Love and Law (17 page)

“I want you to convince your side that Blaze wants to make a deal. He’ll back off in exchange for a shitload of coke that he can buy at a discounted price. If Oculus’s gang will go for that, he’ll leave them alone.”

“How am I supposed to do that, Miguel?” I whine. It’s not like Ben is going to just let me waltz in and have a meeting with his boss.

“Figure it out and soon. Call me when it is done and we’ll nail down the specifics. Meanwhile, I’ll convince Blaze that we’re really just going to trap them into thinking we’ll back away. I know that creepy little bastard will try and kill them. No doubt. During their rendezvous, at which hopefully both of us will be a part of with backup nearby, we’ll nail their fucking asses to the wall.”

I gulp and nod. It has to be done. But what will I say to Ben? How will I find a way to leave him out of this meeting?

“And Maya?”

I look up at my best friend in question.

“Whatever it is that you’re doing with this guy—it needs to stop. I saw the way you kissed him down at the precinct when he bailed you out. That wasn’t an ‘I’m playing a part’ kiss. That was a real kiss. A kiss full of passion and want. You can’t fucking be with him that way, Maya. He’s a criminal.”

Tears fill my eyes and I bite my lip. “He’s different,” I try.

Miguel just shakes his head in disapproval. “He’s not different, babe. You’ve got blinders on. I mean, you’re on a fucking date right now. This is not reality. If he knew you were a cop, he’d hate you. Get your head out of your ass and into the game here. If Sommerhaul knew about this, you’d have a shitstorm of problems on your hands. Please just stop it, Maya.”

He’s right and I’m sick about it. I’m supposed to be undercover bringing down not one but two of the city’s biggest drug operations and I’m at the movies on a date with the second-in-command. I have blinders on big time.

“Okay, Miguel.”

He sighs in relief and pulls me in for one of his comforting hugs. Without another word, he kisses me on top of my head and bolts out of the bathroom. I walk out of the stall and take a deep breath, trying to regain my composure, when Ben bursts into the bathroom, spilling popcorn everywhere.

“Are you okay?” he demands angrily.

My eyes widen as I am temporarily at a loss of words.

“I…uh… It was just some guy trying to get my number, but I told him to get lost,” I tell him nervously. I’m anxious because I don’t want him to know it was my partner. And if he knew it was Miguel, my best friend, he’d lose his shit.

“Asshole,” he mutters. “I saw some guy haul ass out of the women’s restroom wearing a ball cap and sunglasses looking totally suspect. And instead of running after him, all I could think about was making sure you were okay. I wouldn’t be able to deal if anything happened to you, Maya.”

He wraps an arm around me and pulls me in for a side hug. My heart seizes as I realize I’m going to have to start pushing myself away from this man. It can’t happen with us. When I get a whiff of his masculine scent, I blink back the tears that are threatening to spill over. Life is just not fucking fair. But Miguel is right. The moment Ben finds out I’m a cop, he will hate me. I almost can’t breathe at the thought of that.

“We’re going to miss the movie,” I grumble. Pulling away from his embrace, I leave the bathroom with him trailing silently behind me.

The movie has already started by the time we clumsily find our seats in the dark and sit down. I don’t even want any popcorn at this point because I’m sick to my stomach over the whole thing. My partner is right though and I need to focus.

During the movie, neither of us laughs. I loved the first movie and, under normal circumstances, would love this one as well, but not tonight. Confusion and anger take turns rippling off of Ben beside me. He knows something’s up. When the credits roll, we silently leave the theater without looking at each other. We just make it to the car when Ben grabs ahold of my upper arm, stopping me.

“What happened, Maya? You’re not telling me something.”

I turn to face him and he lets go of my arm. My heart sinks into my stomach as I watch him search my face for answers. It’s killing me not to slide my arms around him and never let go.

“Ben, it’s nothing. I’m tired. Can we please go?”

He glares at me and storms away to the other side of the car. It’s evident that he’s pissed at me for lying to him, but there isn’t anything I can do about it. The car door slamming shut makes me jump, and I blink back tears before climbing in on my side.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

Ignoring me, he starts the engine and heads back home.

I’M SO PISSED THAT I can barely see straight. She fucking lied to my face tonight, and I’m just done with her lies. When my phone rings, I yank it from my pocket, happy to have something break the awkward silent drive home.

“What?” I snap into the phone, knowing that it’s CJ by the ringtone.

“Boss? Oculus is pissed. Blaze has been fucking with him some more. When he goes to call his supplier, his phone is directed to a recording that says, ‘Blaze is the king of this town,’ or some shit. To say he is mad is an understatement. He’s fucking furious and has been flipping his shit. I watched him nearly choke the life out of that fucker you punched last week because he thought he was one of Blaze’s cohorts. He’s convinced someone on the inside is leaking information and coke to Blaze. It’s the only way that makes sense, considering Blaze is able to do all the shit he’s been able to do. Just get down here now and calm his ass down before he comes after me too.”

I slam my fist down on the steering wheel, startling Maya in the process. Talking to Oculus about me leaving this damn business will only seem suspicious now. He isn’t the only pissed-off motherfucker right now. I’m so over this goddamned shit.

“I’ll be there in five,” I grumble as I hang up and speed off toward Oculus’s place.

I really ought to leave Maya at my house first, but with as weird as she’s acting, she might try and run off while I’m gone. We’re in need of a serious discussion and I’m not letting her out of my possession until we have that talk.

Her attention perks up to the fact that we are no longer heading toward my house, but she doesn’t say anything until we’ve pulled up behind CJ’s car in the alleyway of my boss’s office. She’s never been here before, and I hate the fact that I have to bring her here in the first place. I put the car in park but leave it running.

“Stay here,” I order in a growl.

She’s already scrambling to open the car door, but I grab her arm.

“Maya, stay here. Oculus is in a fucking pissed-off mood and is dangerous. Please just sit tight. I’ll be back in a bit.”

When she narrows her eyes at me, I can see that it takes all of her willpower to keep her ass seated in this car. In a move that surprises us both, I lean in and softly peck her lips. I quickly pull away before I lose control and forget the task at hand.

“I’ll be right back,” I grumble and jump out of the car.

After a quick jog to the door, I let myself in and walk down the hallway to see Oculus’s idiot minion standing there with his arms crossed.

“Go in. Have fun,” he says bitterly. I guess I might be bitter too if my boss tried to choke the life out of me and accused me of being a traitor.

Without a word in response to his stupid ass, I push open the door and barge in. CJ sits in a chair across from his desk looking pretty awkward. Oculus’s glare softens when he sees me.

“Pac, so glad you could grace us with your presence. What the fuck have you been up to lately? You’re my main man and I hardly see you.”

I know he isn’t wanting some weak excuse or any lies, so I just tell him, “I’m here now.”

“I’m going to kill that asshole,” he assures me coolly as he clasps his hands together. I can tell that he’s trying desperately to remain calm and hanging on by a very small thread.

“We’ll catch him. I’ve already been sniffing around. He’ll fuck up when he thinks nobody will be watching. But I’ll be watching. This will end soon.”

He nods and his shoulders relax a bit. If anyone can calm down his ass, I can. He’s about to say something else to me when we hear a scuffle outside of the door. CJ rises from his chair and yanks his gun from his pants. When a wild-eyed Maya flies in the room, my heart ceases to beat.

“The fucking troublemaker,” CJ mumbles in annoyance.

I bristle with anger but my need to protect her from Oculus overshadows that.

“I told you to wait in the car,” I snap.

“I can help,” she says quickly, her eyes never leaving mine. She’s silently urging me to let her speak. Fucking unreal.

“Pac, who is this?” Oculus demands from behind his desk.

Maya and I drag our attention to him. She gasps from beside me. When I sneak a glance back at her, she looks like she’s seen a ghost. Gone is the determined woman. That woman is replaced by a shaking, nervous one. Oculus is intimidating, but Maya isn’t afraid of anyone, so her sudden change in behavior unnerves me.

“This is Braids,” I grumble, deliberately not telling him her name. “She’s a dealer. The one I told you about that was selling her shit before anyone else. She’s cool.”

Oculus looks her up and down with interest, maybe even amusement. I have a strong desire to put myself between his curious stares and my girl. She may be a walking puzzle, but she’s mine and I will die to protect her from people like him.

He smirks and drags his attention back to me. “I bet she is ‘cool,’” he laughs knowingly.

Shit. He knows we’re together. This is why this man is good at what he does. He can see the forest through the motherfucking trees.

“Braids?” he asks sarcastically. “You don’t even have braids in your hair. That’s a fucking stupid nickname.”

She snaps out of her weird trance and gulps before meeting his stare. “Yes,” she whispers. What the fuck is going on with her? Where’s my confident, ass-kicking Maya?

“How do you think a little girl like yourself can help?” he taunts.

CJ chuckles until I pin him with a hateful glare. His laugh dies in his throat and he has the decency to look away. I bring my attention back to her.

Maya lifts her chin in an effort to appear fearless. I want to drag her out of here—away from these snakes. In this moment, I know that, given the opportunity, I’m fucking out of this business. I need to be for her sake.

“This little girl kicked that big boy’s ass outside that door.” There she is—my little firecracker.

Oculus is momentarily shocked by her attitude but quickly masks it away. It’s hard to rattle him, but she already has. He’s not impressed.

“Get the fuck to the point or get out of my office,” he snarls.

My skin buzzes with electricity. I’m ready to choke down CJ or Oculus if they even think about touching her.

“One of his men came to me today. They want to meet up—to come to an agreement. Blaze thinks you two can come to an understanding,” she rushes out.

I’m momentarily stunned by her words. That fucking guy in the bathroom. This can’t be happening.

“
Braids
, why am I just finding this out now?” I hiss at her.

She flicks her gaze in my direction, shooting me an apologetic look. This just keeps getting better and better.

“What sort of fucking agreement would I want with his ass?” Oculus demands, forcing our attention back to him.

“Uh, he said that he wants two kilos at half price,” she answers quickly.

She’s fucking lying. What is going on in that head of hers?

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Oculus screams at her. He’s risen from his chair and starts to come around his desk. My muscles tense as he nears Maya.

All traces of fear dissipate as she squares her shoulders and defiantly looks him in the eye. “No. Serious as a fucking heart attack. He says he’ll back off and leave you the hell alone if you comply. Aren’t you ready to take control of your territory once again?” she taunts.

He stalks up to her and glares down at her. “You’re a mouthy bitch, aren’t you?”

“I told you I could help. If you don’t want my help, then figure this shit out yourself. I don’t give a fuck.”