“So, your whole career is you sticking it to your dad?”
The smile caught her off guard. The sparkle in those blue eyes. “That’s how it started. Trying to prove he was wrong to push me down a certain path. But it turned out I loved it. Law bored the hell out of me, but being an FBI agent? The adrenaline rush, the danger, making a difference—that was a blast I couldn’t resist.” He rubbed his hand over his thigh. “Then proving that I got where I was on my own merit turned into a bit of an obsession. Van helped me not mess up too many times as a rookie. When you grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth turns out you have a target on your back.”
“I get it.”
“You do?” He sounded surprised.
“Sure, I do. Every good-looking woman has to prove she didn’t get where she was by shagging the boss.”
She expected him to laugh at her analogy, but he didn’t.
“Have people thought that about you?”
“In just about every job I’ve ever had. Even you thought I’d slept with Van.”
He ran his hand around his collar. “I’m an asshole, and I apologize.” There was a long pause. “What about us… Does sleeping together put you in an awkward position?”
She checked the GPS and took another turn. “It’s best if no one finds out. I mean if it were an actual long-term relationship that might be different. Other agents might still question any promotions I received, assuming I’m not fired”—her heart gave a painful squeeze—“but at least it would be something I’d be willing to deal with. But just for sex…” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t want anyone knowing.”
She risked a look at him, expecting him to look amused or mocking but instead he was grim-faced.
“I don’t want to jeopardize your career, Ava.”
“Then no one better find out we’re fucking each other.”
“They won’t hear it from me.” He finally gave her the assurance she’d thought she wanted to hear. But it rang hollow inside her.
His eyes lifted to the road ahead. “This is the place where I shot Peter Galveston.”
Ava put on her blinker and pulled over to the side of the road.
Dominic got out of the car and walked to the edge of the pavement and stood staring into the thick underbrush.
Ava followed slowly, tucking away her emotions so they didn’t get in the way of them doing their job.
“What I don’t get,” Dominic said quietly, “is why wait this long to exact revenge? A decade. Who the hell is that patient?”
Ava stood next to him, staring at the opposite side of the woods. “Could they have been serving a prison term?”
Dominic placed his hands on his hips. “I was wondering the same thing.” He shook his head impatiently. “DNA results and other evidence should be in by now. Frazer said he’d call me as soon as anything definite came in. Let’s head to the cabin.”
Ava followed him back to the car. “What do you expect to find?”
He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Who owns it?”
“A corporation based in New York.”
“Who owns the corporation?”
His smile was a quick slice of guile. “Alex Parker is looking into that for us.”
“Parker? Not the task force?”
Dominic shrugged as he got into the car. “They are presumably also looking into it, but Frazer says Parker is faster, and there are lives on the line.”
Ava started the engine, feeling oddly melancholic. She was eager to find out the truth but realized that when they did, she and Sheridan would no longer need one another. They’d part ways. The idea shook her. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the man.
It took another twenty-five minutes to reach the cabin, up a side road, winding through thick forest with very few houses nearby.
Dominic noticed her glancing around. “Galveston owned most of this mountain.”
“Where’d all the money go after his death?” asked Ava.
“A distant cousin I believe. Victims were also compensated.”
Ava couldn’t imagine it put a dent in the heartbreak of the families.
Dominic leaned forward and peered up the hill on her side of the road. “There’s the cabin.” He pointed through the trees.
Ava saw a massive construction. A rustic version of a mansion was a more apt description. The fine hair on her nape sprang up.
“Place gives me the creeps,” Dominic admitted, tucking his sunglasses into his jacket pocket. It was one of the things she really liked about him. He wasn’t afraid to own his mistakes or show weakness. He was comfortable about who he was and confident in his abilities.
She parked in front of the property, and they both climbed out, tense and wary, looking for any signs of trouble. Without talking they retrieved their ballistic vests from the trunk, constantly scanning the trees and the house as they strapped them on.
If she was the person orchestrating these attacks on the FBI in revenge for the death of Peter Galveston, this was where she’d be hanging out. In the place he’d committed his crimes.
Ava tightened the Velcro straps and rested her hand on the handle of her Glock.
“Let’s check the garage first. See if anyone is home.”
Ava nodded, covering Sheridan’s rear, barrel pointed at the ground so no one accidentally got shot.
No birds sang, no squirrels chattered. The only thing that moved were the leaves rustling in the breeze. Ava’s pulse gave a few unsteady beats before training enabled her to settle her breathing. This was the sort of situation that made her nerves dance, but she knew what to do, she could handle it. And so could Sheridan.
They checked the garage, looking through the murky glass of the side windows. An ATV and a snow mobile were in there, but no cars or trucks.
Silently they headed to the front door, and Dominic rang the doorbell. The sound echoed inside the cathedral ceilings, but no one answered.
Dominic held her gaze for a moment, the indigo of his eyes as dark as a shadow.