“I’m serious. I work for the FBI. I’ve been working for them for four years. Remember the six months I took off after you and I had first started racing, and you were pissed because it meant you lost three in a row? I was at the academy.”
“Ta Gueule,” he said. “You’ve been undercover this whole time?”
“Yes,” I said quietly.
I hated not being able to see his face as the silence extended.
“You lied to me,” he said bitterly. “And worse, you put her at risk.”
“I didn’t lie about not working for theKyodaina,” I said as my gut twisted. It was not the conciliation it should have been. He was right. I’d risked too much. Jada. Our friendship. Our company. And now I had very little to show for it.
“But you’ve used me?our company?to try and…what? Bring them down?” he stormed.
“Yes,” I said.
More silence.
“So, the racing and the yachts…they mean nothing? It’s been a cover this whole time?” Behind the anger, the hurt was layered again because he suddenly thought our friendship meant nothing.
“Our racing together came first. Ourfriendshipcame first. That has always been the real me,” I told him honestly. “My boss recruited me because of our ties to Jada’s world.”
“What else? What other lies have you told?” he demanded.
“I had theAda Maemodified to carry cash. Drugs. Guns. Whatever they needed,” I said.
“Quel putain de bordel. We were carrying? When we crossed?”
He was right. It was a fucking mess, but I responded honestly. “Yes.”
He was quiet. “And you expect to continue this? Using us. Me. Our boats for this?”
“No, that’s done. Our company and our boats will never be tied to it again,” I promised, and I hoped he could hear how serious I was.
“How can I trust you now?” he asked.
I ran a hand over my face. “I don’t know, but I’ll do whatever I can to earn it back. You are one of the few things in my life I can’t live without.”
He blew out a breath.
“I need some time to think about this,” he said. “You know how careful we have to be, and I feel like…like you disregarded it.”
I didn’t respond because it was the truth. I had disregarded the impact to the Armauds in my focus to chase the Moris. My boyish need to prove myself better had backfired and taken those around me down with me. My chest strained against the knot that had become my heart.
“Jada. What will happen to her now that she’s worked with you?” he asked with real worry in his voice.
“Her dad has banned her from any of his residences. Removed her but not disowned her,” I replied.
“He’s too proud to admit his own daughter turned on him.”
“Something like that.”
“And you? What will they do to you?” It gave me hope that there was concern still in his voice. That he hadn’t completely written me off.
“Supposedly, I’m safe as well. We’re safe. But…”
I let it trail off because there were so many unknowns. TheKyodainahad long memories and carried big grudges. IfMori-samawas ever toppled from his perch at the top of the pile, I wasn’t sure we’d be protected. We definitely weren’t safe with Ken’Ichi out there, licking his wounds, growing more furious by the second as his name was added to the “out” list, tossed aside after years of loyal service.
“But it’s theKyodaina,” Dax finished my sentence for me. “You at least got the bastard who shot her, right?”
