Darius, whose suit jacket is open, black tie neatly in place, asks, “What about Marcus Draken, do you think he will be a problem?”

I shake my head. “He got paid, what else would he want?”

“More money.” Micah snorts.

“That’s doubtful,” Ryder says, agreeing with me. “As hard as it is to believe, even loan sharks have a code of ethics. Draken will do what he can, in any way necessary to get paid and squeeze out as much money as he can from someone, but the debt wasn’t Gabe’s. I suspect he’ll leave us alone.” The sides of his mouth crease. “Besides, Draken has avoided the law for years. He knows better than to fuck with a man who’s got a hacker like Alex in his arsenal. We’ll easily gather enough evidence to bury Draken for years, and I’m sure he knows that.”

“T

hat’s good news,” Darius remarks.

I nod, rubbing my tired eyes. “Very good news. The last thing I need is more of a mess, especially because I’m still trying to clean up the old mess.” When silence falls upon the car, I drop my hands and find all eyes on me. “Problem?” I ask.

Ryder frowns and asks, “I’m not exactly sure what you still have to clean up. Did you take a financial hit when you paid the debt off?”

“Money isn’t the trouble,” I say.

“McKenna is,” Micah offers.

I nod, and Darius shakes his head slowly as the car bounces, going over a bump in the road. “Forgive me,” Darius says, “but I’m not following. Isn’t McKenna safe at the hospital with her brother?”

“She is,” I say.

Micah smiles and adds, “But she’s not where she should be, with Gabe.”

I snort, glancing sideways at Micah. “Are you finished?”

“Not even close,” Micah retorts, giving a knowing look, tugging on his cuffs beneath his blazer. “I’ve known you for a long time, Gabe, and I see exactly what the problem is. You’re in love with her, and she’s picked her dipshit brother over you, and now you’re trying to figure out how to forgive the guy that not only endangered her life but cost you two hundred grand.”

I sigh, dropping my head back against the headrest, shutting my eyes. Spelled out like that it sounded disastrous. “Well, you’re not wrong,” I admit.

“Can you forgive him?” Darius asks.

“Never,” I say with my eyes still closed. “He hand-delivered McKenna to a fucking loan shark. That’s not something I can forgive.” I lift my head and half-shrug. “But . . .”

Ryder nods in understanding. “You’ll tolerate him for her.”

“That’s exactly where I am in trying to figure this all out,” I admit, rubbing the tension out of the back of my neck as the limo slows at a red light. Because this is complex. I wouldn’t ask McKenna to stop seeing her brother, but I’m not sure I can watch her support him like she has been. “So,” I continue, running around in the same place my mind has been all damn night, “even though this is all behind us, I still feel like I’m in the same place I was before it all began.”

Darius arches a brow. “Which is?”

“It’s complicated.”

As the car picks up speed again, the men chuckle around me, telling me they relate. And I suppose most things where women and emotions are involved tend to be complicated.

Micah stretches an arm out against the top of the seat, his expression the supportive one I’ve seen for years. “If we can help, you’ll ask?”

“Of course,” I agree. “But this, I’m afraid, is in McKenna’s hands. Until I know her next move, I won’t know mine.”

Ryder watches me for a moment, studying me intently, then offers, “You’ve been put through hell and back with this entire situation, and so has McKenna. I have to believe that at the end of this, some good will come out of it.”

Micah gives a firm nod and adds, “Besides, she’s a smart and strong woman. I have no doubt she’ll see this situation for what it is and do the right thing by you.”

I shift in my seat, stretching out my legs. “Ah, but I gave her the chance to do the right thing already. I booked her brother a plane ticket last night for a treatment center in Arizona.” I hold up my phone, waving it from side to side. “And yet, there is no call, is there?”

“Maybe she just needs time,” Micah says.

I shrug again. “Maybe.”

Tags: Stacey Kennedy Dirty Little Secrets Erotic
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