He respected his boss. Admired him. He was loyal, honorable, and protective of his family, his crew and the people in his territory. But right now he was distracted. And that meant he wasn’t listening for the rumbling of the storm. And there was a storm coming, no doubt about that. Ben had friends who passed him intel the Mafia could never get. Snippets of information from other undercover cops that told him something big was brewing. Good thing Ben had his boss’s back. He just had to find a way to tell his boss he needed to get his head back in the game or he was going to lose more than his heart.
His own heart ached because tomorrow was supposed to be one of his days with Daisy. But when the boss called and told him he had guard duty in the morning, he couldn’t say no. He’d had guard duty all day today, too. Now it was late—too late. But maybe he could stop by and say good night. Give her a hug. Maybe she’d even still be up. Ginger always partied on a Friday night.
Half an hour later, he pulled up outside Ginger’s house. The lights were all on, and music was blaring through the windows. No chance of Daisy sleeping through that. He knocked, but when no one answered, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ginger looked up from the couch, slurring her words as Ben walked into the living room. Her shirt was pushed up around her neck baring her breasts and she had a blanket over her legs. Her hair was a crazy tangle around her head, and her eyes were dilated so wide they looked black. A needle lay on the carpet beside an empty beer can, and Ben fought back the urge to shout so he didn’t disturb Daisy.
“Are you shooting up when our little girl is in the house? Christ, Ginger. Cover yourself. Look at you. What the fuck happened to that sweet girl I met in a bar seven years ago.”
“Gabe rescued me from the drudgery of motherhood.” Ginger pulled down her shirt, sucked on her cigarette. “You should take a hit sometime. He’s got a line on some good quality stuff. Might help you pull the stick out of your fucking ass. And what the hell are you doing here anyway? What the fuck time is it?”
“I’m just here to say good night.” Ben turned away, feeling sick. He had to get off this case for Daisy’s sake. Ginger was a disaster waiting to happen. And Gabe …
“Ben.” Gabe stepped into the hallway in front of Daisy’s door. He was wearing nothing but a pair of track pants loose around his narrow hips, his junk clearly outlined by the thin material. He was all ink, toned pecs and smooth muscle, the kind of body every man dreamed about having if he had ten gallons of protein powder, a steady supply of steroids, and no job so he could spend twelve hours a day in the gym.
Ben frowned when Gabe didn’t immediately get out of his way. “I’m here to see Daisy.”
Gabe tipped his neck from side to side, making it crack. “She had a busy day. She’s all worn out.”
Every hair on the back of Ben’s neck stood on end, every nerve ending flared in warning, every instinct that had kept him alive ten years in an organization that would kill him if they discovered he was a cop, screamed danger. “Get out of my way.”
Gabe smirked, stepped to the side, forcing Ben to brush past him to open the door. “We were just having a bedtime story. It’s our nightly ritual since her daddy’s not about.”
Ben’s hand opened and closed, hovered near the gun holstered by his side. He imagined pulling it out and shoving the barrel into Gabe’s throat, pushing him up against the wall the way his pals in his crew did with anyone who pissed them off. But Ben couldn’t cross that line. Even thought he was undercover, he was still an officer of the law. He couldn’t beat someone up because of a smirk.
“Stay the fuck away from Daisy.”
“Kinda hard since we’re living together. Me and Ginger and your pretty little girl.”
Walk away. Walk away. Gabe was baiting him and he couldn’t risk a fight. If Ginger called the police and he was arrested, he risked having his cover blown because Jack would have to come and identify him to have him released. Every Mafia family had cops on the payroll. Someone would tell his boss. He’d be taken for a ride, and he’d never come back. His boss had zero tolerance for thieves, traitors, and rats. He had a reputation for being merciless with those who displeased him, and protective of those under his care. If Ben asked his boss for a favor for Daisy, Gabe wouldn’t live to see the sun rise again.
Ben walked into the dark room and closed the door behind him. He was a cop, and he had to follow the rules, and the rules didn’t allow asking for favors from the mob.
“Daisy?”
Daisy shot out of the bed and threw herself into his arms with such force that Ben stumbled back against the door.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “I came to say good night.”
She squeezed him tight, plastering her thin body against him, her fingers digging into his back.
That warning prickle came back, and he forced himself to take a breath. “You okay? Anything wrong?”