Page 92 of Diary from an Inked Throne

“Not just any cop, the one who held me in that cell and then delivered me into Matish’s hands.”

“I hadn’t forgotten.”

“So you’re in?”

Dax sighed heavily. “I’m in. What’s the address?”

Rivera’s house was in the shittiest part of Saint View. The yard was overgrown and littered with junk. The roof sagged, and the entire building seemed like it might collapse at any minute.

“This place is a dump.” Dax peered through the windshield at the shack of a house.

“Guess cop pay isn’t all that good. Makes me understand why he’d be in with someone like Matish. He clearly needed whatever he was paying him.”

We’d stopped via the shop so Dax could grab his kit and organize for Roarke to watch over Reaper’s work. Which had cost Dax the hefty price of reconciling the shop’s end-of-month bookkeeping so Roarke could go out of town with his latest fling.

Dax had shot me a look, like whatever we were doing today had better be worth the price of him trying to work out a spreadsheet.

Poor, poor creative soul. He hated math.

“Well, we’re here. We might as well get it done.” I opened the car door.

Dax grabbed my arm. “Wait. Are we hurting him? Killing him? Like, what exactly is the plan here, Lynx? I’m not up for killing anyone. You really should have brought Luca if that’s the aim.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “I promise, I brought the right man for the job. Just trust me.”

“I do.”

I blinked. “You said that without even hesitating.”

“Why wouldn’t I? We’re…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Something.”

“Partners?”

“Like in a western? ’Cause I’m sure you don’t mean like boyfriends.”

I tried again. “A foursome?”

“That makes it sound like all we are is sex. And you and I aren’t even doing that.”

“Fair point. How about we just say we’re family?”

A smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “I guess. Though for the record, I don’t watch any of the rest of my family while they’re fucking.”

I shoved him toward his door. “Neither do I, though thanks for giving me the mental image of me watching my parents get it on.”

Dax snorted on his laughter.

I just shoved his shoulder toward his door. “Let’s just do this already. Bring your kit.”

We both got out, Dax clutching his equipment in one hand. We moved along the path acting as casual as possible, but I didn’t miss the way he discreetly covered my back, walking a step or two behind me, both our heads on a swivel, senses alert.

Dax might not have wanted to kill anyone, but I’d seen the man in a boxing ring. He could more than hold his own with nothing more than his fists.

I wasn’t as adept, so I’d be relying on my charm and whatever weapon I could find in Officer Rivera’s house.

I toed a couple of empty beer bottles out of the way so I could get up the man’s front steps, then thought better of it and scooped to pick one up.

Dax raised a questioning eyebrow.