No one else on my team agreed with me. Wilson wanted Sloane under surveillance. Cole had sided with Wilson. Reese, Davis, Jack, and Rhode who were all back in Idaho with only the reports to go by agreed with Wilson and Cole. From the outside, I understood why they’d want me to dig deeper into the mystery of Sloane. But none of them had spent time with her. None of them had watched her. None of them witnessed the unease in her eyes.

“I’ll drop you off and head back over,” I told Cole.

“You want cover?”

Hell no, I didn’t want Cole tagging along, listening from a nearby table.

“Not necessary.”

“You said she told you she didn’t date men from the club,” Cole began, and I already knew I wasn’t going to like where that statement was going to lead. “Take her to dinner and talk about this party you need planned. I’ll stop by your table and play the part of the friend who happened to be dining at the same restaurant, and you make the introductions. I’ll ask her out. We can work this two ways.”

Fuck no.

Hell to the motherfucking no.

Hard fucking pass.

Never going to happen.

The thought of Cole asking Sloane out made my jaw clench. The thought of Sloane saying yes made my gut roil.

“What makes you think she’d say yes?”

“Brother.”

That was all my friend said and really it said it all. Cole Keniston didn’t get turned down. All the more reason to keep him away from Sloane.

“Not gonna happen.”

It was unfortunate I was unable to keep the indignation at bay—my tone clearly gave away my disdain, which gave Cole the opening I knew he was waiting for.

“It’s been months, Asher. Maybe it’s time you hand Sloane off.”

Hand Sloane off?

Not gonna happen.

I then decided to verbalize my thoughts to make it crystal clear where I stood.

“Not gonna happen.”

“Ash—”

“Sloane isn’t a suspect. She isn’t a mark. I keep telling you this and you’re not getting it, brother. I’ll get close, get what we need, but I’ll be doing that gently. And I’ll be doing it looking out for her.”

“You think I’d fuck her over if she’s innocent?” Cole snapped.

No, I knew he’d fuck her a different way if given the chance.

Not that I blamed him. Sloane was a beautiful woman, but it wasn’t her looks that drew me to her. It was the way she carried herself with a perfect measure of confidence and apprehension. From what I’d seen she was not shy by any stretch, but she was reserved. She was watchful in a vigilant way. When she entered a room, she commanded attention whether she wanted it or not; her presence was impossible to ignore. And the more I watched her—and I’d watched closely—the more my need to know her grew. I had no claim to the woman but the mere thought of Cole touching Sloane made me homicidal. It also made my chest burn—a reaction I was trying to ignore.