Page 96 of A Dirty Business
“You serious?” she hissed, her head falling all the way to the side.
“Yes.”
“Why would they do that? Wait. Your dad used to be connected to them back in the day. This from back then or recent?”
I gave her a hard look, not wanting to lie any more than I had. “I intend to find out.”
“Okay. What do you want from me?”
“Just have my back if you hear anything about me.”
“I can do that.” She looked at the car. “You’re going to find out right now, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to start. You should not be with me when I do this.”
“You don’t want backup?”
“One of us getting dirtied up is enough. I don’t want this shit to spread to you.”
She gave a nod and stepped back, taking the sealed UA from me. “Hey, Jess.”
I opened the door, looking back at her before getting inside.
Her gaze was hard on me. “Just be smart, whatever you’re going to do.”
Smart? I’d try. Anything else, I couldn’t promise.
I indicated the UA. “Can you turn that in for me?”
“I will. I’ll call for a ride.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. Go handle this shit before it spreads any more.”
“Thank you, Val.”
Another sober nod from her. “Just remember what I said. Be smart.”
She was right. When I murdered Trace, I’d have to bevery smartabout where I hid his body.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
TRACE
“Mr.West, an Officer Montell is here to see you. She’s saying she doesn’t need an appointment.”
I frowned, not expecting this greeting when my phone had rung from the building’s front desk.
“Let her up.”
“Will do, Mr.West.”
I exited out of the portfolios that I’d been studying when the elevator pinged her arrival. The front desk staff would’ve notified my assistant, who indicated my office for Jess, as she saw me through the glass walls we had in this building. Normally I didn’t mind being surrounded by glass walls. It’d been a trendy thing when they’d first designed this place. Everyone wanted to see what everyone else was doing. It cut down on any stupid shady shit, too, which I always thought was the real reason behind the design. Everyone had coverings for their computers, so privacy was still maintained, but getting the warning burn from Jess’s glare had me cursing the see-through walls right now.
Still, when she came inside and once that door shut behind her, I hit a button, and we were soundproofed now. The windows clouded over. We were still visible, but our facial expressions would be blurred.
She came in, stopping just inside so almost the entire room was between us. Her hand was on her hip, where I knew she kept her weapon.
