She laughed. “Like there’s only one of them on the cars. I would never let that happen.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He loved her laugh. It was filled with joy…something he had not experienced a lot of in the last three years.
“Did the boss send you?”
“Naw. He’s spending time with his lawyers discussing the search warrant that we all know is coming. Just so you know, Devon Stryker said he’d swear that you were with them.”
“We were.”
“I know. Just keeping you updated since you turned off your phone. Your sister got my gig, and since I was done for the day, I thought I should find you and make sure you aren’t fucking up your life.”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
She rolled her eyes. “I have three older brothers, so I understand your species. I know that you are sitting down the street from TFH, where your sister’s ex works.”
He said nothing.
“Listen, I get it. I would do the same thing. There was this girl one time who was really trying to fuck with Aaron. You know he’s a big teddy bear.”
El did not know that. Aaron Daniels won the MMA World Title three years in a row before he retired. The man was a machine in the ring, and thinking of him as a teddy bear was just insane.
“See, she thought she could use him for money. Think about it. He had all those endorsements and, well, she thought she could bleed him dry. I knew there was something up about her from the start. Not that I would think any woman wouldn’t be lucky to get any of my brothers, just that there was something off about her. So, I researched her.”
“You used your Dillon access?”
“Naw, I was in college. That skank was wanted in Utah for owing her ex thousands of dollars.”
“What did Aaron say? Did he get mad at you?”
“Tsk, tsk. I didn’t tell him. That would have just upset him. I called the authorities and had her arrested. See, that ex? He had been her boss, and the thousands had been embezzled.”
He blinked. “He had no idea you turned her in?”
“Nope. I saved my brother and kept his pride intact.”
This was the exact reason he worried about her. She was so damned clever.
“Like I said, I get it. Your sister is still infatuated with him. And he’s hung up on her.”
El snorted. “He abandoned her.”
She tilted her head. Damn, she was pretty. He loved smart women, and she fit the bill. Tall, with long, dark hair and blue eyes, she always seemed to be able to see more than most people.
“I get that. We all make mistakes, El. One decision can alter your life and the lives of people you care about. One day, everything is fine, and one little decision can leave your world in smithereens.”
There was a note in her voice that left his blood cold. He studied her profile, trying to discern what she was actually saying.
“Don’t. You won’t like what you find,” she said. Then she looked at him, gave him that blinding smile of hers. “So, how long are we staying here today?”
He sighed. “Until they leave for the day.”
“And what is our objective?”
He blinked at her.
“Because if it’s intimidation, that’s a bad idea, cowboy. You could be charged with obstruction of justice. Then your sister would be on her own. That would be bad.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
