Dominic crossed his fingers. “Tomorrow. I’ll be in touch if anything new turns up.”
“Do that. Charlotte and Eban are on their way back here right now. There’s some sort of standoff developing in Oregon again.”
Fucking Freemen.
“So, everything is normal?” Dominic joked.
Savage grunted. “Some days it feels like no matter how hard or fast we work, there are still a bunch of whackos ready to come out of the woodwork and cause havoc and pain for others.”
Dominic thought about Peter Galveston’s missing corpse, which hadn’t crawled out of that coffin on its own.
“Which is why we’re here, I suppose.”
Dominic watched a plate of food being delivered to the table where Ava sat talking to Agent Pine.
His mouth watered. He was starving, but even more than his hunger for food was his completely inappropriate hunger for the agent who was smiling across the table at another man.
She was a goddamn rookie. What was he doing? He didn’t know. He really didn’t know. But he wasn’t ready to give her up yet.
He said goodbye to his boss, hung up and pushed back inside the front door.
*
After lunch, Jerry Pine dropped them at the nearest vehicle rental place. Dominic had been insistent about having their own transportation but had forgotten he wasn’t medically cleared to drive. Ava hadn’t argued with the guy. Whatever their personal relationship, he was still a Supervisory Special Agent and way above her on the pay grade. Instead, she took the keys off the desk and got behind the wheel.
“What?” she asked when he finally slung his bag in the trunk and climbed in beside her. They both needed to do laundry but neither wanted to waste a few hours on something so mundane when people’s lives were in danger.
He shot her a resentful look.
“Where to, Boss?” She smiled determinedly. The fact she was still on the job made her feel grateful enough to ignore his bad mood.
His eyes narrowed further, and he lowered his sunglasses. The bruises were fading fast and the superiority complex was back full force. Rather than replying, he programmed an address into the GPS and then sat back, adjusting the seat so he could stretch out his long legs.
She checked her mirrors and pulled away. This was work, and he was the boss. Don’t screw it up, Ava.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Gino?” he asked after a few minutes of peace.
She blew out a long breath. She’d been anticipating the inquisition now they were on their own, but the question still took her by surprise.
“I didn’t know Gino was incarcerated there until we arrived.” Her fingers tightened reflexively around the steering wheel. Facing Gino had been like facing one of her demons. Sure, she’d done it before in court, but that had been years ago.
Dominic remained silent. The quiet hum of the engine and weight of accusation filled the void.
Her fingers rubbed the steering wheel. “I never imagined I’d get actively involved with the negotiation.” Still he didn’t speak. “I know I should have told you, but I didn’t think it would make a difference.”
“It would have made a difference to me.” His words shook her as did the velvet tone of his voice. It wasn’t the voice he used during negotiations. It was the one he’d used when they’d had sex.
Her pulse skipped.
She took a right as the GPS indicated and started climbing the hills into a dark forest. “I never talk about it, Dominic. I can’t risk slipping up and condemning the rest of my family to death. That’s the first time I’ve acknowledged the truth in public since the trial.”
He shifted in the seat, the leather creaking. “Most of that crime family is in prison.”
“Because of me. And it only takes one. Or for them to pay someone.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t take that risk.”
“You could have trusted me.”
“I know I can trust you. I do trust you.” More than she wanted to admit. “At first, I worried if anyone found out I’d be off bodyguard duty and back on suspension,” she told him. “Then I tried to tell you several times but you were either busy or,” she cleared her throat, “we got distracted.”
He ignored the oblique reference to them getting naked. He folded his fingers in his lap. Her mouth went dry thinking about those fingers on her skin.
“Gino is gonna be searching for information on you again now.”
Her attention snapped back onto the threat that had shadowed her for her entire life. “I can look after myself. Should anyone in the FBI or prison service give the crime family information on me then at least my relatives aren’t connected to me in any of my official files. Van saw to that… And the Greek community is tight enough that we’ll know if someone starts asking questions.” A wave of cold hit her. “But I need to warn my family. Tell them to take extra precautions with their safety.” Which sucked. It would give her mother even more ammunition about ditching the FBI and coming home.
Those intelligent eyes of his were looking at her differently now. It took her a moment to recognize it was respect she was seeing there.
“No wonder you guys were so close.”
Her stomach knotted. “Van saved my life but more importantly, he taught me how to take my power back.”
“No wonder you wanted to be an agent.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Ask the mob what they fear most, and it’ll be RICO charges and the FBI. So being an agent is all I’ve ever wanted.” She was ripping off layers of armor for this man. She knew he wouldn’t return the favor. Maybe that’s why she pushed. “What made you join the FBI?”
On cue, he grimaced and looked away. Then he surprised her. “Pretty simple really. My father wanted me to become a partner in a big law firm.”