Free Risking it All by Tessa Bailey

fallout. He
    wanted to climb into the bed with her
    and see if she still planned on using her
    body to keep him happy while she went
    behind his back to bring down Hogan.
    So many things he wanted and couldn’t
    ever have. In the end, all he could do
    was walk away and leave her there,
    looking like his personal version of
    temptation.
    Sera set down a plate of hot wings in the
    middle of the table, smiling softly at the
    chorus of masculine thank-yous that went
    up. Since Bowen’s intervention the night
    before, she’d apparently been upgraded
    from low-level peon to respected
    member of staff. While it definitely
    made waitressing more pleasant, it
    galled her it had taken threats from
    Bowen to earn her basic human decency.
    Not just threats, she amended, casting a
    glance at him where he sat sipping
    whiskey at the bar, daring anyone with
    his eyes to mess with her. Constant
    observation.
    People obviously thought they were an
    item, and it made them curious about her.
    She didn’t need that, nor did she want
    his protection. Her goal had been to
    keep her head down and gather
    information. His oversight left very little
    opportunity for recon. And her time was
    running out. Even more so than before.
    He’d let her overhear everything being
    said in his living room. Everything .
    Hadn’t even made a basic attempt to
    keep his voice down while talking about
    collecting illegally earned gambling
    money, following through on threats to
    drug dealers. That could mean only one
    thing. He didn’t plan on keeping her
    around long enough to let her tell anyone
    what she’d heard. She had to work fast.
    Lying in bed that afternoon, she’d
    thought it was already over. The
    realization had been unlike anything
    she’d experienced before, and she
    wouldn’t go there again. She’d actually
    been surprised at the way Bowen spoke
    about her, at his obvious indifference to
    her
    hearing
    an
    incriminating
    conversation. Stupid. She had been
    stupid. And naive, just as her uncle had
    always accused her of being. Whatever
    good she thought she’d glimpsed inside
    Bowen was a facade, and remembering
    that might just save her life.
    Furthermore,
    she’d
    allowed
    the
    tentative friendship she’d developed
    with Connor to make her complacent.
    Make her feel safe in this world. Their
    brief discussions about his ailing
    mother, his life before coming to
    Brooklyn, didn’t mean he would save
    her if presented with a crucial choice. It
    was unlike her to let down her guard like
    that. Had she developed some weird
    case of Stockholm syndrome? She might
    have nursed Connor back to health, but
    in this world, the bottom line was all
    that counted. Making money, staying
    alive. Protecting your interests. She’d
    learned early not to depend on anyone
    but herself, and a lapse in judgment
    could mean her life.
    She didn’t understand why Bowen had
    moved her into his apartment, but
    thinking about it had become a
    distraction. Based on the conversation
    he’d had with Wayne, he would have to
    leave at some point to go pay his visit to
    the outsiders who’d had the audacity to
    invade his territory. That would be her
    chance to gain entrance to Hogan’s
    office, and she had to take it. She could
    feel the walls closing in around her.
    Until today, she’d felt relatively safe in
    her assumed identity. Now it had all
    begun to crumble around her ears.
    Her uncle had never had any faith in
    her, choosing to place it all in her
    brother. When her father died in the line
    of duty so long ago, she’d been a child.
    She’d desperately needed approval,
    encouragement. Her mother’s subsequent
    death when her grief drove her to drink
    and drive one horrible night had left
    Sera precious little resources for that.
    Instead of giving her a solid foundation
    to rebuild on, her uncle’s response had
    been to send her away. As an adult, she
    could understand why a busy man opted
    out of raising two children, but that
    rejection had also