14

My phone buzzes and I take it out of my pocket and place it on the mount that sits in the middle of the console. Jason is calling me, and I reach for my earbud and pop it in.

"You out?"

I clear my throat. "Yeah, burn it down."

"Got it." I can tell he's smiling; Jason loves blowing shit up. "Done."

I hang up and tuck the earbud away. I can sense Niki watching me, and after switching gears, I dare a glance. I can't tell if she wants to punch me or kiss me again. "Something on your mind?"

"How is it you're always there?"

"There, where?"

She sighs, exasperated. "Everywhere."

She tucks her legs underneath her and backs away from me. Her white shirt is stained red with blood. I'm amazed there are no broken bones. Just some bad bruising. Her right brow and the corner of her lip got the worst of it—the areas are swollen and bloody. She got in a good fight before being tied down. The men only shackled her out of fear.

I breathe in a calming breath, but I know it appears rabid and unhinged. My grip tightens and I control the images flashing before me. If I allow them to take over, I'll fucking crash. What would've happened if I'd gotten there just three minutes after?

I swallow and move my head sharply, cracking the bones in my neck and grip the steering wheel. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

She grimaces. "I'm not scared of you, rookie."

"Then what's the problem?"

She shuffles and I glance at her, desperate to read her expression. "I don't trust you."

But Noah she trusts? I scoff. "What have I done to make you doubt me?"

"You're a cop. That alone is enough."

The leather underneath my palm crinkles and snaps, and I shift the car off the road suddenly and slam on the brakes. I can't lie to her. She's incapable of forgiving the betrayal of something being kept from her. Once the truth is out and she finally has a real reason to hate me, at least I can hold on to one tangible emotion instead of the mess she doesn't understand.

"I'm not a cop."

She's quiet, and I watch her eyes scan the area around her, as if she's contemplating an escape. Her eyes settle on Max and her lips falter. A smile tugs at the sides, and she breathes in shakily before settling her big brown eyes on mine. "Explain."

Fuck. "I work for a separate organization as an undercover Internal Affairs agent. I came here to uncover the corruption within the law enforcement force."

Her lips pop open, but nothing comes out. She blinks a few times, then squints as if she's trying to clear her vision. A long silent moment passes, and when I think I should start driving again, she clears her throat. "You're undercover?" she asks slowly.

"I'm not a cop," I repeat. "This city is broken. I was sent here to uncover who exactly is responsible. It's been rumored to go all the way up to the mayor."

She nods and then swallows. "I understand." I breathe a sigh of relief and shift the gear when her voice stops me. "You're still a cop, though."

I roll my eyes and she laughs softly. The sound pulls me in, and I turn to take a mental image of her like this. Her lips part back, her cheekbones rise, and her perfectly white teeth are on display. Her smile is breathtaking, and I reach out and smooth my thumb over a single dimple on her left cheek. "I'm a lone agent hired by an agency who wishes to remain anonymous."

"Ooohhh, like an assassin on a secret mission," she mocks.

I chuckle and drop my hand to the gear shifter. "Time to take you home. I'm sure your family wants to make sure you're safe."

Her eyes widen, as if she forgot how she was taken and who she left behind. "Did Jasmin send you?"

I clear my throat. I don't want to lie, but this isn't the time to reveal how far my stalker tendencies have brought me. "I have my ways, little fox."

She blows a tiny raspberry at the mention of my calling her a fox. "So what's going to happen back there? Should I expect a real cop at my door soon?"

I shake my head. "It's taken care of."

She nods. "Right. A secret assassin always has someone in the background cleaning up their work." She wiggles her fingers, pretending to be mysterious.

Silence falls and I'm suddenly irked by the fact that I have no way of communicating with her when she isn't next to me. "Why don't you own a phone?"

She grimaces. "It's a way to track people." She shakes her head. "No, thanks."

"You don't strike me as someone who wants to hide." She owns a fucking farm and stays in this shit hole, in plain sight, taunting the police force and posting shit on her little blog. She's purposely allowing herself to be tracked.

Niki narrows her eyes. "You'd be surprised, rookie."