Kane
Ican’t stop thinking about her. We dropped her off at work only hours ago, and already I want her back. I want her here with me. With us. It already doesn’t feel right to have her out of the apartment.
What the fuck is happening here? How did my life change overnight? Since when do I obsess over a woman, any woman?
Simple. I met a woman worth obsessing over.
Now, I can’t get her out of my head long enough to do anything. I have to do something. There has to be some way of channeling my constant thoughts of her—the feel of her skin, the sound of her moans, her soft breathing when she sleeps. It finally occurs to me after what feels like hours of pacing my bedroom, and honestly, I would’ve come up with it much sooner than now if I could think clearly.
I sit down in front of my laptop and start a routine background check. It’s as natural as breathing and something we’ve all become accustomed to doing over the years. In our line of business, there’s no room to take chances on who a person might be and whether they’re dependable.
I doubt someone like Payton would have anything to hide, though. She’s about as pure and sweet and perfect as anybody I’ve ever met—though when I consider it, that’s not saying much. I haven’t met many pure, perfect people. Madison’s different, I’ll admit that, and I can see why my brother fell for her.
There I was, thinking she was the last of her kind. Maybe I was wrong.
Though a little digging into Payton’s background has me second-guessing my second-guessing.
“What are you doing?”
I didn’t even hear my brother come into the room. I was so busy scanning the results for anything worthwhile. “Christ, give a guy warning before you sneak up on him.”
“I wasn’t sneaking. I could’ve been beating on a drum, and you wouldn’t have noticed. Don’t change the subject.” He points over my shoulder toward the screen. “What are you doing?”
“Easing my mind if that’s okay with you.”
He throws his hands into the air, looking murderous. “Why? Why do you have to dig into her life?”
“Because I had to know, okay? Myles made a point. We can’t afford new enemies. We have enough already.” I jerk a thumb toward the laptop and realize my heart’s sinking. I feel sick to my stomach and don’t know why. “And what I’ve found isn’t easing my mind at all, let’s put it that way.”
Some of the anger on his face melts away. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying she might as well have not existed beyond two years ago.” I lean back to give him a better look. “See for yourself. Unless something’s seriously fucked up, she’s a non-entity beyond the past two years.”
“That can’t be right.” He reads, squinting hard as things stop making sense.
“Right or not, that’s how it is. There’s something off about her. Damn it, I should’ve seen it.”
“Hold on, just… just breathe.” He doesn’t want to believe it. That makes two of us. But the evidence is right here.
“I’m breathing fine, thanks.” I elbow him out of the way and try again, but the same results come up. Her driver’s license was issued two years ago, and it’s clean. There’s nothing else. No previous addresses, no parents’ names, no siblings. Nothing about where she went to school or past phone numbers associated with the name. Just… nothing.
Cash is the one pacing now, his fists clenched at his sides. “What’s it mean?” I don’t know if he’s asking me or talking to himself. Maybe both.
“It means she’s hiding something.”
“Come on.” He doesn’t look at me, choosing to stare at the floor. “It doesn’t have to mean that.”
“You know it does.” I stand suddenly, blocking his way. “I don’t want to believe it, either, but the proof is right there. The girl gave us a fake name.”
“She didn’t give it to us. It’s on her license.”
“Fine. She has a fake license in her purse, and you found it. Congratulations.”
He sneers, “Don’t lay this on me, okay? You didn’t put up a fight on bringing her here. And I’m not the one who broke into her apartment. This means as much to you as it does to me, so let’s not play games.”
“Fine. Let’s not.” I fold my arms and face him head-on. “Let’s not try to blame each other, either. We both played a part in this. We can’t waste time bickering over it. What do we do now?”
He shakes his head, brows knitting together. I can feel his worry, his fear, and the beginnings of what I know will turn into an explosion of rage before very long. I know it because I feel the same stirrings deep in my core. Like I’ll kill the fucker who put her in our path.