Page 62 of Viper

“Some people are stupid.”

She snorted. “I agree.” She patted his chest with her palm, a teasing smile on her lips. “Either way, I love you for it.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her eyes widened in horror.

His heart skidded to a halt. The room seemed to tilt and his chest constricted. He wanted to say something. What? That he loved her? No. He couldn’t go there yet. They’d just made things official. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off, and based on the panicked look on her face, she was thinking the same.

He tweaked her nose. “Come on. It’s late.”

Chapter Sixteen

Troy’s mind spun like the drum of a washing machine. Paige lay curled against his side with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest.

Once again, he was wide awake.

The memory of the car hurtling toward them played in his mind on repeat, inching him closer to insanity each time. Restlessness took hold of his leg muscles, making him shift and adjust his feet.

If he didn’t get to sleep, he’d wake Paige. Ever so gently, he eased her from his shoulder and onto the pillow.

She sighed, snuggling the comforter and sinking into the mattress.

He tucked the blanket around her shoulders and risked pressing a kiss to her temple before sliding from the bed. He grabbed his phone and clothes from the chair near the wall and stalked naked into the living room.

He tugged on his joggers and T-shirt then sank onto the couch. He reached for his laptop and powered it on. He needed more intel on Craig. Maybe they’d pay William another visit in the morning. This time a house call, just to scare him.

His phone dinged and he checked the screen.

You awake?

Havoc.

Yup. What’s up?

Three dots bubbled on the screen.

I’ve got some intel on our guy. Can I come over?

He agreed without hesitation but told Havoc they’d need to be quiet because Paige was asleep. Eagerness pushed him to his feet. Any lingering fatigue was long gone. Hell, if they had a lead on Craig, he’d move right fucking now and have one of the guys sleep on the couch.

Not that he wanted to leave Paige in the middle of the night, but they’d all be happier once this was behind them.

He strode to the dining room, which was farther from the bedroom, and set up his computer on the table.

Less than ten minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door. He checked the peephole. Havoc stood in the hall, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder. Troy opened the door and stepped back to allow his friend in.

“What’d you find?” Troy asked, taking the seat next to him at the table.

“I pulled the surveillance footage from a nearby shop and a street cam. Found enough angles to get a plate number. I’ve also got the address of the vehicle’s owner.”

“Who’s the owner?”

“Take a guess.”

“The dispensary owner?”

“Nope.”

Troy shrugged. “Then I’m probably not gonna guess right, am I?”

Havoc’s eyes flared. “The owner of the vehicle is a cop.”