Daring Devlin (Lost Boys #1) - Jessica Lemmon Page 0,71
was a rat. The cops knew who I was, and most likely, how involved I’d been. I’d spend time in jail. I didn’t know how long. A while, I guessed. The dream of a future with Rena, working at Oak & Sage, building a life together fragmented before my eyes.
There was nowhere else to run.
“What do you have on me?” I asked Baron.
“We can talk about that at the station.” Baron’s smile was smug.
“Devlin, no,” Rena started, then turned her fury on Baron. “Leave him alone.”
“He’s got nothing on you, Dev,” Sonny said. “There’s nothing to have.”
“We’ll see about that.” Baron’s smile slipped. Sonny just let me know that he’d never mentioned me. And Baron would have liked for me to confess instead. I dipped my chin at Sonny in a barely-there nod. He returned it with one of his own.
I turned to Tasha. “Can you give Rena a ride home?”
“No!” Rena’s hold tightened on my hand as tears pooled in her eyes. “Don’t you dare leave.”
“Steer clear, baby.” I kissed her one last time.
“No.” Her broken protest cut into me like a shard of glass.
“It’s for the best, Rena,” Baron chimed in, reaching for my arm.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” I swung away from him. “And stay away from her.”
He propped a hand on his hip next to his gun. “That a threat?”
I didn’t move a muscle, just stared him down. He blinked first.
“All right, Devlin, let’s go.” Baron gestured for the elevator, and Rena walked after us. When he turned toward her, she pushed past him and crashed into my chest.
“I love you,” she whispered against my chest. Watery eyes found mine, and she said it again. I felt the heat hit my eyes, the ache carve into my chest. And then Tasha was pulling her off me and into her arms.
“I have her,” she promised me and right then, I became a big Tasha fan.
I stepped on the elevator with Baron and the doors slid shut.
Chapter Eighteen
Rena
Oak & Sage was swamped with diners. Melinda hadn’t shown up for her shift tonight, leaving me to cover two additional tables that were on the opposite side of the restaurant from my section.
Devlin, his bruises practically invisible, was dressed in a dark suit and blue tie. This was the first night I’d seen him since he left the hospital with Baron. He’d been avoiding me. I knew why. That “big bad bookie” Sonny had mentioned.
Devlin’s eyes had been focused everywhere but on me since I’d clocked in. My texts went unanswered, and he refused to talk to me. After I dropped the “I love you” bomb on him, I expected him to at least acknowledge me. But I had a scrap of pride left. I wasn’t going to beg.
Tasha and I had hung out almost exclusively for the last three days. Tony dumped her when he found out she was hanging around the hospital “for another dude,” and honestly, I’d never seen her so angry at him. They might never get together again—for real, this time.
The hours at the restaurant passed in a blur, me rushing around and Devlin rushing around, and him avoiding me as much as I avoided him. Just as I was cashing out my tables—two at the same time—a server named Veronica burst into the kitchen. “You guys! The cops are here!”
Every server filtered to the dining room and a few kitchen guys headed for the back door. I waited for my credit card receipt to print—which seemed to take an eternity—dropped it off at table 9, and then cut across the bar to find Roy and Baron talking to Devlin.
Roy’s mustache-blanketed mouth was unsmiling. He held up a hand to silence Baron when he saw me. Then he smiled at Devlin. “Anyway, we appreciate any information you can give us.”
“I’m running a restaurant here, gentlemen,” Devlin told them. “Eat or leave.”
“Roy?” I interrupted.
“Hey, Rena.” His smile was easier and gentler than before.
I didn’t smile. I was too afraid he’d come to arrest Devlin. “What’s going on?”
Devlin glared over at me, a minor step up from him ignoring me completely.
“Rena,” Baron started but didn’t finish when Devlin wrapped one hand around the bow on my apron and moved me half behind him.
He and Baron then had a staring contest.
“Officer Monroe,” Roy told Baron. “Why don’t I meet you in the car.”
Baron flicked a glance to me and then his superior, chewing on the side of his lip. He gave Roy a curt nod and walked outside.