For the Fight (Romantic Suspense) (Beyond Blood, #2) by Nora Flite

Jacob had spent a day after finding Hecko—he'd given me the run down of everything in our brief meeting at the bar—to look for what he could on Lars. He'd found a mugshot from when the man had been arrested a while back. That was what he'd handed Marina, wanting to confirm he was our man.
    Of course, he'd given her the zoomed, cropped version of the image. If she had seen the rest of it, she'd have seen his name. It was just too soon for that.
    Sipping my whiskey, I flicked to the next picture. Jacob had been able to find out very little on Lars. Some convictions, and the information Hecko had dropped about him pulling the hit on his former associate Frank, but... we still had no leads.
    The maps were possible locations the man could be at. Jacob had put it together based on his arrests, his history with Frank, and the things Hecko had said.
    We had so much to do to find him.
    The event tonight had nothing to do with the Lars. That had also been Jacob's idea, a spontaneous one I was less thrilled about until he explained it. He'd known about the charity ball because he was the type to donate to those ridiculous, show boating car wrecks.
    I couldn't be too judgmental. He was one of the few who gave money anonymously. He didn't do it for the accolades or attention. Though, this time... the celebration would serve our personal purpose. It wasn't as if Jacob would get nothing out of it.
    My door shook, the knob turning. Sitting up, I closed the laptop and beamed at Marina. Her cheeks were glowing from the cold. “Welcome back! How was shopping?”
    She took one look at me, then bit her lip and stared at the floor. That... was very much not like her. “It was fine. Jacob said to be ready, we're leaving at seven. Can I use the shower?”
    “Sure.” Furrowing my brow, I watched her leave the room. Why hadn't she been able to look me in the eye? Sliding deeper into the cushions, I tapped my knee, kicked my foot, changed positions... and finally just stood up.
    I needed to talk to Jacob.
    Pushing through my front door, I took the elevator one floor up. Marching to his apartment, I rapped my knuckles above the brass knob. Counting the seconds, I tested it; locked.
    Marina wasn't the only one with a key. Sliding mine out, I opened the door and leaned inside. “Jacob? You in here?”
    “The bathroom,” he shouted. I sensed an edge to his voice. But, when I found him standing in front of the mirror, face covered in shaving cream, he just smiled. “Why does everyone think it's okay to come inside if I don't answer?”
    He was shirtless, dress pants held up by a brand new looking belt. I didn't know if he'd bought it today or forever ago. He owned too many outfits, in my opinion. “Hey,” I said, leaning on the entry way. “Let me get to the point. Marina was... acting weird.”
    “I'm sure she was.” He scraped a razor down his cheek, no longer watching me. “She knows about our agreement.”
    Shutting my eyes, I tapped the back of my skull on the wood. “Fuck. You told her.”
    Thick foam slapped into the sink. “Of course I told her. She was going to find out eventually. The conversation came up... naturally.”
    Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “I realize she needed to know eventually, Jacob. I guess I just didn't think you'd be the one to drop it on her. What else did you tell her?”
    This time, he watched me in the reflection and frowned. “She asked how I could be so sure we wouldn't fight over her. I gave her a surface explanation of our oath.”
    “She knows we're Blood Brothers?” I laughed sourly.
    “No. Not exactly.” Bending down, he splashed water on his cheeks. “Marina knows we have a bond, and a rule. She doesn't understand the root of it or what it means.” Wiping himself with a hand-towel, he faced me. “I gave her enough information so she wouldn't doubt what I was saying.”
    That made me breathe easier. I didn't want anyone else knowing the source of our oath. Our history was for