Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 122

~Chase~

Tingles sparked on my knuckles as I skimmed Sofia's spine. Her skin, smooth and warm, made my mouth water for another taste of her. F**k. I'm so f*****g crazy about her that the thought of this weekend ending made my chest tight.

We ended up sleeping on the cabin floor; the bed was too small to cradle both of us, and the quilt kept our backs warm. Sofia purred, burying her face into the pillow, the blanket riding low on the curve of her hips. I kissed her shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin; my c**k slid between her perky a*s cheeks, instantly going hard.

F**k... I groaned under my breath. Sofia needed rest, but my body craved to be inside her again. We did it on the table, on the bed, and here on the floor. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. If Sofia didn't fall asleep after her last o****m, I swear we'd go for another two rounds. My body was supposed to be tired, coupled with the lack of sleep and proper food in the past couple of days; I was astounded I even lasted that long. The things this woman does to me.

It was too quiet outside; the trees encompassing the cabin made it hard to tell the time by the dimmed light coming through the windows.

Although I didn't want to leave Sofia's side, I slid out of the comfort of her warmth and grabbed my phone. Four in the moming.

I got dressed and quietly slipped out of the cabin, ensuring Sofia would be warm enough until my return.

Like I expected, Derek was already awake at the campsite, sitting by the firepit, waiting for me.

"Sleep well?" he didn't lift his gaze, poking the embers in the pit and feeding two firewood on the fire. The kindle from the slow-growing flame bounced in his eyes as he met my gaze.

"Sort of," I smirked and sat on the log across from him, resting my elbows on top of my knees. He pursed his lips, narrowing his gaze on me.

"What? You asked. I answered," I said with a chuckle, using his words when he knocked on Rafa's door and turned me into a human punching bag.

"That's my sister you're speaking of, Chase," he grumbled.

"Then don't ask what you already know. I f*****g missed her. Put yourself in my shoes."

He narrowed his eyes at me, then dropped them on the glowing flame. "Thanks for not blowing out on her. She did what she did because she wanted to protect you."

I already knew that. Although her decision brought me such agony from being away from her and Elise, I was relieved that she didn't hate me for possibly having a child with Sammy. Damn. We still have to talk things over when she wakes up. I understand Derek's concern, though; that's why I accepted his punches willingly, which got me thinking. "Was Rafa's place really bugged?"

"Nope." The tip of his lips curled.

"Then what were those punches for?!" I hissed, careful with my tone though I wanted to leap from my seat and tackle him to the ground.

"Dramatic effect." His devious smile made my fist clench. "And because I want to." "Bastard," I grumbled.

Derek's laughter echoed through the still breaking dawn. I laughed with him, glad we were finally on the same page. A few moments passed, and our laughter simmered down, superseded by thick silence.

"My past sins are catching up with me, Derek." I had to put it out there. Eros and Carlota working with Derek's team were a force to be reckoned with, but if Nikos was anything like his brother, this wouldn't be as easy as Sofia made it sound. And a man pumped up with revenge was even more dangerous to deal with. I've been in Nikos' situation, and to him, Loco was his only family.

"I know," Derek murmured, his solemn gaze sending chills whirling down my spine.

"What are you not telling me?"

He heaved, and that's when I caught sight of the dark circles bordering his eyes. Derek was never worried. He'd always been the cool one, grumpy at times but rarely bothered. At least he didn't let anyone see it. "Samantha was the sedan driver."

My heartbeat stilled for a second before morphing into anger. 'Be careful, Sammy, my parting words to her in our last conversation came back with a sour taste on my tongue, my face grimacing.

"Are you sure?"

Derek nodded. "We hacked into the mall surveillance camera and retracted the sedan driver's steps."

"That bitch," my voice was strained with fervid anger.

"At first, we wanted to save her, especially when Sofia told me about your son Cyrus. But she's too deep into this. Once this is all over, she'd be lucky to serve prison time. Brega has been under my team's surveillance for five years."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" The veins on the back of my neck were twisting so tight I feared it would snap at any minute. "I thought you were done with the military."

"I was." Venom laced his tone. "But I had to come back to get the information we needed."

I rake my fingers through my hair. "F**k, man. I'm so f*****g sorry."

"Nah," he shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do, anyway."

That was a total lie. He'd been working overtime at the garage, excited to start its operation, and last I checked, he went out on an actual date just last week. Derek wanted to settle down. Between the two of us, he was the family man, and being around Julian and Elise only added to his longing to have his own family.

I swallowed the guilt crawling up my throat. "Do I want to know what kind of job you'll be working this time?"

"The kind that deals with people like Brega. It's only for a year. It was a pretty sweet deal because I get to end that fucker." His jaw clenched. "I wasn't there to make Loco beg for killing Letty; now I have the chance to make his little brother beg for my mercy, Chase." I stand corrected. Derek's feral craving for retribution was more vicious than Nikos' and Samuel's revenge combined. Derek might be soft when it came to the people he valued, but he was one of the best in his job. Sofia doesn't know what exactly Derek does in the military. His job required confidentiality, but Eros once told me he avoided people like Derek. And for Eros to say that was a chilling realization.

"So this explains why we couldn't pull out the connection before, huh?"

"Loco's business was a tiny speck compared to Brega's empire. He has people all across the globe, from small-time to high-profile drug dealers and smugglers. He was smart, fucking smart that we only knew his name but never knew his face. Every time we catch his business partners or accomplices, all they know is his name."

Fire sparkled in his eyes. "Every time our investigation reached a dead end, I always told my team that even a man as mysterious and wise as this Brega would slip and make mistakes, and we'd be there to catch him when he does. I never thought it would be the case." He chuckled. "This case was too personal to him that he's handling things himself. What a f*****g luck that he's after my family again. If not for Sofia reaching out to Carlota, we wouldn't be able to connect the dots."

At many points during Derek's disclosure, my mind curved at how bloody this situation could get. Nikos and Derek were both out for justice. I fear I might need Jose's escape plan now more than ever.