Dirty Ties

Fire leapt in her eyes as she poked a finger at my chest. “You said no more shit between us, remember?”

I couldn’t tell if she was mad or just being sassy, but a delicious shiver of arousal raced through me. “No shit between us, baby.” I bent my knees and stole a quick kiss. “We’ve been exchanging watches for months, each with a message on a chip soldered inside.”

Collin leaned a shoulder against the glass beside us, his expression filled with cautious interest as he said to me, “I assume he doesn’t know it’s you behind the watches?”

I grinned. “I’ve been contacting Trent as an anonymous, influential member of the Chicago Police Department. He ignored my messages for a while until I made an offer he couldn’t refuse. All he needed to do was provide me with information on the underground racing network.”

Trent owned the largest multimedia company in the world. If anyone could unearth the illegal network, one of his top-notch investigative reporters could. Hal Pinkerton turned out to be that guy. And somewhere along the line, Kaci got her hands on the same information.

Her teeth were really working that sexy bottom lip, her gaze focused inward. “What does Trent get in return?”

I caressed a thumb over her mouth. “He provides the map of a race, which I don’t need of course. But he thinks the police will use it to organize a raid and trap the racers. A raid that would target Evader near the finish line and hold him up long enough to let the underdog win.”

Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Holy shit.” A startled smile caught her lips. She shoved against my chest and slipped around me. “You promised him the police would fix the race in exchange for the information?” She rubbed a hand over her mouth. “Just to bait him to place a bet against you?”

Collin straightened from the window. “My father… our father finds the whole racing thing beneath him. Which means this bet must be a hell of a long shot with a payoff so astronomical he couldn’t pass it up.”

I nodded. “If I lost the race, it would be the biggest upset in illegal gambling.” Pulling the wallet from my back pocket, I removed the dollar bill and handed it to her. “He gambled millions. Already transferred it to a private account on the network. It’s locked down. He can’t back out.”

I answered their questions, but my eyes locked and held on Kaci, our silent connection braiding between us. I explained the intricacies of criminal gambling on the racing network, how it was invite-only, and how Trent had gained his invite to gamble through Hal Pinkerton. The message on the dollar bill went through a local bookie on the network, one I’d used time and time again.

Eventually, she sat on the couch and stared at the zeros written on the bill. “Since the Chicago PD isn’t really involved, there won’t be a raid. Evader will win, and Trent will be broke. Or at least a lot less wealthy.”

Collin moved to sit beside her, his attention locked on the bet amount. “My father doesn’t have this kind of money.”

“Then he’s pulled in my parents as well.” She folded the bill, a staggered breath tumbling past her lips. “There goes our inheritance, not that we’d see a penny of it anyway at the rate they spend money.”

Collin gave me a hard look, his eyes darting between Kaci and me. “Just so I understand, your original plan—before you met Kaci—was to seal his bet, place your own bet, kill them, then walk away with a lot of money by winning as Evader?”

“Yes. But we’re not killing anyone. Deep down, neither of you want to give that order.” My breath bottled up in my chest. “I have another idea. We put all our money on Evader, do the race, split the winnings, and turn in your parents. Then Kaci and I disappear.”

An anxious look slid over his face.

Kaci tilted her head to the side, watching him with a similar expression. “What about Collin’s connection to an eight-year-old murder?”

“Trent has no power without money.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the windows. “Your parents will be broke, and Collin, you will still be wealthy. If Trent tries to send you to prison on false charges, you’ll have the money, and therefore the legal representation, to fight him and prove his involvement. He won’t have shit. Honestly, I don’t think he’d even try to go after you.”

Collin’s lips quirked, but Kaci’s face was frozen in thought.

I felt no resentment or remorse for giving up my revenge, because looking into her eyes and seeing my future there meant so much more than clinging to my past. It made my heart reach out and grab hold of her with every blood-pumping beat.