Shock coursed through me as I stared at Rylan. He was the fucking mayor? That’s what I got for procrastinating when it came to researching him. I’d been busy the last couple of days, trying to find a place to stay where no one would find me. If I had taken five seconds to search his name with the city’s name, that would have come up immediately. I made a mental note to look into him the second I had a free moment.
“Nice to see you again, Mili,” Rylan greeted me with a warm smile.
Gray’s and Kade’s heads snapped toward me when Rylan said my name. If I thought their prior suspicion was bad, it wasn’t anything compared to how they were looking at me now.
“Are you keeping tabs on me?” I asked with a giggle, pretending that seeing him again hadn’t shaken me. What were the odds of seeing him twice in three days? It could be purely innocent, but I didn’t believe in coincidences like that.
“It’s not you he’s keeping tabs on,” Kade grated out, his dislike for Rylan very apparent to everyone at the table.
“You all know each other?” I asked, acting curious.
“Unfortunately,” Gray muttered under his breath.
“I try to know all business owners in my city,” Rylan said, eyeing the crepes in the middle of the table.
My gaze trailed over him, taking in the small details I had missed the night I met him. His hair was a deep brown with lighter natural highlights throughout. His face was clean shaven, and I noticed a small scar running along his jawline on the left side of his face. His hazel eyes met my brown ones, and he grinned before taking a bite of a strawberry crepe. I watched a crumb fall onto his navy-blue suit until Kade stole my attention.
“Did you need something, Rylan?” he asked, crossing his inked arms. I bit my tongue, realizing our table was attracting stares. Nerves skated through my veins, not liking the eyes on me. I always stayed under the radar, never gaining attention unless I wanted it. I’d have to remember to keep my future meetings with them more private.
“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t giving her any problems.” Rylan tossed the half-eaten crepe back on the plate. “I would hate for you two to catch harassment charges.”
“Says the man who followed me the other night,” I interjected.
Rylan looked surprised at my words. “I guess my warning about them fell on deaf ears.”
I bristled. “I heard you. I like to judge people on my own.”
“They might want people to believe they’re good people, but they’re not,” Rylan tried convincing me. “You make them mad, and I’ll be finding your body in a field.”
Gray snorted. “Who the hell is dumb enough to dump a body in a field?”
“We own multiple companies throughout town,” Kade said, shooting a look at Gray.
“They’re criminals,” Rylan forced out through clenched teeth. “Criminals rich enough to keep themselves out of prison.”
Kade smirked. “Careful, Mayor. You don’t want slander charges brought against you.”
The way they interacted had me believing there was a history between the three of them that wasn’t pleasant. The fact that Rylan was so blatant about voicing his hate for them and the way Kade and Gray acted like his accusations were a joke made me uneasy. I wasn’t used to being thrown into situations that took me by surprise.
Rylan took a deep breath and looked at me. “I’m only trying to do my job as mayor and tell you the type of men you’re spending time with.”
I let my eyes trail down his crisp suit. “So I should be spending time with men like you?”
His eyes widened in surprise before he cleared his throat. “No, I’m not saying that. But I’m more trustworthy than them.”
I scoffed. “Politicians are just criminals wearing expensive masks.”
Gray barked out a laugh when Rylan frowned at my response. “I don’t think you’re getting her vote in the next election. Why don’t you cut your losses and leave us the fuck alone?”
“Actually, I’m leaving.” I snatched my purse off the table and stood, catching Rylan’s eye. “And just so you don’t worry about me, I’m not hanging out with these so-called criminals. Grayson wanted to apologize for how he acted the other night.”
I didn’t need the mayor of this city thinking I ran in the same circles as the Riot Crew. Catching his attention this much was already a mistake. I could feel Gray’s glare, making me wonder why he hated his name so much. But knowing I found an easy way to get under his skin had me smiling. I moved to leave, and Kade caught my wrist. His small grin dared me to threaten him like I had with Gray earlier. I scowled, not saying a word. There were too many eyes on me at the moment to make a scene.
“I hope you enjoy your time in Ridgewood,” Kade said in a low voice. “I’m sure we’ll run into you again.”
“This city is huge, so that’s doubtful,” I replied, pretending to be uncomfortable that he was touching me. I shook out of his grip and strode away. Before I made it halfway to my car, my burner phone dinged, and I glanced at the message.
Kade: We’re in for tonight. Send us the details.
I grinned and pulled out my other phone, pressing the only number on speed dial. He answered as soon as I slipped into my car—well, not my car. The one I borrowed for the day. Somewhere in the suburbs, a poor guy was searching for his cherry red Jeep that was taken from his driveway in the early hours of the morning. Tonight, once the car was wiped of my fingerprints, I’d return it.
“It’s good to know you’re still alive,” Caleb said the second he answered my call. “I’ve been worried about you all morning.”
“I told you I’d be fine.”
“I still think it was a mistake telling them who you are.” Worry smothered his voice.
I sighed, starting the Jeep. “They wouldn’t have worked with me otherwise. We’ve been working toward this for the last four years. It’s our best chance to get that car.”
“It won’t be worth it if it costs you your life.”
“But if we do this, we’ll be free,” I said softly. “We can have our lives again.”
“I have a bad feeling about this, Mili.”
A rare warmth filled my chest at his concern. I didn’t care about many things in this world, but I’d fucking kill for Caleb. He was the reason I’d survived this long. He was the brains behind Sapphire. All my jobs and contacts went through him. Computers were his life, and he could hack into nearly anything. Thanks to him, my identity had been wiped. If anyone tried finding me by my real name, all they’d find is a death certificate.
Milina Porter died in a fire five years ago with no surviving family. I was a ghost in the world, and that’s how I planned to stay.
“I’ll come visit at the end of the month,” I promised him. He lived in Florida, and we were careful when we were together. But if I pulled this job off, we’d never have to watch our backs again. “But I need you to email Kade and Gray the layout of the job I’m doing tonight.”
“You asked them to help you?” It took a lot to shock Caleb, and I laughed at his reaction.
“Yes. Vic and Juan don’t trust me. I need to prove we can work together before the Panther job,” I explained, driving to my new apartment.
“You told me they were assholes to you the other night.”
“They were. I don’t think they believe I’m Sapphire.”
“You’re going to end up killing them before they have a chance to help you with what we need,” he said bluntly.
“I have more patience than that—”
“Not when people piss you off.”
“Caleb. Believe me when I say I have it under control,” I soothed him. “I want this job to happen more than anything. If I have to make nice until their use runs out, then I’m perfectly capable of it.”
“I have the plan in place in case they try anything.”
“And if they do end up killing me?”
Caleb sucked in a breath. “Can you not be so morbid?”
“Come on. In this life, every breath I take is one more than I thought I’d have.”
I could just imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes I felt guilty that he worried about me so much. But it would all be in the past once we finished the Panther job.
“If you die, they do too,” Caleb finally muttered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I don’t think it will,” I said, sounding more confident than I was. Kade and Gray were dangerous. And they didn’t trust me. It was a bomb waiting to go off.
“Make sure to call me every three days like we agreed,” he reminded me.
“I will. I have to go. Once the job is done tonight, I’ll let you know. The last time I got a car for this buyer, he tried skimping me on my pay. That won’t be happening again.”
“I’ll make sure it’s in the account,” Caleb said. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
I hung up, tossing my phone onto the passenger seat. Tall buildings were on both sides of the road, letting me know I was on the south side of Ridgewood. It was as far away as I could get from crew business. This was where the wealthy and privileged lived. The type who would turn their noses up at me if they knew who I really was. But for now, I fit in perfectly because I was playing the part of a recently divorced young woman who came from old money.
Parking in the underground parking structure, I got out and quickly changed the plates on the Jeep after making sure I was alone. I’d already done it once today but wanted to be careful. This was one of the few spots in the garage that was a blind spot for the cameras.
I’d bought an apartment in the nicest building in town. I wanted the penthouse but figured that would be too obvious if Kade and Gray tried finding me. Plus, the ground floor was better, in case I needed to leave in a hurry. The apartment was under a fake name. My driver’s license had another fake name with a different address in town. There was nothing connecting me to anything.
Unlocking my front door, I threw my purse on the island in the kitchen before stripping off my dress. I needed to wear something more comfortable when I did the job tonight. I walked into my bedroom and opened the walk-in closet. The apartment was brand new and had state-of-the-art everything. It was a small one-bedroom but had all I needed. I bought it furnished, not caring that everything was in white and gray. I couldn’t remember the last time I lived somewhere that I actually cared enough to decorate. I was never in one place long enough to worry about it.
My phone went off again, and I went back into the kitchen to grab it. I frowned, staring at the new text. Shuffling backward, I fell on the white leather couch as I debated what to do.
Kade: We have some questions about tonight. Meet us.
Along with the text was a link for a city park on the north side near their club. This was most likely a ploy or a trap of some kind. Caleb would have sent them every detail they needed for tonight. I decided not to text back, even though I was going to meet them. I’d make it clear if they did something to me, their deaths wouldn’t be far behind.
I went back into my closet and picked out a pair of leggings that had a pocket for my pistol in the waistband. I slid a pocketknife into my sock before pulling on a baggy T-shirt that would hide the outline of the gun easier.
I was more curious than anything to see what they’d try to do. It was clear Vic and Juan wanted to work with me, which meant they were most likely doing this behind their bosses’ backs. Kade and Gray were definitely men to be wary of. They could potentially put fear in me like they did everyone else if I hadn’t faced worse demons in my past.
But they were nice to look at. And I had no plans for the afternoon. Ignoring the small nagging voice of Caleb telling me to be careful, I grabbed my keys and walked out the door again.
