I care about the men who stole me too much to ever want to leave them.
And maybe this man would insist all I’m feeling is Stockholm Syndrome or something, but I know that’s not true.
I also know enough not to trust anyone who says they’re on my side, especially not just because they have a badge.
This man is dangerous, even if he’s trying to help by doing the right thing. This man will always be my enemy, no matter how much he’s trying to help me, because he’s the enemy of the four men I’m slowly falling in love with. Instead of seeing this man as a savior, I see him as a threat. I’m terrified of what his presence means, and I’m already bracing myself for the worst.
Noticing that I haven’t spoken, Agent Brady gives a nod, as if accepting my silence as a part of our negotiation.
“I’ll explain myself,” he continues. “We’ve been investigating your late fiancé for years. Some of his under the table dealings finally sent up a red flag, but too late for us to put him behind bars. Still, it led us to a man named Leland Bennett, and then of course, to you.”
“I’m not a prisoner,” I say stiffly. I don’t know how much he knows, and I’m not going to give him anything he could use against me or the men. But I won’t let him drag me away thinking he’s rescuing me. “I’m not. So you don’t have to—”
“Grace.” Agent Brady cuts me off, his voice dropping. “You have to listen to me. I know that your position within the Novak Syndicate is… intricate. But believe me when I say, these are not people you want to associate with. They’re into some bad things. Some awful, awful stuff.”
I grit my teeth. I know they’re mafia men. I don’t need him to tell me that. If he’s trying to spook me into running from them again, he’s gonna need to try harder than this.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say shortly. “I’m not—”
His eyes go hard. “They’re running a human trafficking ring.”
What?
I’m not sure if I actually say the word or just think it, but I’m sure shock is written plainly across my face.
No… that can’t be true.
I don’t want to believe that. I refuse to believe that.
“No, they aren’t.”
It’s a stupid fucking thing to say. The kind of thing a first-grader says to try to win an argument. The equivalent of just stuffing my fingers in my ears and screaming “nuh-uh.” But I don’t know what else to say.
Because if he’s telling the truth, then I truly can’t trust anyone.
Agent Brady’s expression softens a little, an expression almost like pity crossing his features. I hate it. It’s like he feels sorry for me for getting duped, and it makes my stomach churn, bile rising into my throat.
“Grace,
I know it’s hard to hear,” he says quietly. “But this is why I need your help. What these men are doing is unconscionable. They need to be stopped. And you’re in a position to possibly help me do that—to save innocent lives. To help me take down their operation.”
“No. You’re wrong.” Without even realizing it, I’m shaking my head.
I’m not stupid.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the men I’m falling in love with are dangerous and ruthless. Violence and crime are part of their world, part of my world now.
But there are lines I know even Hale wouldn’t cross. I know each of my men well enough to know that despite their willingness to break the law, to do what needs to be done to strengthen their syndicate, they have a certain sense of honor. They may not live by the same moral code as everyone else, but they do have a moral code. They would never get involved in selling other people.
Would they?
I hate those two little words even as they creep through my head. I haven’t been back in Chicago long. The men and I haven’t been back in each other’s lives all that long, but so much has happened so fast that it feels like we’ve made up for the six years we were apart.
I know them.
Don’t I?
Fuck.