Deven nodded, not wanting to verbalize the lie. Truth was, she couldn’t put Paul through any more than she already had. He’d already done more than enough by just being there. And having him tag along would do more harm than good. Especially if this Erika woman was as dangerous as he was insinuating.

Like a sign, Deven’s phone buzzed with the incoming text notification as soon as Paul had risen to greet the pizza delivery man. She snuck a look at the message, eyeing the address that Deuce had sent. Well, he certainly had earned his money. Deven put her phone back down as Paul re-entered the kitchen with pizza boxes in tow.

“Ready?” he asked spreading everything on the table.

Deven had to grin at the double entendre, her mind already on the events that were sure to unfold the next day. “So ready.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-eight

She should’ve been exhausted. Deven watched the early morning sun streams spill through the blinds. Even as she teetered on the edges of delirium, she was more wide-eyed and alert than insomnia should’ve allowed. It was the nerves, she knew. They had her adrenaline at an all-time high. Deven would rather make that attribution than the other underlying culprit: Paul was asleep on the couch in the living room. It had taken all of her restraint to keep from running in there, ass-naked, and throwing herself on his lap for a midnight snack.

It had been his idea to stay over. She’d insisted otherwise, adamant on re-establishing those boundaries they’d crossed before. But they had talked until well past midnight, and he’d had several glasses of wine. Not enough to completely inebriate him, they both knew, but what was the point in taking the risk?

So, he had accepted some pillows and bedspreads from her room and crashed for the night. And it had certainly been quite the temptation.

Deven tossed the covers back and instantly shivered at the burst of cold air that tickled her legs. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t really afford to be distracted by Paul. Not today. What she did need to focus on was trying to get rid of him as quickly, and as unsuspectingly as possible. She needed to get to this address Deuce had provided and figure out what the hell Erika Garrett was up to. Paul had been right to inquire because Deven didn’t have any kind of plan for when she arrived. What if the address wasn’t even good anymore? What if she was out of town or had a fake address on whatever files Deuce referenced? Well then, she would have to go to the police, Deven resolved with a dejected frown. Of course, she didn’t want it to come to that. But what else was she supposed to do?