I was so not cut out for this shit. I was way too nervous to lie to the DEA agent and tell him Champ and I were engaged… but also, this was Champ’s ex. I wasn’t going to admit that Champ was a fuck buddy I was fairly certain I’d developed complicated, unwanted feelings for.
My anxiety must’ve communicated itself somehow, because a deep, menacing growl came from the floor at my feet as a little golden-brown ball of canine prepared to defend me from the nearest threat. Vince actually backed up a pace as Hercules bared his teeth.
“Sorry.” I squatted down to grab the dog’s collar. “Calm down, Herc. Everything’s okay,” I soothed.
Vince blinked down at the dog for a moment in surprise, and then his expression cleared.
“Hercules! Remember me?” He squatted down beside me and reached out a hand to the dog but snatched it back when Herc snapped at him. “Ah, poor boy. You never quite forgave Daddy for leaving, did you?”
“Daddy?” I looked from him to the dog.
“Oh, didn’t Percy tell you? We adopted Herc together once upon a time. We were practically engaged,” he said, managing to sound both smug and wistful.
“Huh. No, Champ never mentioned that.”
His smile turned pitying. “Well. Percy was never very good at sharing information, especially when it comes to important things. Trust is not his strong suit.”
Ew. I couldn’t believe this was the guy Champ had been planning to spend his life with. He’d seen Champ’s house. Had co-owned Champ’s dog. This explained so much of Champ’s current attitude, but also… ew.
I hated more than anything that Vince was right—Champ played everything close to the vest, and despite all the information he’d already shared with me, I knew there was more he wasn’t saying.
“Let me guess,” Vince continued. “You two are sleeping together. You care about him deeply, because Percy’s easy to fall for, but you’re frustrated because he’s holding back. He’ll give you his cock, and he’ll lend you his dog, he’ll spend lots of money on you, but anything more than that…” He made a tsking noise.
He’d spend money on me? Ew. But the rest was pretty close to true, so I bit my tongue and said nothing.
“It’s okay. I get it. I’ve been where you are, Quinn. It’s not just you. Percy can be… difficult. He’s not a man who knows how to love. Everything is about his business, his career. I got tired of the secrets and lies. Coming in second all the time.” He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “I just wanted to be loved. I wanted romance. You understand, don’t you?”
What I understood was that Vince wanted something, and he was trying to manipulate the fuck out of me. But it was still terrifying to have someone rip the deepest fears out of your chest and hold them in front of your face.
I was not a person who believed in romance or relationships. I knew better.
But I was very afraid I was falling for Champ anyway.
“Quinn—can I call you Quinn?” Vince said. “I truly hate to tell you this, because you seem… really nice. But I’m afraid Percy’s been using you. Trying to exploit your connection to Tommy Drakes so he can gather information for one of his investigations.”
“W-why would he do that?” I forced myself to say. I didn’t have to fake my breathless voice. Vince really did know Champ.
“Because his career will always come first.” Vince sighed. “It’s almost an obsession with him.”
In my mind, I replayed Champ saying, “Champion Security is the only thing I have that’s mine…”
“Look, Percy doesn’t trust me anymore because I finally walked away from him to protect my heart. But deep down, I still care about him. I still want to help him. If he gets caught stealing from Tommy Drakes… well, if he doesn’t end up dead, he’s for sure going to end up prosecuted. If you want to prevent that from happening, you need to make sure I get access to Drakes Farm before he does. Champ won’t save himself, Quinn. He doesn’t know how. But you could save him.”
I swallowed hard and tried to think. “Tell me more. What exactly would you need me to do?”
12
CHAMP
I’d spent the day at the office putting out several fires for other clients and teleconferencing with a couple of prospective new clients in Atlanta and Miami. Riggs had been off-grid for most of the day, and I hadn’t gotten to follow up about his meeting. Hux had finally gotten me an update on Scott Morganstern, the only ex-boyfriend shitty enough to rival my own, and his copious financial troubles. Yolanda and Sasha had gotten in a minor fender bender in one of our company vehicles, and I had to take care of the paperwork. By the end of the day, my head was low-key throbbing, and all I wanted to do was set my eyes on Quinn Taffet to absorb whatever-the-fuck magic he had that helped me relax.