Finished (Auctioned)

Gray was itching for some answers. The way Sandra had introduced herself—or, more correctly, how she’d said it was nice to meet Gray in person—indicated she’d gotten another type of introduction to him before.

“Daddy, can I have a juice box?” Justin asked and removed his scarf.

“Sure thing,” Gray and Darius said at once. Gray smiled at the boy and added, “You know where they are in the fridge door.”

After dropping their food and shopping bag in the entryway, Darius closed the door and turned to Sandra.

Gray went over to the table and lit the oil lamp. It was getting dark.

“Darius Quinn. Family man.” Sandra found that funny. “I’d have better odds winning the lottery.”

“So buy a lottery ticket,” Darius replied. “What do you want, Sandra?”

Gray gestured for everyone to sit down. Staying civil would be nice too.

“I’d like for you not to bite my head off,” she said. “You know I’m on your side. Haven’t I proven that already? For chrissakes, I gave you the buyer—and it could’ve gotten me fired.”

Gray furrowed his brow.

Darius sat down next to Gray and clarified for him. “When I took your case, I cashed in a favor. She arranged a transport for the buyer they had in custody, and that’s how I got him.”

Gray whipped his head toward Darius. “Then why are you so rude to her?” he asked incredulously.

“Thank you!” Sandra exclaimed. “I’ve been wondering that myself.”

Darius offered a flat look in return. “Because you’re here for a reason. Spit it out. You said you’re not on the case, but here you are.”

Sandra appeared to be used to rolling with the punches, so she responded right away. “I’m not on the case, but my former partner is,” she told them. “He flew to Florida today because of the mayhem unfolding there right now.”

Neither Gray nor Darius knew what she was talking about.

“The Lange organization was a major player in the coke market,” she explained. “Without them around, we’ve got free agents and smaller gangs coming up from the sewers all over the place. Miami’s already the battleground for a turf war.” She paused. “Before my partner headed to the airport, he mentioned that they’re gonna start looking into the recent fires to see if there’s a connection.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Gray made sure to keep his face composed. He didn’t reach out for Darius’s hand or fidget nervously; he just stared at Sandra blankly. But on the inside, Jesus H Christ, Gray was getting more anxious by the second.

“What do you mean, fires?” Darius asked.

Sandra leaned forward and threaded her fingers together on the table. “The Vegas explosion, the Joshua Tree fire, and the yacht getting blown to pieces. Sound familiar?”

“Yeah, I fled the yacht, and I watch the news,” Darius replied.

For the next several seconds, Darius and Sandra merely stared at each other. It was unnerving as fuck, but Gray refused to give something away.

Instead, he played the ignorant card. “Am I missing something here?”

Sandra didn’t look away from Darius. “I’m not here to grill you, dumbass. I’m here to make sure you’ve covered your tracks.”

“Whoa, what tracks?” Gray blurted out.

That made Sandra frown at him.

Darius frowned too. “We gave the Feds everything as soon as we landed in Florida.”

Sandra slid her stare back to Darius, only to sigh and scrub her hands over her face. “I can’t believe Mac was right. He told me it would be useless to come see you.”

“Mac’s a smart man,” Darius noted.

Sandra huffed and shook her head, and then she pushed back her chair and stood up. “At least you know now. They’re about to start digging for a connection. So if there’s anything you’re worried about, anything you need inside help with, call sooner rather than later, please.”

Darius didn’t respond at all.

The next time Sandra shook her head, it was in amusement. “Okay, then. Have a good weekend, Quinn. It was nice to meet you, Gray.” She gave him a nod and then turned around and left.

Darius reached into his pocket and retrieved his smokes.

“She suspects something, right?” Gray asked quietly.

Darius lit up a cigarette. “Oh, she knows. That’s why I half-assed the I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about bit.” He took a drag and exhaled. “Your performance was great, though.”

Gray felt his forehead crease, and he searched Darius’s expression for worries, for fears, for—hell—anything.

“Can we trust her?” he asked.

Darius chuckled. “Considering I was just fucked over completely by Alicia, part of me wants to question everything, but…yeah. We can trust her. She’s a good egg—for a Fed. Besides, I have too much history with her husband, and Mac’s one of the best men in the field.”

“So you’re not worried about anything.” Gray just had to be sure.

Darius turned to him and squeezed his leg. “I swear to you, knucklehead. We’re safe. It’s over. Nothing can be traced back to us.”