Page 9 of Sleeping with the Dark (The Righteous 3)
“I regret a great many things, Sis, but wiping that worthless piece of shit from my mind is not one of them. I don’t care what or why he did what he did—I’m out.” He yanked open the door.
“Hypocrite.”
Cody paused, his hand gripping the door frame, he glanced over at his sister, but she’d already turned away. He didn’t like the fact she was calling him out on his own words. Grinding his teeth, he stormed into the kitchen.
He just got rid of one demon. The last thing he needed was to invite a second one into his life.
Trev slammed the pen down on his desk and swiveled his chair to stare out the large bay window. He couldn’t focus properly. It didn’t seem to matter what he came up with—he hadn’t figured out a way to get good intel on any of the Golden Dragons. Their members were highly secretive. Other than the signature baggies of their drugs, he hadn’t found any solid leads on a single dealer. Let alone on when, where, or how they were receiving their drug shipments.
He’d figured that with all the high-profile cases he’d done lately for the other gangs that they would seek him out for his services, but if they needed any, they didn’t come to him. Without solid information, he couldn’t bait Alejandro into believing the Golden Dragons were the ones killing his men. The Syphon Kings were too depleted in men after the warehouse attack on the Crimson Vipers to be of any use.
“Dammit.” He couldn’t hold Alejandro off any longer. He needed to accept the offer and worry about giving him a carrot later.
He groaned as his cell rang, and it was the devil himself. He answered and stood, going to lean against the window and stare at the view of the city in the distance.
“You have impeccable timing,” he said. “I was about to call you.”
“I hope you were calling to accept my very generous offer?”
“As a matter of fact, I was. I don’t have anything substantial to offer as of yet, but I will notify you as soon as something interesting crosses my desk.”
“I must tell you, Mr. Anderson. I’m not a patient man. When my family and my bottom line are affected, I tend to become ornery.”
Trev smiled at the veiled threat. “Luckily for you, I tend to be somewhat of a workaholic. I do feel the need to mention that if you want reliable information, you cannot rush the process. If I start unnecessarily asking too many questions, people are going to become suspicious. I know you most certainly would. This wouldn’t do anything to help the cause.”
A deep sigh came through the line, and he could picture that arrogant face on the other end of the line. “Yes, I guess you have a valid point. I will be waiting to hear what you find out.”
“Oh, and Alejandro, do not threaten me again. I do not take kindly to it, and you may find yourself on the wrong side of what I can do.”
The rumble of a laugh came through the phone. “I do like you, Mr. Anderson. You are a real man, but don’t forget who you’re speaking to.”
“I would never. Now, I have much to do before I am able to retire for the evening.” Trev hung up before Alejandro could say anything further. He needed to remain in control of all their interactions, or Alejandro would pounce.
He closed his eyes and swore under his breath as his finger tapped on the glass. He needed an in. He needed a way to get into the game and get close to his mark. Not having Arek doing his thing was proving to be more of an issue than he’d originally thought, not that he would tell his already fat-headed brother that.
“Hey, Trev, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Sally asked if I could bring this in as she was leaving.” Trev’s body responded to the deep voice behind him, his suit jacket suddenly feeling very stuffy. Not wanting to appear too eager, his eyes traveled to the reflection of the man in the window. Trev’s heart hammered as he took in that hesitant smile. He steadied himself before he turned to face his walking desire. Did the room just become smaller?
The white basketball jersey he wore showed off his chiselled arms and defined chest. Trev had to order himself to stop staring like a high school boy.
“It’s Earl Grey. Sally said you like to have a cup at this time of night.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Cody.” Trev rose, meeting the man in the middle of the room, and with each step, his heart pounded a little harder. He couldn’t explain the strong reaction to this man’s nearness and it was equal portions of frustrating and exciting. Reaching for the teacup, he felt their fingers connect, his breath catching with the electric jolt. It was the barest of touches, but the shock to his system had his mind racing in ways it hadn’t done in a very long time. The delicate china cup rattled slightly on the saucer as he wandered back to his desk.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but was that Alejandro of the Streetlores you were speaking to?”
“It was.” Trev sipped his tea, black with a dash of sugar, and stared at the paperwork on his desk.
Cody didn’t take the hint and instead came to stand in front of his desk. “He’s not quite as certifiable as Tyson, but he’s not much better. I hope you’re not getting involved with him.”
Trev looked up at Cody, and he could see the worry in those silver eyes, but there was also another emotion lurking there that he couldn’t quite figure out. “What if I am?” he asked, and although he was talking about business, it felt like they were speaking about something of a more personal nature.
“I don’t want to see you hurt. He will turn on you, no matter what deal you have struck. The man isn’t to be trusted, Trev. He’s big on talking up the family card, but when it comes down to it, he would sell his own mother if it suited his needs.”
Trev leaned back in his chair. “And what makes you think I would trust him? Are you sure you’re not more worried about losing your new place to stay?”
Cody’s jaw stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he crossed those muscled arms over his chest. Trev liked that heated glare, his mind wondering what it would feel like to have those arms push him up against the office wall. He’d let Cody think he had the upper hand until he turned the tide and put him flat on his back as he ravaged those undeniably alluring lips. He was so unbelievably hot, he wanted to rip off his suit jacket and throw it across the room. It took a great deal of effort not to show his discomfort or his growing arousal.
“I told you I’d find a new place as soon as I could, but if you want me to move, just say so.”
