Paige to look into everything you’ve been doing this past week, and we both know Paige is very good at her job.”
Shit. The threat didn’t bounce off him the way most threats did. Paige Grant
was
good, and the last thing he wanted was her investigating his recent movements. He’d made too many little side trips that he didn’t want Bailey knowing about.
But Sean didn’t want her involved in this either. Rabbit was a dangerous man. Once upon a time he’d possessed some semblance of honor, but his actions of late proved that he wasn’t above using anyone he could to advance his agenda.
Still, Sean figured he could give her
something
. He’d learned a long time ago that the best lies were always rooted in truth.
“You win, luv. I’m working for Rabbit again.” He met her eyes. “Happy now?”
As always, Bailey saw right through him. “Not in the slightest. I want to know what he has on you.”
Bloody hell. The woman was too smart for her own good.
“That’s none of your concern,” he said tersely.
Triumph lit her gaze. “But he does have
something
.”
“Obviously, Bailey.” Sarcasm crept into his tone, along with a weight of fatigue that pressed into his chest. “I don’t go around robbing banks for the hell of it, okay?”
“What’s he holding over your head?”
Ignoring her, Sean peered out the window, then barked a command at their silent driver. “Turn left on the next street. There’s a stretch of warehouses coming up to your right.”
“Damn it, Sean,” Bailey grumbled. “Tell me.”
“No.” His jaw tightened. “It’s time for us to go our separate ways. I appreciate that you came all this way to save my ass, but it didn’t need saving.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”
“Why?” he shot back. “Why do you even bloody care? We’re not friends, remember? You made that pretty fucking clear in Paris this summer.”
Bailey’s expression flickered with unhappiness. She faltered, her hands curling into fists. “I care about—Oliver,” she mumbled. Stuttering on the last word, as if she didn’t want to speak Ollie’s name in front of Sean. “I don’t want to see him suffer when you get yourself killed.”
Pain sliced into his chest as her motives became clear. Of course she’d come for Oliver. He’d known that the second she’d dropped out of the ceiling back in the bank, but hearing her admit it was . . . torture.
“And I don’t get why O’Hare needed you for a low-rent bank job,” she went on, oblivious to the hot agony seizing Sean’s throat. “It makes no sense. And even less sense that you agreed.”
He pushed away the bitterness, deciding to give her another morsel of the truth. “Look, Rabbit thinks there’sa rat on his crew who’s feeding information to his rivals. He didn’t trust his men to do the job alone, so he wanted me there to make sure he got what he needed from the bank.”
“Uh-huh. All that sweet, sweet cash, right?” she said sarcastically.
Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the flash drive. “He wanted this, okay? And I got it for him. So you see? There’s no reason for you to be here. I’m going to give this to Rabbit, the two of us will be square, and then I’m done with him.”
Bailey went quiet for a beat. “What aren’t you telling me?”
She was like a shark with a taste of blood. Sean knew she wouldn’t let up, but fortunately, the car stopped before he was forced to lie to her. As Rafe pulled up at the curb, Sean tapped the back of the man’s seat and said, “Thanks for the ride, mate.”
He was out of the car before Rafe could respond, slamming the door to stop Bailey from following. But the blasted woman just jumped out of the other door, her boots snapping against the pavement as she angrily rounded the vehicle.
“Get back in the car,” he said sternly.
She glared at him. “No.” Shoulders rigid, she turned toward the open passenger window and
Chelsea Camaron, Mj Fields