Daring Devlin (Lost Boys #1) - Jessica Lemmon Page 0,70

doors opened. The end of my sip went down wrong and I coughed. Devlin, his hand on my back, asked if I was all right. I nodded, coughing again, my eyes on the man who’d just entered the waiting room.

Baron.

And he was coming straight for us.

Devlin

I’d been lost in my own head since Tasha gave us Cade’s sad diagnosis. There were lots of maybes in there, but it still sounded bad.

We hadn’t always gotten along, but I wouldn’t ever have wished this on him. I’d assumed when I saw him lying there that his injuries were limited to his body. But, brain injury? He’d been gunning for law school for as long as I could remember. And once he’d been accepted to Ridgeway U, he was well on his way to becoming someone.

Rena’s coffee went down the wrong way and she started coughing. I leaned over to console her and she nodded that she was okay. By the time she cleared her throat, though, I noticed her attention elsewhere.

On a cop. He was young, maybe my age. Good-looking. He ambled over, a strut in his step like he had something on us.

“Devlin,” Rena whispered, her eyes still on the cop.

“You haven’t done anything wrong, baby. He’s probably here to see one of his buddies,” I lied.

“No, you don’t unders—”

“Rena?”

My head shot up and my body followed. As I stared down the cop with the reddish hair, I realized how this guy came to know her name. The nephew of her mom’s boyfriend. The twenty-six-year-old police officer.

He’s responsible. And nice. He ate my mom’s terrible pie and she loved him.

“Baron,” I grumbled.

He frowned up at me, confused at how I knew his name.

“What are you doing here?” Rena asked him.

“Investigation took a turn. I’m meeting someone.”

I slid my arm around her back, my hold proprietary. Baron watched this, his eye ticking as if he didn’t like it.

I liked that he didn’t like it.

“Um, this is, uh… Devlin,” she introduced. He slid me a narrow-eyed glance and then spoke to Rena.

“What are you doing here? Is your mom okay? I know Roy’s okay, since I just left him at the station.”

“Yes, she’s fine.”

I really didn’t like that they had people in common.

“We’re visiting a friend. This is Tasha, my best friend.”

“Pleasure,” Tasha said.

His eyes flitted to the side. “Excuse me.”

I looked up to see Sonny strolling to the nurse’s desk from the direction of the hallway. Baron went straight for him.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Laurence,” Baron called out.

“Sonny,” I called, moving his direction. Rena wrapped her hands around my arm.

“Devlin, no,” she whispered.

Sonny waved to me. “Hey, Dev. Rena. It’s okay.”

Like hell it was. “What the hell’s going on?”

Baron turned his impatient glare on me. But he had to look up to do it.

“We can’t discuss an ongoing invest—” Baron started, but Sonny interrupted him.

“Ah-ah-ah.” Sonny, hand held up like a stop sign in front of Baron’s face, gave me the info I needed. “We’re taking down Tex.”

“Who’s Tex?” Tasha asked.

“Tex is a big bad bookie, sweetheart.” Sonny smiled.

“You’re ratting,” I said.

“I like to think of it as retiring,” Sonny told me.

“Don’t discuss this further with Devlin,” Baron told Sonny, adding an, “Okay?”

Sonny shrugged.

“Rena, darlin’, this isn’t the place for you.” Baron tipped his head in my direction. “You might want to steer clear of anyone who could be involved in any of this.”

“He’s not.” Her tone was sharp. One of her hands slid down my arm and she wove her fingers with mine. Part of me wanted to kiss her for her bravery and loyalty. That part warred with the part that wanted to protect her. I couldn’t have it both ways.

I’d been “involved” in Sonny’s business. Cops were also involved. Tex would find out eventually. Which meant Sonny could be in danger. I could be in danger. If they came looking for me and found Rena in my bed…

My stomach lurched.

I had to keep her safe. She was safe if she stayed away from me.

“Baron’s right,” I told Rena. My voice was monotone as I stared the cop down. His smile tipped up on one side. He knew he had me. “You should steer clear.”

“You’re out,” she whispered up at me. “There’s nothing to steer clear of.”

God. It hurt to have to do this.

“Yeah, baby. I’m out.” I looked down into her sweet face and my heart broke. I heard the crack. “But he’s still right.”

The crap tornado I’d attempted to outrun picked this hospital as ground zero. Cade couldn’t talk. Sonny