She had to stay away from this place, and when I’d told her this morning, she didn’t look pleased. Charlie was tough as nails. Probably had to be to be a cop. I could spend my life with a woman like that.

Sitting on the bench, I tried to focus myself for tonight’s fight. I had a real shot at making it big if I just held on. I could be a man she deserved, a good guy on the right side of the law. Just had to keep fighting for a few more weeks, and then I’d cut and run.

“Hey.”

I glanced up at the sound of Charlie’s voice and swallowed hard. Anger and annoyance began to burn at the edges of my control at the sight of her here. The place where she could get into big trouble. The place that could get her dead. I was fuckin’ glad to see her but not so happy about it being here.

“You’re a bold little thing,” I drawled.

She shrugged. “Couldn’t help myself.”

I raised an eyebrow and began wrapping my hand. Charlie pushed off the wall and came to sit beside me, her leg pressing against mine. I could feel the warmth radiating from her into me, and I glanced at her crotch, thinking about what I’d done to her right there…

“You’re thinking dirty thoughts,” she said with a hint of amusement.

“I’m a man. Everything I think is dirty.”

She snorted. “How does that work?” She ran her fingers over my hand as I wound the material around my knuckles.

“Like a fuckin’ mummy,” I retorted. “Stops your knuckles from getting busted up.”

“Rebel…” she began, and I could hear that tone in her voice. The one that said she was about to tell me off for being a smart bastard. Well, I’d warned her about coming back here. I’d drawn attention to her, and if I could find out that she was a motherfuckin’ detective, then it wouldn’t be a stretch for others.

“You here to arrest me?” I asked, cutting her off.

“I could arrest you for a lot of things.”

“Yeah, like what?” I stared at my hands because if I looked at her, I’d just want to kiss her face off and then take her out back and fuck her stupid.

“Illegal gambling.”

“I haven’t bet once…unlike you.”

Her hands tightened in her lap. “Illegal appropriation of funds.”

I looked up at her this time, my lip curling. “That’s a thing?”

“Rebel. This isn’t funny.”

I caught her gaze with mine, so she got what I was about to say. “If you were going to arrest me, Sweet Lips, you would’ve done it before you let me fuck you.”

“Sweet Lips?”

“They are pretty fuckin’ sweet.” I raised my hand and ran my fingertips over them.

“Rebel…”

“You’re in this now,” I said. “They know your face. If you insist on coming here, you have to be able to play the game.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“I can’t protect you from everything,” I went on. “If I drop out, there are plenty of other guys to take my place. I’m just as disposable as you are.”

She tilted her head to the side, her blue eyes flashing with curiosity. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”

“You’re the cop,” I said, running a fingertip across her lips again. “Look me up.”

Her lips parted like she was about to say something, but she closed them again.

“If you still want to be in this,” I said, making myself as clear as fucking crystal, “then look me up in your database. There’s somethin’ here and I won’t go on while there are more secrets.”

“I don’t even know your real name.” She stared at me with wide eyes.

She was right. We didn’t even know each other, so what were these feelings based on? Physical attraction. A single, hot night of fucking didn’t make a relationship.

Did she really feel something for me? Maybe, it was hard to tell. If I told her my name, it would be an epic test of faith. She was the cop and I was the criminal. Didn’t matter that I was trying to get out. I still had the rap sheet, and that’s all that mattered to most people. In a perfect world, she’d be able to look past all the mistakes and see me for the man I was now. I hoped our world was perfect because I wanted her to be in it. I didn’t care that we’d met under false pretenses.

“Kane Sturgess,” I said, balling my hands into tight fists. “My name is Kane Sturgess.”

I stood sharply, hardly believing I’d already placed everything on the line. I’d had her for one night, and because I was an honest asshole, I might not get to have her again. All of her, not just her body. Her smart mouth, her stubborn pride…

“Rebel—”

I held up my hand to stop her. I couldn’t touch her, I couldn’t talk to her, I couldn’t anything until she knew because I wanted her more than one time. If she wanted to explore this thing between us, it had to be all or nothing.

“I’ve got a fight,” I snapped. “Just fuckin’ look.”

Without another word, I strode from the room and out into the cage, wondering if I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Chapter 11

Charlotte

I didn’t stay for Rebel’s fight that night.

I gathered he didn’t want me to considering he’d just left me sitting there like a lump.

Names held great power. To the law and to the underworld. He’d known exactly what he was doing the moment he’d told me his. He had a past, everyone did, but from his reaction, I knew his was big—so big that he thought I’d cut him loose after learning what it was.

There was no way I was sleeping after being dumped with the mother of all ultimatums, so I went into the station straight from The Underground. It was obvious Kane Sturgess had a record, but what was on it? All kinds of scenarios played out in my mind as I made my way through the station, passing the on duty uniforms at the front desk in a daze, walking through the halls and upstairs to my desk.

He’d made it sound like he’d done something really bad—something unforgivable. At least something he felt ashamed about.

Frommer was sitting at his desk and glanced up when I came in. The room dark, apart from the floor lamp behind him and the glow from his computer monitor.

“What are you doing here?” he asked like I was up to no good. I kinda was, actually.

“I’ve got a lead I want to chase up,” I said, dismissing him with a wave.

“No hot date?” he asked with a smirk.

“Fuck off, Frommer,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re just sore you pulled night shift this week, and I’m here anyway.”

He grunted and turned back to his work, thankfully leaving me alone to make my discovery.

Waking up my computer from sleep mode, I pulled up the criminal database and typed ‘Kane Sturgess’ into the search field. Leaning back in my chair, I waited for the system to load up the results. My heart stopped for a beat as it pinged with one result. One single, lonely result.

Clicking on the file, I instantly recognized the mug shot as a younger, rougher looking Rebel. Glancing at the profile, I could see that he was less muscular, unhealthy, tired, and ultimately beaten. He looked just like any other street thug that I’d arrested in my time on the beat. Drawn to a life of crime because they either didn’t know any better, didn’t have any other option, or just for the simple reason because they could.

My cop sense told me there was much more to this story, so I delved deeper, learning about the man who’d already stolen a piece of my heart.

His parents had died in a head-on collision with a semitrailer on the Hume Highway. The driver had been taking pills to stay awake, overtired and overworked from too many back-to-back long haul trips between Melbourne and Sydney. Six-year-old Kane had been thrown clear from the car and was the sole survivor.

Hell.

That was one of the worst parts about being a cop. Attending road fatalities. Innocent families dying in their cars on their way to work, school, or even holidays. The parents die, leaving their kids behind. I loved my job, but it was also heartbreaking. Absolutely shattering.