“A pathetic fucking note that had me going out of my mind. You should have waited until I’d gotten back and we could have come up with a game plan.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t wait. I knew you’d try to talk me out of leaving, and likely succeed. If anything happened to you or Dillon because of me…” Her voice cracked on the last word as the memory of that voice mail message played over in her mind. “You didn’t hear that message! It was awful. He threatened Brendan and Kimmy. I…” She couldn’t continue, couldn’t force any more words out as her throat closed up.
“No! Don’t fucking cry!” His expression was a mix of anger and horror as he took another step toward her. “Please don’t cry, baby.”
“I’m not crying,” she muttered, wiping away the tears that started to fall down her cheeks. Damn it. What the hell? Until recently she almost never cried. Now it was like her tear ducts were permanently malfunctioning.
Suddenly his arms were around her, his quiet strength soothing her as he pulled her close. “Hell, Tegan, please don’t cry.”
She sniffled against his shirt before turning her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat was solid, steady. “I didn’t know what else to do. I just knew I needed to get out of your place. I couldn’t make you guys a target.” She’d do it again, too, but left that part out, knowing it would just annoy him.
He stroked a gentle hand down her back, up and down, the action soothing and sweet. “I got a call from Carlito right as I got your note. Felt as if my world had imploded. I…thought you might just go on the run again.” He stepped back but kept his arms around her, never letting her go. “I thought you might be gone for good,” he rasped out.
She looked up at him. “I wouldn’t have done that. I called Porter and he said he’d set me up with a safe house. I was going to call you as soon as I settled in.”
His expression was tight. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again. I panicked.”
She knew he’d dropped Dillon off at his parents’ place before storming over to hers. Thank God he had, too. “You saved my life. I don’t know if I ever thanked you.”
He made a sort of growling sound before he kissed her, hard and definitely claiming. At least that’s sure how it felt. This man completely owned her when he took her mouth, kissing her until her knees felt weak and she was clutching his shoulders for support.
The sound of a throat clearing made her jerk back. She hadn’t even heard the office door opening and clearly neither had Aaron. Somehow, she figured that lack of awareness was out of character for him. Good to know he was just as affected as she was.
Carlito stood there, his face neutral. At least he didn’t look like the Grim Reaper. Maybe that meant something good. Like, maybe De Fiore had signed a full confession and apologized for all the pain and suffering he’d caused over the years. She nearly snorted at the ridiculous thought. Yeah, right.
“What’ve you got?” Aaron demanded.
“Good-ish news. Grace is ready to confess to pretty much everything in exchange for immunity.”
Rage surged through Tegan. She started to speak when the detective held up his hand.
“We’re not giving her full immunity. She won’t do jail time but she’ll be under house arrest for a long damn time. I know it’s not what you were hoping for, but the Feds want De Fiore and she’s serving him up on a silver platter. We’re working together on this and”—he spread his hands out apologetically, and by his expression she could tell he truly was sorry—“they’re calling the shots on how it plays out.” That was anger in his voice.
“So she walks?” Tegan asked. “After holding a gun on me, kidnapping me, and knocking out one of your guys? Isn’t that assault on a police officer or something?”
“She’s not walking exactly but…yeah, it fucking blows.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “But this is the way the system works sometimes. Enzo will go to jail forever. She’s got a lot on him—her backup plan in case she ever got arrested. You won’t be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Grace doesn’t give a shit about you, and all her movements will be monitored by a tracking device. She might not be going to jail but her life will be seriously altered.”
Tegan leaned into Aaron, tension curling through her, tearing at her insides. He hadn’t said anything about the bombing, and as far as she was concerned, De Fiore might not have been behind it.
As if he’d read her mind, Carlito continued. “Grace has been clear that Enzo never meant to hurt you in that car bombing. It was just a scare tactic.”
She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting De Fiore to be behind it.
“What does De Fiore say?” Aaron asked quietly. His hold around her shoulders tightened.
Carlito’s lips pulled into a thin line. “Not a damn thing. Won’t talk until his lawyer gets here. The guy’s flying in from Chicago, so until then he’s staying silent.”