Page 40 of Toxic Devotion
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Your job?”
Mike huffed. “My job is to save li?”
“Your jobis to gather intelligence.Your jobis to turn foreign assets into agents for our government.”
Mike gave Neil a dark look.
“And here I though my job was to babysit Cade,” he snarked.
Neil took a step closer. “Let’s not pretend you haven’t grown attached.”
Mike was a phenomenal operative but as it happened to so many operatives when they were undercover for a long period of time, he’d gotten complacent. He’d formed attachments. He’d built a life out of a lie he didn’t want exposed.
Mike’s gaze turned unfocused, and his jaw ticked.
“Are you pulling me out?”
Neil held back a sigh.
“No. It seems your cover is still intact. For now.”
“I’ll make sure it stays that way,” Mike said, chin lifted.
“I’m counting on it. I need to know how Hughes’ operation is still running despite him being in a black site.” He met Mike’s gaze. “I need the Destroyers’ supplier.”
“I’m getting closer,” Mike said, gaze shooting toward the door to his bedroom. “Because of the kid we finally have concrete evidence that the State’s Attorney is involved.”
The kid was Aidan O’Connor. The State’s Attorney’s foster kid who he had handed over to his business partners the Destroyers MC to ‘take care of’ but he’d messed up. He’d given those bikers a commodity they were well-versed in selling: humans. They knew Hughes was involved somehow and Mike had been working to uncover the Destroyers’ partners and suppliers for close to a year now. He was in so deep that when he’d offered to buy Aidan from the bikers, they’d just taken it as any other paycheck. The only problem with that? They were expecting Aidan to be dead and buried and he very much was not.
“I’ll see if I can get Cade in. You’ll need the help,” he said, fully expecting the panic spreading on Mike’s face. He knew Mike saw Cade as family and wanted him far away from anything Hughes-related.
“Are you sure?” Mike asked, the slight tremor in his voice betraying his attempt at remaining impartial. “Two dirty cops might be hard to sell.”
Neil shook his head. “Not if he has someone vouching for him.”
Mike’s eyes went wide but he didn’t question him.
“But you need to be more careful.”
“Or I’m on my own. I know,” Mike said with a sharp nod.
Neil looked at the man for a long moment, decision already made.
“I’ll have a safehouse set up for Aidan.”
Mike blinked, surprise showing in his eyes for a moment before it cleared. “Thank you.”
Neil nodded and turned to leave, halting when he heard a set of keys jingling from the other side of the front door.
The door opened and Aidan stepped in. The kid had no situational awareness. He didn’t notice the two of them until after he closed the door and dropped his keys on the side table. He raised his head, a set of brown eyes widening when they landed on Neil. Fear slid across Aidan’s face, and he jerked back a step.
“It’s alright, Aidan,” Mike said. “He’s a friend.”
Aidan didn’t relax, nor did he move. Mike on the other hand? He was across the room in a second, pulling Aidan against him.
Watching Aidan practically melt into Mike’s embrace tugged at something deep inside Neil. Something men like him and Mike didn’t have a fucking right to.