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Titus shook his head again He looked like he was about to pass out “Coer It was like ten on one Clearly it was self-defense Novak was a piece of shit”

“Look, King You brought us the op and agreed to hand it over to us We don’t have people in Novak’s pocket We’ll do a full investigation and see where the chips fall”

Titus ran a hard hand over his hair and looked down at o back to prison to keep Dovie safe, so be it She orth it and that was a light consequence cole other solution I had coain as long as she got to live the life she was supposed to

“Novak was torturing Bax’s girlfriend, his goons were beating the shit out of me They probably killed his best friend Can you bla, this is a godda, dirty cops, coercion, , assault, attempted murder, and every other crih it all or else soht back in Novak’s place tomorrow”

I heard Nassir snort and I was teear got behind hly pulled my hands behind my back I felt the handcuffs, cold and so final, snap over the chains I already had inked there

Titus swore “I’m sorry, Bax”

“It’s cool A heads-up that you actually had a plan would have been nice to know, though”

“The feds took forever to get back tothe inside, I just didn’t knoho it was I don’t kno they found Dovie and Race I figured they were going to grab irl”

I was roughly yanked to my feet and Titus reached out a hand to steady et you out as soon as I can”

I lowered my eyebrows at his I alhed when they put the cuffs on Benny, as screaovernment

“I don’t care about me Make sure Dovie keeps her mouth shut and keep an eye on her If Race didn’t make it” I trailed off as I was hauled away from my brother

“Shane—”

I interrupted him “I mean it, Titus You keep her as far away froet a chance to respond because I got pulled in the opposite direction Once I was outside, the night was alive with people and co all around I let the cop drag me to an unmarked car and waited while he yanked the back door open I looked over the roof of the car just in time to see the paramedics open the back of the ambulance Dovie was still on the stretcher, and soether made those moss-colored eyes flash open and lock onaround the fact I was hooked up in cuffs and getting arrested I saw the panic overtake her, saw her start to struggle, but she was already weak from loss of blood I really wished I had been the one to pull the trigger She said my name and I’m pretty sure she mouthed “I love you” All I could do atch as they loaded her into the ambulance and shut the doors All those sharp, pointy pieces that were loose inside ht into the center of ive up my freedom for her There was no other way to repay her for finally setting , even if I spent the next twenty years behind bars

CHAPTER 16

Dovie

I SAW THE COP behind Bax put a hand on top of his head and shove hi and hysterical, I still saw Bax grin at me before the a overa mix of “I love you” and “I’ibberish The next thing I knew there was a prick at the bend in my ar dangling over my head made my already fuzzythat was still startlingly clear behind the haze andto end his own life to try and set the rest of us free And noas back in handcuffs because of ood or bad, Bax couldn’t see self out of trouble

I couldn’t believe it had been twenty-four hours since he’d dropped roup hoht with Reeve’s judgot that she didn’t think Bax was a good choice, but if it was the last I got of hih, the next roup hoht before I wasn’t sure whether suspended translated to fired or not, and I felt really bad about leaving the kids high and dry for a few stolento hold on to sret any of the decisions I had made where Bax was concerned

Reeve had tried to explain why she had done it for ood, but I didn’t want to hear it I’d tried to call Race to coet me, but he never answered I’d been tes with him were so intense, so precarious, I didn’t want to wind the spring up even tighter In the end, I’d decided taking the bus would just have to suffice Only I’d forgotten the world was out to teach me every hard lesson I hadn’t already learned

I hadn’t evento a halt next to me on the sidewalk My instinct was to run, to flee, but there was nowhere to go If Novak wanted ht as well make it as easy on myself as possible I wasn’t stupid He wantedto me until he had either of them, or both of thes, noticed one had cracked-open knuckles and a split lip I twisted ether and forced myself to s the bile that rose up inlooked at his hands and then looked back up at me with a smirk “No That bastard bleeds black Think closer to hoall alone