Leeta sighed. “So, tell me what you do know.”

“In the letter Anna left me, there was a name. She suggested he might be able to help me understand. There was no number, just a name. It took me months to track him down. Turns out, for the right amount of cash he was happy to hook me up with the job.”

“So, just like that?” Leeta scrunched her nose. “What’s his angle?”

“What do you mean?” The guy got ten fucking grand out of me. I’d say that was a pretty damn good angle.

“Why would this guy help you, Mace?” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “People don’t do shit like this without an agenda. You should know that better than anyone.”

I tensed. This was the first time since we’d met that she had made me feel inferior to her. Others had been doing it all along, but Leeta? Never.

“I’m not an idiot, Leet, but what other option do I have right now?” I snapped. “This guy is my only link. He is the only connection I have to this group right now, so excuse me if I’m gonna take it. Besides, all he cared about was the amount of cash I was willing to part with.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I was just . . . I don’t know.” She let out a breath. Setting her computer down on the coffee table, she sat forward, her arms resting on her knees. “Okay, so what do we know, then?”

“I know there are others. All three clients I had—”

“Three?” she cut in. Her eyes widened. “There’s another video?”

Shit. Oh shit. My mouth opened, and no sound came out.

“Mace, I swear to God, if you don’t—”

“Yes, Leeta, there was a third . . . job. Last Thursday night.”

Her mouth dropped open. She stood up and shook her head, her hands reaching to the back of her neck. “Wow,” she muttered. She turned to face me. “Where is the video?”

“Leet,” I began, already knowing my pleas were hopeless.

“Come on, Mace. You think I want to watch you fucking another woman? Guess what, I don’t! But if we are going to have any chance of finding these guys, then I need to watch that damn fucking video.”

She was right. I knew she was right. I could watch that thing a thousand times and still not see what might be the only clue. Leeta had fresh eyes, and she also had training in this kind of thing.

I located the file and pressed open. Wordlessly, I pushed it down the coffee table to her. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t sit there while she watched that. I stood up.

“Sit the fuck back down.” My eyebrows shot up. I’d never heard her speak with such authority toward me. “You think you get to leave while I watch this? No fucking way, Mace. You are going to sit there and watch this with me.”

I am?

Crap. I edged over to the couch and joined her.

It had to be the most awkward moment of my life. I groaned internally and covered my face with my hand, disguising it as a scratch. She didn’t need me there; it was her way of punishing me. Not that I didn’t deserve whatever she wanted to give me, but still . . . this was harsh stuff.

“Why is this one awake?” she asked immediately.

I shrugged. “He wanted her lucid. Something about watching her squirm. Seeing her suffer.”

Leeta didn’t respond. She went back to watching me thrust my fingers inside of another woman. I swallowed, knowing there was nothing I could do to take away the awkwardness of this situation. So I sat there and copped it, fidgeting with my fingers, trying to ignore the voice demanding that I ‘stick my cock in her filthy hole.’

Leet stiffened next to me, but she was so determined to act like all this didn’t affect her at all that I struggled myself with how to act? Do I let it go? Apologise again? I shook my head. Nothing I did right now was going to make any difference, except maybe make things worse.

The banging on the door of the motel room scared the shit out of me. Jumping up, I glanced at Leeta.

“Did you tell anyone you were here?” I whispered.

She blushed, standing up. “That’s my friend, Tim.”

My eyes widened. “What the fuck, Leeta? This isn’t a fucking slumber party. You can’t just invite your friends over,” I growled.

She turned around and stomped toward me. “I’m not an idiot, Mace. I thought he might be able to help, you fuckwit. He’s a computer expert. He does shit like . . .” She waved her hand. “I don’t know. He can tell you what he does.”

I followed her to the door, still pissed that she hadn’t thought to bring this up at any time in the past few hours.

“Leeta!”

I didn’t bother hiding my scowl as I watched Leeta embrace a tall, thin dude I could only assume was Tim. He glanced my way and then winked at Leet, who laughed.

“And you must be Mace,” he drawled, swaggering over to me. I put out my hand, accepting that I was going to have to play nice with this guy. He waved my hand away and fell into my arms.

My mouth fell open as I awkwardly patted him on the back. I had not been expecting that. Leeta smothered a laugh and I shot her a look. She knew better than anyone how hard it was for me to open up to people.

I thought back to the last time I’d hugged Dad. It had been awkward, forced, as it normally was. Fuck, a handshake was difficult in my family, let alone a fucking hug.

“We’re going to get along fine.” Tim grinned, pulling away from me. I nodded and smiled at him. It was nothing personal against him, but I didn’t like the guy already. The way he hung all over Leeta made my blood boil. Which was stupid, because he was so obviously gay that he was more likely to hit on me than her.

That didn’t stop me hating how relaxed and comfortable she looked around him. Or how, right then, he could make her smile and I couldn’t.

“Can I get you a drink?” I asked Tim. “Coffee?”

“Sure. Coffee, two sugars and cream, thanks.”

“Leet?” I asked.

“A coffee would be good, thank you.”

I went into the kitchen, their chatter taking a backseat in my mind. I turned on the kettle, leaning against the kitchen counter while I waited for it to boil. If this guy was such a good friend, then how come I was only meeting him now? Was she ashamed of me or something?

Get a grip. You’re losing it.

“. . . so take a look and tell me what you think.”

My head shot up. Surely she wasn’t showing him the fucking video? But she was. Fuck. Was she trying to piss me off? The last thing I needed was this guy getting all judgy on me.

My fingers tapped anxiously on the Laminex bench top as Tim and Leeta hovered over her laptop. I’d watched that damn video so many times by then, it was running in my head as I listened to it. With each second that passed, I was becoming more agitated.

If I stay here, I’m going to do something stupid.

“I’ll be back soon,” I muttered, stalking out the door. I jumped into my car and backed out of the parking lot.

#

I stopped off at Leets to feed the cat, then picked up my bike from my house and headed for work. I just needed to go somewhere to get my mind off things, and the only place I could think to do that was the garage. Finn would be there, and given my less-than-friendly mood at the moment, he would probably ask questions, but that was a risk I was willing to take.

I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, slamming the door. How had shit gotten so messed up? I laughed bitterly. I was a Jordan—this was how my life was supposed to be, wasn't it?

"Wasn't expecting you in today." Finn stood near the roller door, attempting to clean grease from his hands with an old rag.

"Yeah, well, things change," I muttered, setting myself up in front of an old Harley that needed an oil change and a service.

“Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn't it be?” I shrugged.

“I don't know, you just seem a little off,” he said.