Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
I glared, irritation lacing my voice even as heat tightened low in my body at hearing someone call Cecily mine. “You done?”
“For now,” Jax conceded, his smirk fading as he caught something more serious beneath my annoyance. He straightened slowly, his shoulders squaring as his expression shifted from teasing brother to the lethal enforcer and tech genius I trusted implicitly. “Something else bothering you?”
I nodded once, pushing forward to rest my elbows on the desk, my gaze narrowing as I motioned toward the screen filled with the betting sheets and payout records. “Found some discrepancies in the underground racing money. At first, I thought it might’ve been a coincidence or an off night, but it’s specific. Only certain races and locations. High rollers skipping out, smaller pots, and drivers not showing. Seems like someone’s pulling our people away—both bettors and racers.”
Jax’s eyes sharpened instantly, all amusement wiped clean. He rose smoothly and moved to stand beside me, leaning slightly forward, his gaze rapidly scanning the data. A muscle flexed subtly in his jaw, the only outward sign of his reaction. “You thinking someone’s running competition against us?”
“That’s exactly what it looks like,” I confirmed, my irritation clear. “Not random enough to be coincidental. Feels intentional. Subtle but consistent.”
Jax blew out a low breath, folding his arms as he leaned against the desk. His expression was cold, his mind already working through the angles. “It’d take some serious balls to infringe on Redline territory, especially on underground betting. Either someone’s very brave or very stupid.”
“Could be both. Testing the waters, seeing how long they can get away with it,” I muttered, irritation pricking at my skin. “Either way, we need to shut it down fast.”
“Agreed.” Jax nodded. “Send me everything you have—dates, locations, specific names. I’ll cross-reference and start pulling at threads. We’ll figure out who’s siphoning off our people and deal with them before they get too comfortable.”
“Good.” I leaned back again, releasing a slow, steadying breath. “Keep me updated.”
“On it.” Jax’s lip curved slightly into something dangerously amused. “You just focus on not losing your shit with Cecily tonight. Wouldn’t want to scare her off.”
“Noted.” I shook my head as he chuckled and turned toward the door.
Jax paused at the threshold, glancing back over his shoulder. “Seriously, brother. You’ve been riding the line between obsession and insanity lately. Might be good to find some balance before we’re cleaning up a kidnapping or something equally fucked up.”
I snorted, throwing him a cross look. “Fuck off, Jax.”
He laughed, stepping into the hallway and disappearing, the door clicking quietly behind him.
But the moment he was gone, my thoughts immediately slid back to Cecily, heat pooling as her image filled my mind again. She was back in town, finally within reach, and dinner tonight was only hours away. Good thing, too, because Jax wasn’t wrong. I’d been walking that razor-thin line for days, desperate to claim her before obsession dragged me straight into madness.
And there was no doubt in my mind that Cecily was worth every fucking second of that fixation.
4
CECILY
Ihad talked myself out of dinner at least twenty times since this morning. The timing was horrible. I’d thought about Ares too much while I was at my training camp. Although he was the only man I could picture myself with, getting involved with him while I needed to focus on making the Olympic team was a bad idea.
I needed to text Ares and cancel before I let myself get any more tangled up in him. But every time I pulled out my phone, I couldn’t bring myself to actually type out the message to him. Now time was running out, and I couldn’t send that text from the pool with a bunch of kids.
When Tommy’s parents asked me to oversee six kids in the water for his third birthday party, it’d sounded like fun. But somehow, our hour in the pool was more tiring than a lesson would’ve been.
“Okay, everyone, kick your legs like you’re making the biggest splash we’ve ever seen,” I called, treading water in the shallow end with six little bodies surrounding me.
Laughter rang in the air as tiny legs flailed in every direction. I adjusted Tommy’s floatie, smiling as the kids floated on their backs, my mind already drifting back to Ares. I needed to stay locked in on my training regimen. The next Olympic cycle was only twenty-one months away, and I couldn’t afford any distractions. Not after I’d come so close to making the team last time. Especially not six-foot-six, bearded, quietly intense ones whose texts tempted me to forget about my dream of winning gold.
I had just finished swimming a lap with Tommy trailing behind me as he held my calves when the air around me changed.
My skin prickled, and the tiny hairs on my arms stood up. I didn’t even have to look to know he was there, but I did anyway.