
“He’s also a human, and I’ve heard he’s charming,” Dad said, raising an eyebrow.
I sighed. “The job comes first, no matter what, and I’ll do my best.”
He swiped a hand over his unshaven face. “I know you will. Agent Howard has already begun the process of setting up a profile. I’ll be involved in helping him. It will take about a week. In the meantime, I want you to really think about this.”
Nodding, I rubbed my hands down my legs. It was something I did when I was nervous. I would hope that in this situation I wouldn’t succumb to falling for the bad boy. After all, Axel was a drummer not a front man for the cartel.
“Dad, I will try my very best to make you proud. But I’m not making any promises.”
He moved hair off my cheek. “I don’t expect you to, and if you did, I wouldn’t approve. There’s one thing, though. Duke, the cartel, and the guns are your first priority. This assignment isn’t about finding out what happened to Jason. Frankly, I prefer you stay away from McCauley.”
“We’re forgetting one important thing. I have to get a job at Duke’s club first. We don’t even know if that bartending position is still open.”
If the stars did align for this op, finding answers to my brother’s death would be tricky.
5
DUKE
Cumulus clouds skated across the sky, blocking the sun every now and then as I trudged around headstones at Linwood Cemetery in Weston, Massachusetts, several miles outside of Boston.
Not long after Savannah’s death, I had a gravestone set up in her honor away from the seedy underworld of the city. A peaceful place where I could visit her without any distractions. She didn’t have a resting spot because her sister, Jade, had her cremated.
Linwood was the perfect spot for the woman to whom I’d never told the depth of my love. The forty-five-acre property was well landscaped, with variations of trees, shrubs, flowers, and roads that wound through the vast expanse of the burial grounds.
For late morning on a Sunday, the cemetery was practically empty. I didn’t expect the place to be crawling with mourners, but I glanced around with a mechanical precision just the same. After last night, my radar was on high alert. Then again, I was always looking in the rearview mirror or behind me.
I placed the lily on the step of her headstone and read the epitaph I’d written.A vibrant woman who knew how to steal a heart with her brilliant smile.That was exactly what she’d done with me.
I clawed my fingers through my hair, pulling at the roots as I inhaled the sweet aroma of flowers carried on the wind. “Savannah,” I gasped through gritted teeth, my chest aching with longing and pain. “I wish you were here, but part of me is relieved you’re not. The world has become more of a treacherous place since your death.” I paused to catch my breath, clenching my fists as I continued, “The good news, though—Tito is behind bars, where he belongs.” My voice dripped with bitter satisfaction. Yet prison was too lax of a punishment for Tito for taking Savannah’s life.
“He will die in the joint,” I mumbled, feeling the need to hit something, to take away the numbness I’ve had inside for so long. “I’m so sorry, babe. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls from prison. If I could change things, I would.”
You keep beating yourself up, man. You need to make peace with Savannah’s death.
That was my problem. I didn’t know how.
“But I’ve been planning on walking away from the cartel and my empire. I feel like I’ve aged fifty years. I haven’t relaxed since we took that vacation to the Maldives. Remember sitting by the pool, laughing, good sex, just you and me and no outside world?”
I rubbed the back of my neck as fallen leaves whirled around me as if she were answering my question.
I placed my hand over my heart, remembering her words that still echoed in my mind from that day on the beach when she was straddling me. “Duke, being far from home suits you. You need to break free. We both do.”
I clenched my jaw, feeling the weight of guilt more heavily than ever. It was like a knife twisting in my gut. Seeing my brothers with their wives made me more envious of what I didn’t have and would never have but still longed for deeply.
With a trembling hand, I pulled out the flask from my jacket pocket and slammed back a swig of bourbon. The fiery liquid burned its way down my throat, but it wasn’t enough to numb the pain. Last night’s rage had left me with a throbbing hand and aching knuckles, but that wasn’t enough either. I needed more. I needed to feel raw bone against raw bone in the ring, sparring with a partner until blood leaked from my wounds. Only then would I find release for the emotions boiling inside me.
After another swig from my flask, I returned it to its original place when my phone vibrated in my suit jacket.
I fished it out and answered Jeremy Pitt’s call. “Hey, man.”
“Duke.” His voice was calm as always.
