“I like her,” I say with a shrug. “No big deal. Or I would if she wasn’t a damn ATF agent. What’s the harm? Hopefully she’ll like me too and will shut down the investigation. I don’t see what the issue is here. I thought this was what we agreed for me to do. To stay close to her and feed her false info until the investigation is over.”

Flint sits down beside me, which means I’m about to get a stern brotherly lecture. I always hated those when I was younger. Still do in fact.

Especially coming from Flint.

“The issue is that she’s playing you,” he says. “Not the other way around. Don’t trust her, Sam. I don’t know how many times I have to say it so you’ll listen. She’s getting under your skin. I can see it, and it’s frustrating the hell out of me. I’m going to remind you every fucking day until she goes away. I want these words to be the last thing in your head at night and the first thing every morning. Don’t trust her. Say it like a mantra. Whatever you think you’ve got going on with this chick isn’t real. She is fucking you over.”

“And what if she isn’t?”

I regret the words immediately.

“See what I mean?” Flint says to the other guys. “Sam just proved my point. This was a bad idea. Lila is too good at her job.”

“I can make this work,” I say. “Why can’t you trust me on this? The original plan is working right on schedule. I don’t know what else you expect me to do. I’ve already fucked her.”

Damn. That sounded crude.

Whatever Lila and I shared, I sure as hell wouldn’t describe it that way. Not now. Never in a million years.

“Sam, let me tell you a story,” Flint says.

Everyone around the table groans.

“Oh God, no,” I say, banging my forehead on the table. “Please not another one of your longwinded stories that go nowhere.”

Flint doesn’t pay any attention to me. Not that I expected him to.

“Do you remember the Bible story of Sampson and Delilah from Sunday School when we were kids?” he asks.

I give him a blank look.

“Is that a serious question? If so, the answer is vaguely. Sampson had long hair and Delilah was a hooker. Am I right? What the fuck does this have to do with anything?”

“Nah, I don’t think Delilah was a hooker,” Rocco says, rubbing his beard. “She was a conniving bitch though. I see her more as a sexy woman with long black hair and big tits. Wearing like a silky see-through dress. Pink or gold. And a scarf covering part of her face so that only her mysterious dark eyes are showing.”